Finance Panel Says Select Board Brushed Off Its Advice
Finance Committee · Meeting of August 11, 2026
Great Barrington's Finance Committee says the Select Board brushed off most of its strategic-plan advice. Clerk Reo Matsuzaki told the panel that of six recommendations passed unanimously in July, the Select Board substantively engaged with just one, on joint capital-project meetings, while a request for regular public-safety cost reporting was "ignored entirely." Matsuzaki said Great Barrington property taxes now fund about 75.7 percent of the town's regional school assessment, a share projected to hit 87 percent by 2030. Member Michelle Loubert said the board also failed to discuss the committee's push to elevate the Housatonic River "Rest of River" cleanup, recalling an open house in Lee: "I literally left that crying." The panel unanimously approved minutes from June 22, July 14 and July 23, tabled June 29 for lack of a draft, welcomed new member Doug Robbins, and agreed to send the Select Board a brief written statement rather than a formal demand.
Members set September 9 and 23 and October 28 as next meeting dates and plan to invite resident Patrick White, author of the school-finance analysis cited throughout, to present September 9.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,856 words
Source: the Finance Committee meeting of August 11, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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