BERNARDSTON — Voters will be asked to approve a 14% increase in the town’s assessment to the Pioneer Valley Regional School District, changing the elected Recreation Commission to an appointed one, and purchasing a new fire engine, police cruiser and highway truck at Annual Town Meeting on Wednesday, April 29.
The meeting will commence at 7 p.m. at the Pioneer Valley Regional School auditorium in Northfield. The thirty-seven articles on the warrant include proposals for bylaw amendments, capital purchases and the fiscal year 2027 budget.
The town’s budget, which is typically broken up into several warrant articles, totals $7.48 million. The largest proposed increases in FY27 are the Pioneer assessment and health insurance. The pension and health insurance line is budgeted to increase by $62,526.
Pioneer’s budget, approved by the School Committee, totals $18.2 million, and the operating assessment for Bernardston is $4.01 million, representing a 14.22% increase, or $499,261, over the FY26 budget.
In addition to the operating budget, the school district is requesting $54,422 for Bernardston’s share of capital projects, including parking lot repairs; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) work; and a kitchen grease trap replacement. The capital expenses bring Bernardston’s total assessment to $4.06 million.
The school budget, which accounts for 50.39% of the town’s total budget, is not recommended by the Selectboard and Finance Committee.
“It’s been a very difficult budget to manage this year, and I know folks are going to raise flags on the Pioneer budget,” Town Administrator Lou Bordeaux said. “We’ve put the budget on the warrant exactly as Pioneer submitted it. … Ultimately, it’s up to the voters.”
In addition to the operating budget, voters will also be asked to approve a few capital purchases, including Article 28, asking to borrow up to $1.08 million for a new fire engine; Article 27, which seeks authorization to use $65,000 in vehicle stabilization funds to purchase a new police cruiser to replace the department’s 2018 Dodge Durango; and Article 29, asking to borrow up to $399,900 to purchase a new truck for the Highway Department.
The town was recently notified that it is being awarded a $1 million U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Community Facilities Grant, which had originally been sought to support the construction of a new Fire Station. Bordeaux said now that the Fire Department is operating out of its renovated 6,320-square-foot space at 167 Northfield Road, the town is hoping to use the grant to purchase a new fire engine instead. However, just in case the town is unable to use the grant funding for this purpose, Bernardston is still including the borrowing authorization vote on the Town Meeting warrant.
At the request of the Recreation Commission, Article 35 seeks voter approval to convert its elected commission to an appointed one. Bordeaux said the town has an active commission that plans and hosts lots of events and activities, and switching to having positions be appointed rather than elected may help the commission attract future members.
“It can be hard to get people to run for office,” Bordeaux said.
If passed by Town Meeting voters, Bordeaux said the article would then need to be included and voted on at a town election. It is too late for the question to be included on the ballot for the May 4 annual town election, but the town hopes to include the measure on the November ballot.
Prior to the Annual Town Meeting, a Special Town Meeting will start at 6:30 p.m., also in the school auditorium, to handle a two-article warrant. The town is seeking voter approval to pay a $410 Amazon bill from 2022 and to reimburse Marshall’s Country Store for a $76,950 overpayment for Transfer Station trash bags.
Other articles on the Annual Town Meeting warrant include:
- Article 33: Seeking authorization to demolish and remove the dilapidated shed behind Town Hall. Bordeaux said the structure has been unusable for years, and tearing it down will allow the town to turn the space into parking, which is limited at Town Hall.
- Article 34: a citizen’s petition seeking support for “An Act Establishing Medicare for All in Massachusetts.”
- Article 37: a bylaw amendment that, if approved, would bring the town’s bylaws into compliance with the state’s Affordable Homes Act by allowing residents to construct one accessory dwelling unit (ADU) of up to 1,000 square feet by right on their property. Any ADU must meet building and health code regulations and provide an off-street parking space for the structure.
The Annual Town Meeting warrant can be viewed at townofbernardston.org/media/9266. The Special Town Meeting warrant is available at townofbernardston.org/media/9311.
