Warrant Articles
The Police Station Building Committee has two Warrant Articles relating to the Public Safety Complex for taxpayers to vote on. Please see the Articles and an explanation of each below:
ARTICLE 2. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to acquire, by gift, purchase, eminent domain or otherwise, certain property located at 405 South Main Street, Lanesborough, shown on Assessor’s Map 235-19, being a portion of the property described in a deed recorded with the Berkshire North Registry of Deeds in Book 1738, Page 398; and further to authorize the Board of Selectmen to execute any and all documents to carry out the intent of this Article, or take any other action relative thereto.
Explanation: Baker Hill Road District has donated the amount of $150,000 to the Town to fund the acquisition of this land.
This article is asking taxpayers to approve the purchase of land at 405 South Main Street using the gift of $150,000 from Baker Hill Road District; there is no taxpayer burden for this purchase. The gift from Baker Hill will cover the full purchase price. The Town Council confirmed there is no need for a separate warrant to accept the gift of funds from BHRD. The funds from BHRD can only be used toward the land purchase, and the parcel can not be used for purposes other than building the Public Safety Complex.
A ‘YES’ vote means: the Town can purchase 405 South Main Street for the purposes of building a Public Safety Complex using the gift of $150,000 from Baker Hill Road District at no taxpayer burden. The gift from Baker Hill Road District covers the full purchase price. Site testing, which has been paid for using ARPA funds, can be done on the parcel in order for the construction process to move forward.
A ‘NO’ vote means: the Town can not purchase 405 South Main street. The gift of $150,000 from Baker Hill Road District can only be used for the land purchase.
ARTICLE 4. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, transfer from available funds, and/or borrow the sum of five million nine hundred eighty nine thousand one hundred dollars ($5,989,100.00) for the design, engineering, construction and equipping of a new Public Safety Complex to be located at 405 South Main Street, including site preparation and remediation, and all costs incidental and related thereto; and to authorize the Treasurer, with the approval of the Select Board, to issue any bonds or notes that may be necessary for that purpose, as authorized by the provisions of G.L. c. 44, or any other enabling authority; and further, to authorize the Select Board to apply for and accept any forms of financial assistance that may be available to the Town on account of this project which amount received shall reduce the amount to be borrowed pursuant to this vote by a like amount; and further, to authorize the Select Board to enter into all agreements and execute any and all instruments deemed necessary to effectuate the purposes of this article; or take any action in relation thereto.
This article is asking taxpayers to approve the Public Safety Complex project so that funding can be released to the town and more funding can be sought. Funding includes having $1 million in Bond money that has passed legislation in 2022 released to the Town, applying for a USDA low interest loan the tax burden estimates are based on, requesting more money in this year’s Bond, seeking ARPA funds before the year’s end, applying for grants and fundraising toward soft costs like furniture. Without taxpayer approval more funding can not be sought. If the project is not approved at the Special Meeting the Town will likely lose funding the committee has lined up. The Bond funds can not be released until the project is approved and can not be used for purposes other than the Public Safety building. Interest rates for the USDA loan will likely go up after March 31st and additional expenses including rent for the temporary police station will become an annual taxpayer burden.
A ‘YES’ vote means: the Public Safety Complex project can move forward and take the next steps for construction and funding. The $1 million Bond can be released to the Town and more Bond funds can be requested. ARPA funds, which have to be spent by the end of 2023 can be sought. Grants can be applied for and fundraising can begin. Requests for donations of furniture and appliances can be made. The Town can apply for USDA’s low interest loan. The construction bidding process can begin, and a Project Manager can be bid to hire. A Project Manager will be responsible for ensuring the project follows timelines and with the most fiscally responsible supplies and materials. The Article includes the full project cost of $5.9 million in order to have the $1 million in Bond funds released to the town. The maximum tax burden for the project is $4.9 million. A ‘YES” vote does not mean the full $4.9 million will be a taxpayer burden.
A ‘NO’ vote means: the Public Safety Complex can not move forward. A ‘NO’ vote at the Special Meeting means the project will increase in cost and be a higher tax burden as the window for applying for the USDA's low interest loan at 3.7% interest is set to increase after March 31st 2023. The construction bidding process and fund seeking can not continue without taxpayer approval. Lanesborough could miss out on funding sources, like ARPA funds, that have to be spent by the end of 2023. A ‘NO’ vote could mean additional annual expenses on taxpayers when rent becomes due on the temporary Police Station in August of 2024 as well as the possibility of needing to pay for a space large enough for Lanesborough Ambulance.