Town meeting approves $629,000, tables liability reserve
Town Meeting · Meeting of June 29, 2026
Great Barrington special town meeting approves $629,000, postpones a $500,000 litigation reserve. Voters funded seven Article 1 items totaling $341,964, including $61,285 for lifeguards, $75,000 in Housatonic Water Works legal fees and $100,000 for a police co-responder program, plus $86,899 for Southern Berkshire Ambulance Squad. The Select Board's motion to indefinitely postpone a $500,000 reserve tied to 2024 street reconstruction litigation passed, but not before resident John Breasted demanded to know why the lawsuit wasn't disclosed before the May 2 town meeting.
Finance Committee member Michelle Lubert pushed back hard: "I did not lie. That is one thing I don't do." Voters then approved a separate $200,000 stabilization-fund transfer for related legal and consulting costs by the required two-thirds vote.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,624 words
Source: the Town Meeting meeting of June 29, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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