Finance Committee OKs Six Strategic Plan Changes
Finance Committee · Meeting of July 23, 2026
Great Barrington Finance Committee votes six times to reshape the Select Board's strategic plan. Chair Madonna Meagher opened with a civility warning after a contentious prior meeting, saying "personal attacks, profanity, shouting, and disruptive behavior will not be permitted." The panel voted 4-0 on each item: elevating police and fire spending to a tier-one review priority alongside the ambulance service, adding attainable middle-income housing as a goal, branding Great Barrington "a destination" for tourism, and making the regional school assessment's fairness a tier-one priority. Former committee chair Sharon Gregory recalled a 2014-2015 fight that cut the town's share of school costs from roughly 75 percent to 52 percent.
Members also voted to move the Housatonic "Rest of River" PCB cleanup from tier three to tier one, adding "advocacy" to the town's role. Vice Chair Jeffrey Rothenberg called public safety spending "a significant driver of the town's expenses."
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,227 words
Source: the Finance Committee meeting of July 23, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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