Despite harsh words exercised earlier on posts on Connect Sandisfield/Facebook, Sandisfield's Annual Town Meeting proceeded without a hitch, once the residents gathered together under the roof of the Town's Fire Station.

The annual meeting, the 264th since the Town's incorporation in 1762, was attended by only 95 of the Town's 744 registered voters, 12.7 percent. This year, stanchions separated voters from nonvoters, a precaution suggested by a complaint on social media about the voting at a Special Election last fall. Town Clerk Douglas Miner announced this year's plan, adding that "We follow the rules, we count the votes, and however the votes end up, we follow the votes. It is essential for our town that the rules are followed by everybody and believed by everybody."

Town Moderator Dominic Konstam, also serving in his role as Chair of the Finance Committee, presented an overview of the Town's financial picture and the proposed fiscal year budget. Sandisfield's long-term property tax stability was highlighted, noting that the projected average single-family tax bill for FY27 is expected to remain below FY24 levels and only modestly higher than FY20 levels overall. Konstam emphasized that the Town has maintained stable tax impacts for residents while investing in infrastructure, public safety, and emergency service improvements.

During the meeting, Konstam also clarified that a formatting omission on the printed Warrant affected the prior year comparison figures used in the budget summary. After correcting the FY26 appropriations to reflect both Annual and Special Town Meeting votes, the Town's operating budget was determined to represent an increase of 0.37%. Residents ultimately approved an operating budget of approximately $4.1 million for the upcoming fiscal year.

All of the dozen warrant articles passed, most unanimously.

Those articles dealing with Fire and EMT departments finances passed as well, but with majority vote. Many questions were asked on these articles, but no amendments were offered nor were any even discussed.

Article 4, which dealt with a requirement that half of all ambulance fee revenues be transferred into a newly approved fire/EMS stabilization fund for capital costs, drew probably the most questions of the morning, but the resulting vote was 68 to 17 and the article passed its 2/3rd requirement.

On May 19 reporter Talia Lissauer wrote in The Berkshire Eagle that "voters approved a revolving fund for the production and installation of 911 address signs, funded by the revenue from the signs themselves."

Rolls and doughnuts and coffee and tea were served.
(Photo: Joanne Olson.)

She continued, "In compliance with a state requirement, voters approved $6,000 from free cash for two waveform capnography monitors, one for each ambulance, which monitors exhaled carbon dioxide in real time for EMTs to assess breathing."

She quoted Town Clerk Miner who said, "You tend to get the same people engaging, but this time it's a pretty wide group. There was plenty of debate among people who spoke, but that didn't translate to any amendments. There weren't any surprises and everything went as advertised."

Official minutes of the Annual Town Meeting are on the Town website, sandisfieldma.gov. Go to Town News and click on Annual Town Meeting.