05/04/2025
During the Selectman forum hosted by Adams Concerned Citizens and the Adams Town Democratic Committee, the organizers received more questions than we had time to address in the time allotted. I have outlined my answers below, and removed names for privacy. Thank you for for your questions! If you missed the session you can watch it online at the link below. I hope to see you at the polls tomorrow, 7am-7pm at the Adams Memorial Building. Please stop by and say hello!
📍Question from BD: I would like to know what the EXACT circumstances exist in Adams that cause our tax rate to be among the highest in the state, and why the taxed amount has risen so much (via inflated property value assessments without inspection) over the last five years.
I’ve tried to look into this - comparing Adams demographically with towns of similar size, rurality, history, etc. - but have come up empty handed. I know there can be temporary blips caused by some situations (eg unanticipated bonds) but I’m not aware of anything like that in our case. It’s ok if we’re somehow “different” if there’s a reason. Yet, as I cross out all of the things that it ISN’T, I am stymied trying to identify what the “magic” cause is. Can anyone offer a plausible explanation? It’s just math after all.
📍Answer: You are correct that it’s just math, but it is an equation that does not shake out well for Adams: stagnant new growth + steadily increasing costs = high tax rate. Adams does not cost significantly more to run than other similarly-sized municipalities, but it has been dealing with a declining populations and limited expansion of the tax base (new growth, as opposed to increased assessed values). Meanwhile, the costs for supplies, labor, maintenance, etc. that keep the town running keep going up over time.
The most effective way to address the issue is to grow the tax base while limiting the elements of increasing costs that we can control as a town. Focusing solely on one or the other is unsustainable over time and limits the benefit we feel as taxpayers. Using the same math from earlier, increased new growth + limited increasing costs = lower tax rate. The opportunity to jump from the current equation to this new one is there, if only we take it.
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📍Question #1 from JB: How much revenue does Adams receive from the MA Lottery Commission? It should be substantial and could be used for paving roads.
Question #2 from JB: Can homeowners over 70 get a reduction in property taxes? Been paying them since 1978 without fail. Time for senior citizens to get a break.
📍Answer: According to their website, the MA Lottery Commission gave Adams $2,798,733 in unrestricted government aid in FY24. What is not clear, largely because it is unrestricted, is how this money is currently being used by the town. It is likely that this funding is, in part, already being used for road repair and other similar DPW work, but one unrestricted funding comes in from the state, it is indistinguishable from other unrestricted town revenues used to operate public services.
Regarding your second question, there are a few options for reducing your property tax burden if you’re over 70 (or younger!), though they are not always well-advertised. These are especially valuable for folks like you who have had a house for a while, likely bought at a price far below its current assessment, and are now being taxed on decades of assessment increases that are largely out of your control. The two options that immediately spring to mind are the Adams Senior Citizen Property Tax Work Off program (still listed on the town website, although the posted form is several years out of date), which allows those 60 or older who meet a handful of other criteria to volunteer in exchange for a reduction in property taxes, and the MA Senior Circuit Breaker tax credit, which allows those 65 or older who meet a handful of other criteria to receive a refundable credit of up to $2,730 per year on your state income taxes to offset rent or property taxes.
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📍Question from JL: Proposed question for Selectmen Candidates: What are your thoughts on the fact in Massachusetts Adams and Somerset are the only two towns that don't fund their sewer system through sewer use fees based on water meters which increases environmental accountability and can help to reduce overall operational and disposal costs of the sewer conveyance system and the wastewater treatment facility.
📍Answer: I am firmly in favor of shortening that list to just Somerset. I recognize that there are fair critiques of the fee system to be addressed (it might have an outsized effect on renters, it might be regressive, etc.), though the fact that almost every municipality in MA uses fees rather than taxes indicates that these are manageable issues, or possibly non-issues. In addition to your point that a usage fee increases environmental accountability and can help reduce overall costs, I would add that another benefit is that the fee system ensures that everyone who uses the sewer system pays for what they use, even if they do not pay property taxes.
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📍Question #1 from LC: With the recent fire at one of the many mills that are still housed in Adams. How will you address the environmental concerns, and protect the citizens of our communities? The one mill that comes to mind is The Former Curtis paper mill, Holland Ave. I brought this to the selectboard in 2017. As we sit today with all of the chemicals still in place. Will this be a concern you will take seriously?
Question #2 from LC: I feel the town lacks good communications between departments? To make a company run efficiently All have to work together. I don't see that happening at this time. How will you approach this as a selectman?
📍Answer: Addressing environmental concerns on any scale is challenging, but on the scale of a mill building is incredibly so. Working to address these concerns requires an approach that accounts for the challenge’s complexity. Part of that is prioritizing remedying these properties, especially with regards to seeking the resources necessary to remove chemicals, tend to soil contamination, handle abatements, etc. Another part of this work is shoring up infrastructure near these properties so that they remain as stable and as accessible as possible until the remediation work on them is completed. Having these properties in their current state creates environmental concerns for our citizens and impedes the town’s economic growth. Not only will I take this seriously, but any person on the Select Board needs to in order to sustain Adams into the future.
Interdepartmental communication is key to a well-functioning organization, and it can be challenging when you have different branches of the organizations in different locations. This is an issue that I come up against often as a department chair: I oversee four programs located in three different buildings, and getting everyone on the same page is a challenge. However, I think that the approach I use in my job can be helpful if implemented by the town: while most business can be done via email, we come together every other week for an in-person meeting. These meetings are one hour every two weeks, but they allow us all to get on the same page and align our efforts in addressing things that arise in the ensuing two weeks. While organizing semi-regular meetings of department heads would be a management function rather than a governance one, I would want to hear from any potential town administrators whether they plan to use this method or, if not, how they plan to keep all branches of the town government on the same page.
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📍Question from DB: During every meeting, there is an open meeting violation. This is costing the town a lot of legal fees. How do you plan to fix this?
📍Answer: Before addressing the question, I would like to offer a small, but substantive, reframing: during many meetings, there are open meeting violation complaints. Some of these have been upheld as valid, some have not, but it is an important distinction. That being said, open meeting violation complaints require the time and effort of town counsel (and the fees that go with that) and the Town Clerk’s office, resources that would best serve the town allocated elsewhere.
Speaking for myself, I am a stickler for process and am familiar with MA’s open meeting and conflict of interest laws thanks to being an employee of the Commonwealth. I even voluntarily ran the governance committee I used to chair at MCLA according to open meeting rules, even though it was not technically required. I know where the lines are and do not cross them. Beyond just myself, however, I think it is beneficial to both require the Board of Selectmen to regularly review these laws (beyond what is already required by MA) and offer sessions to the general public on these laws to help build understanding of their specifics. If we can address this from both sides (fewer complaints and fewer violations), we can tackle the issue and save the town some money in the process.
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📍Question from DM: With costs increasing and every one has to tighten their belts, what is Adams' plan for the future?
📍Answer: The town has already started on this, with most parts of the town government included on the budget either asking for level funding from this fiscal year to next or, in many cases, lower funding. The problem is that these fiscally prudent actions on non-compulsory budget lines are more than offset by increases in compulsory ones (health insurance premiums, state mandates, etc.). An avenue that I would like to see used, or made more public if it is already in use, is setting financial parameters when new contracts are being negotiated. As an employee of the Commonwealth, every time my union’s contract is up for negotiation, the Governor issues guidelines on how much of a financial impact the contract can have, and the contract must be negotiated within those parameters. A similar approach can help limit the growth of non-compulsory costs without lowering the level of public services available to the town. There are other avenues to explore, but this is low-hanging fruit already being modeled by MA.
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📍Question from DP: The current board of Selectmen Chair said the town would place a Greylock Glen commission on the next town meeting warrant. Are you in favor of a Greylock Glen Commission?
📍Answer: I am, but not at this time. As I have shared before and been consistent about, I think a commission would have made sense before anything was built, and it will make sense once the project is in its completed form. However, if we want Greylock Glen to be set up to maximize the town’s benefit, then I think it should be under town control until it is in its final form. This approach also minimizes delays and complications sure to come with trying to establish a new entity, charged with itself creating a new entity, and handing off an active building project and lease of state land. For the moment, I think that a more viable option is the establishment of an advisory group, giving way to a commission (and then independent nonprofit) once the development is completed.
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📍Question from GN: Is it possible to start or reenact a bylaw to rid the town of dilapidated property?
📍Answer: In theory, yes, but the bigger problem is the cost of razing these properties once they are taken. When accounting for labor, abatement, disposal, and other cost centers, it can cost into the low six-figures to bring a building down. At the scale we need, that would swamp the town budget. My preferred approach to tackling this matter is to coordinate with other small municipalities across Berkshire County and, with the Berkshire delegation, push for a pool of funding from MA that can be used for this purpose. The need is not isolated to Adams, and neither is the inability to foot the bill just from the town budget. This is an instance of needing to think big to tackle a big problem.
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📍Question #1 from CS: There are very few opportunities for community input and questions from the public to the Select Board. Public comment at select board meetings is very restricted and there are few community meetings. What will you do to open up communication?
Question #2 from CS: We do not currently advertise widely for town job openings. There are many internal hires. How would you cast a wide net for a new town administrator and community development director?
📍Answer: I have promised, if elected, to hold regular “office hours,” making myself available to meet with and address questions of residents. I do this a few times a week as part of my job, and it creates a great opportunity to have one-on-one conversations and dig deeply into questions and issues that may not be well-suited to another setting. Additionally, there is a citizen petition item on the Town Meeting warrant for June that calls for regular public forums by at least one member of the Select Board at a time to share information and updates on Greylock Glen and other matters around town as appropriate. I am in support of this, and I think it will help in getting necessary information out to the people of Adams.
The shortest route to casting a wide net is to emulate an approach I have used at both my current job and at a previous one: ask those who have recently done the same thing where they advertised openings and then advertise there. There are some fairly common outlets with substantial audiences that likely already on the town’s radar, but there may also be more esoteric places that are not despite their potential to be fruitful.
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📍Question #1 from MP: Thoughts on having a full time DPW head rather than the town administrator having that position?
Question #2 from MP: Ideas for town recreation for families and children?
📍Answer: Having a full-time DPW head, rather than having the town administrator do that work, is a tricky matter. On the one hand, there is greater capacity if running the DPW is the person’s only job. On the other hand, hiring that position with the experience and capability needed would likely cost the town approximately $100,000 a year in salary, plus benefits. Just from the standpoint of fiscal prudence, I currently lean on the side of having the town administrator do this role so long as they are capable. However, it is feasible for our town administrator to do this work because there are several long-tenured DPW employees who make it a more manageable workload. The retirement of those employees, whenever that may happen, could present an opportunity to hire on new employees at lower salaries and then using the savings there to offset the salary of a full-time DPW director.
I would like to see more organized events that create opportunities not just for families and kids, but for all to get together and build community. Thunderfest and Ramblefest are great for this, but they are only two days per year. There is potential to add more things, and not just in the Visitor's Center lot, that could serve a similar role. I also think it’s important that these events be run by independent organizations, but that those organizations know the Select Board is ready to be a good partner in the venture. We might also consider establishing a Youth Commission (North Adams has one) to give the kids of our community a direct avenue for input and make sure that the things being planned actually align with what they want rather than what a handful of people several decades older than them think they want.
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📍Question #1 from CC:
What steps have you taken within the community to add value to the organization or economic development of Adams. Please be specific.
Question #2 from CC: How do you feel about the lack of a capital expenditure plan in our organization? What steps would you take to resolve it if you believe it is important?
📍Answer: From an organizational standpoint, I am proud to serve on the Adams Historical Commission, as a member of the Adams Lions Club, and on the board of ProAdams. All of these groups serve the community (perhaps most visible in ProAdams producing Thunderfest and Ramblefest), and by virtue of this being group service I do not know that I can single out contributions separate from the accomplishments of the group. On an individual level, though, I am an almost shameless advocate for Adams to my students. Many of them come from outside the area and only know North Adams, so they are surprised by the things that await just across the town line (some are still mourning the loss of Shire Donuts).
I think that the lack of a capital expenditure plan makes sustainable development in Adams difficult. Given the age of the buildings and infrastructure in town, it is a question of when, not if, those expenses are going to arise and we need to get ahead of that. I have mentioned at a few forums that I think the Select Board needs to lead a strategic planning process for the town, allowing us to set targets for development and make strategic changes to zoning ordinances and codes rather than doing things in a piecemeal fashion. I would like to see the development of a capital expenditure plan rolled into this process, giving us a holistic road map for Adams as our 250th anniversary looms.
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