Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Regional Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Regional committee backs returning to town‑based seats and a 5‑year rolling assessment average; MARS to review assessments
Summary
The regional agreement committee unanimously supported returning to town‑based elections for Hoosac Valley seats and recommended using a 5‑year rolling average for assessments; it contracted 'MARS' to prepare an assessments report and does not expect a new agreement before FY27.
The Hoosac Valley Regional Agreement Committee reported Jan. 13 that it supports two governance changes: returning to town‑based elections (Adams residents voting for Adams seat; Cheshire residents voting for Cheshire seats) and adopting a five‑year rolling average when calculating assessments.
Fred Lora summarized the subcommittee’s unanimous recommendation and said committee members discussed reasons the prior at‑large arrangement had produced tensions. Superintendent Aaron Dean said he had reached out to MARS, which the minutes record as the entity that will produce a report on assessments for the last two years; members said the process and timeline could mean a new agreement would not be in place until fiscal 2027.
Why it matters: Changing election structure and assessment methodology affects representation and local tax allocation for district services. Committee members noted the change may shift political dynamics between the two towns and emphasized the importance of using data from MARS to model fiscal impacts.
Details and next steps: The subcommittee will meet again at the end of the month; MARS will prepare the assessments report and committee members expect work on a new regional agreement to extend into FY27.
