At Shutesbury’s 290th annual Town Meeting on May 31, our small Massachusetts town approved a $7.7 million budget for FY26. Payments-in-lieu-of-taxes for state-owned land, including the one-third of our town taken by the state for the Quabbin watershed area, cover less than 5% of that budget. Residential property taxes will pay for 73%, which is a much higher portion than is covered by property taxpayers in most towns.
