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Great Barrington Cultural Council hears grant-processing delays; nonresponsive grantee cited
Summary
The Great Barrington Cultural Council approved its Dec. 22, 2025 minutes and discussed slower-than-usual grant processing tied to reduced town accounting staff and a nonresponsive grantee (Festival Latino of the Berkshires). The council also set meeting dates and continued recruitment efforts.
The Great Barrington Cultural Council met by Zoom on March 23 and approved its Dec. 22, 2025 minutes by a unanimous vote.
Melanie McCarthy, a member of the Great Barrington Cultural Council, told colleagues the town’s grant agreement process is moving more slowly than it did last year and said the delay may be linked to reduced staffing in the town accounting office. McCarthy said she is still waiting for at least one required piece of paperwork from most grantees and that one applicant, Festival Latino of the Berkshires, has not responded to calls or emails. She said she plans to set a deadline for Festival Latino to submit the paperwork needed for the town to process payments.
The statement that payments cannot be processed until completed and signed grant agreements are submitted to the accountant’s office was presented as a procedural requirement by McCarthy. The council did not take any formal vote on the grants update during the meeting; discussion focused on follow-up steps to secure outstanding paperwork so staff can complete payment processing.
The council also set its meeting schedule through August, noting there will be no meeting in April and listing June 22, July 27 and Aug. 24 as upcoming dates. During the recruiting portion of the agenda, Rees Shad invited Heather Thompson, from the ButtonBall Inn in Egremont, to learn more about joining the council. Members described the application and approval process for prospective members, the time commitment expected of council volunteers, and the level of funding the town receives from the Massachusetts Cultural Council compared with some other Berkshire County towns. Members discussed the council’s need to supplement state funding with fundraising efforts.
The meeting began at 6:07 PM and concluded after the listed agenda items; no additional formal actions or votes were recorded in the minutes beyond the approval of the Dec. 22 minutes.
