Select Board closes warrant, backs hydro tax deal

Select Board · Meeting of June 23, 2026

Buckland Select Board closed the warrant for a July 21 special town meeting and backed a plan to let the board negotiate tax deals with the town's hydroelectric plants. The board voted to fix a $30,000 error in the Shelburne Falls wastewater budget and to authorize payment-in-lieu-of-taxes talks with Great River Hydro under a five-year revaluation cycle. Sheriff Laurie Streeter and Chief of Staff Nicole Burton pitched a no-cost behavioral health follow-up program for hill-town police calls, calling it "part of our responsibility" as a sheriff's office.

The board also accepted notice that Franklin County Technical School authorized $236,572,983 in building-project borrowing, triggering an October 6 district-wide election; finance committee members worry the maximum 66.27 percent reimbursement rate could land closer to 44 percent. Resident Lenny Kelsey asked whether Mohawk Trail and the tech school could share a campus, calling the cost "so much money." New librarian Samantha Bodine was introduced, and the board accepted Mike McCusker's resignation from two town committees.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,502 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of June 23, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.