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Lanesborough Says Override Only Option To Fund Mount Greylock Request
By Andy McKeever, iBerkshires Staff
02:11AM / Tuesday, February 24, 2015
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Town Administrator Paul Sieloff told the Selectmen that he isn't budging from the 1 percent offer and is crafting the town's budget based on that.
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Town Administrator Paul Sieloff says if Mount Greylock Regional School District wants to hike its assessment by 11 percent, it will need to convince voters of an override.
 
High School officials aren't backing down from asking for a 4.5 percent raise in the budget, which will result in $276,700 more in Lanesborough's assessment, or a 10.54 percent increase over this year.
 
Sieloff says the request is asking for every bit of new money Lanesborough will generate if the town raises taxes the full 2.5 percent allowed by law as well cutting $100,000 elsewhere.
 
A 2.5 percent increase in the budget generates $180,000 in new taxes, Sieloff said.
 
"I feel it would be very hard to cut hundreds of thousands of dollars out of departments that aren't the school," Sieloff said.
 
The administrator says he is sticking to his 1 percent increase offer to the school, which is about a $26,000. If Mount Greylock wants the rest, school officials will have to convince voters to approve an override of the difference.
 
"A small override would be one way of deciding that," Sieloff said. "If it was a negative vote, that is an easy thing to bring to Mount Greylock advocates for an increase ... If it is voted in, people have agreed to vote in the extra $250,000 into the budget."
 
Sieloff said the town doesn't have the money to fulfill the request without a Proposition 2 1/2 override. State law requires towns to keep tax levy increases to 2 1/2 percent unless a town meeting vote approves an override.
 
"We don't really have an option at that point," he said. "We have our back against the wall. I understand Mount Greylock feels 11 percent is the absolute minimum for them." 
 
To comply with that request, Sieloff said the town will have to fire employees. Since Town Hall employees are mostly part time, it would have to come from either the Police Department or the Highway Department. 
 
"We already have a hard time keeping up with the roads," Sieloff said.
 
An override to fund the full request would lead to about 50 cents on top of the tax rate called for in the budget, Sieloff said.
 
Selectman Henry "Hank" Sayers added that wouldn't include the possible school building project in the future — so taxes could increase some $500 for an average household just for Mount Greylock in the next few years, he said.
 
"We've never done a 2 1/2 override in this town," added Chairman John Goerlach.
 
The override would fund the budget and raise the tax levy threshold in the following years. If voted down, Mount Greylock officials would either have to cut the budget or force a district vote. Williamstown carries more weight in a district vote so it is possible that Lanesborough could be forced to find the $276,700 despite voting down an override.
 
School officials still have time to change the proposal and Sieloff says he will still try to reach an agreement. But, the gap between the two sides is still large.
 
Superintendent Gordon Noseworthy submitted a column two weeks ago saying the cuts to the school district would be dramatic if it's budget was not fully funded.
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