From Affordable Housing to Tax Fairness—Why This Monday’s Select Board Meeting Matters

Monday, July 28 Select Board Meeting 

7:00 PM | Hybrid (in-person and Zoom)

Zoom Link  | 31 North St., Williamstown, MA 01267

Full Meeting Packet Folder

Monday night’s Select Board meeting is shaping up to have a full agenda. Here are four particularly impactful items on deck:

1. Approval of the Williamstown Community Chest’s 17th Annual Fun Run

A quick vote is expected on this beloved annual event, currently scheduled for Saturday, September 13, 2025..

• Details can be found in the Meeting Packet under:
  • Community Chest Run 

2. Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Implementation

The Board will discuss how to implement the Massachusetts Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit at the local level.

• Read about the statewide program here
• Here is the proposed implementation in the Select Board Meeting packet folder under:
  • Proposed Language
  • Means Tested Senior Property
    • A “means-tested” benefit is one where eligibility is based on your income and/or financial resources. In other words, it’s not available to everyone—only to those who fall below certain income or asset limits.

This proposal is essentially a request to lower the qualifying age for the Circuit Breaker Tax Credit from 65 (the state standard) to 60 for Williamstown residents. Voters approved this change at a previous Town Meeting, but because it involves changing a state-level policy, Williamstown must now file a Home Rule Petition with the state legislature.

A Home Rule Petition is how a city or town in Massachusetts asks the state for permission to take an action that goes beyond what's allowed under general law. In this case, we’re asking the Legislature to grant Williamstown the authority to lower the eligible age for this tax credit just within our town.

• You can read the full Massachusetts Home Rule Guide here

3. DIRE Committee Proposes New Name and Vision

The Diversity, Inclusion, and Racial Equity Committee (DIRE) is proposing a name change to READI: Racial Equity, Accessibility, Diversity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee.

This change reflects a more action-oriented vision for 2025–2026, with a renewed focus on solutions and impact.

• Read the full proposal in the Meeting Packet under:
  • READI Charge Document

4. Affordable Housing Trust Update

A significant funding allocation is under consideration for the Habitat for Humanity subdivision in Williamstown.

• iBerkshires coverage of the funding boost

📣 Updated Public Comment Guidance

This week’s agenda includes updated language on public comment procedures:

• In-person speakers must come to the microphone and state their name and town of residence (no street address required)

This clarification improves accessibility and transparency, ensuring that speakers can be heard by those attending remotely and properly recorded for the public record.Special thanks to the Select Board—especially Chair Stephanie Boyd—for including this guidance directly in the agenda.

That’s the only official meeting on the town docket this week, but it’s a meaningful one. From affordable housing to accessibility, tax relief for seniors to community celebrations—this agenda highlights the kind of work that shows local government at its best.

We often encourage folks to speak up when something’s going wrong—but showing up when things are going right matters too. If you’ve got time, this is a great meeting to attend.

Okay yes—technically calling these “good” initiatives puts us in #opinion territory, but we hope you’ll agree: this is the kind of local government work worth celebrating.

Thank you for reading. Stay tuned—coming soon, we’ll have new pieces on the Williamstown Fire District and the Hoosac Water Quality District (HWQD).

We’re happy cats over here after a slightly cooler weekend with plenty of sunshine to go around. Hope to see some of you Monday night at the Select Board meeting!

CAT TAX