Select Board

Jun 15, 2026

Board Approves Budget Transfers and Dispatch Agreement

The Select Board approved five year-end budget transfers totaling $31,944 and endorsed an emergency communications and dispatch agreement through June 30, 2027. The board also reviewed a potential mixed-use reuse of Tadgell School, with renovation costs estimated at approximately $22 million.

Jun 4, 2026

Select Board reorganizes leadership

The Select Board unanimously elected Whitney Jorns Kuhnlenz as chair and Nicole Miner as vice chair, with each vote passing 4-0-0. The board postponed selecting a clerk until the next meeting so Jon Ritter can be present to accept the nomination.

Jun 1, 2026

Board Approves Three-Year Firefighters Agreement

The Select Board unanimously endorsed a memorandum of agreement with the Belchertown Firefighters covering July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029, and authorized the Town Manager to sign it. The board also approved an artificial intelligence policy requiring human review of AI-generated content and protections for confidential information.

May 18, 2026

Board Approves $8,900 Sober Home Grant

The Select Board unanimously approved an $8,900 Opioid Settlement Committee grant to Honest Beginnings for renovating and furnishing a sober living home on Federal Street. The Board also endorsed two property actions, declined to exercise its right of first refusal on a 23-acre property, and supported grant applications for local infrastructure and planning projects.

May 11, 2026

Board Endorses Police Labor Agreement

The Select Board endorsed a memorandum of agreement with the Police Officers Coalition by a 5-0-0 vote and accepted revisions to Warrant Article 32 by a 4-0-1 vote. The warrant article concerns conserving property for recreational purposes.

May 4, 2026

Board Endorses 127-Acre Land Purchase

The Select Board voted 4-0 to endorse purchasing 127 acres at no net cost to the Town through a grant and Kestrel Land Trust support. Belchertown would pay upfront and seek reimbursement, so a Town Meeting vote is still required.

Apr 21, 2026

Select Board Endorses 41-Article Town Meeting Warrant

The Select Board voted 3-0 to endorse a 41-article warrant for Town Meeting, including a newly added article to transfer 10 acres to the EDIC and clarification that one school equipment lease will be paid from the existing operating budget. The Board also approved five duplexes near Federal Street and Pelham Road with no concerns, and declared most listed town parcels surplus.

Apr 6, 2026

Housing trust bylaw approved

The Select Board approved a Housing Trust bylaw in a 3-0-1 vote. The bylaw is intended to preserve, rehabilitate, and support existing owner-occupied housing; it does not use taxes or create new housing.

Mar 23, 2026

Select Board Approves FY27 Budget

The Select Board approved the FY27 budget as presented by a 5-0 vote. A proposal to shift a $20,000 finance director stipend to a deputy fire chief position failed 2-2-1, while the budget retained the proposed finance director funding.

Mar 16, 2026

Board declines Carriage Grove support letter

A 2-2 vote failed to approve a support letter for the Carriage Grove mixed-income housing project. The Board also backed budget steps to restore health-insurance savings to stabilization and limit free-cash use in the operating budget to 50%.

Mar 11, 2026

Select Board Reviews Regional School Budget

The Select Board heard a Pathfinder Regional budget presentation and asked for clarification about the FY27 budget, enrollment numbers, and health insurance. No budget approval or other substantive action was recorded.

Mar 2, 2026

Board declares snow emergency over deficit

The Select Board declared a snow emergency after the Town projected an approximately $40,000 shortfall in its snow and ice removal budget.

Feb 17, 2026

Housing support letter stalls on tied vote

The Select Board deadlocked 2-2 on endorsing a support letter for grant funding tied to a proposed 105-unit apartment project at the Carriage Grove Redevelopment Area. The Board agreed to revisit the letter at a future meeting.

Feb 9, 2026

FY27 Budget Faces $414,000 Shortfall

Belchertown’s preliminary FY27 budget shows a projected $414,000 deficit, requiring about $215,000 in school reductions and $199,000 in municipal department reductions to balance spending. The budget also anticipates a 15%–16% health insurance increase and a proposed 50/50 split of available free cash between operations and long-term financial needs.

Feb 2, 2026

Board Advances Land Protection and Policy Rules

The Select Board voted 5-0 to authorize a Forest Reserves grant application for approximately 127 acres near the Quabbin and Jabish Brook Conservation Areas, with public access proposed if acquired. The Board also approved a policy limiting official comments on federal matters to actions with a direct, material impact on Belchertown, by a 4-0-1 vote.

Jan 20, 2026

Trail projects receive board endorsement

The Select Board voted 4-0 to endorse grant applications supporting about $300,000 in design work for the Central One-Mile Segment of the Mass Central Rail Trail and roughly $140,000 for the Lake Wallace Sensory Trail Jackson Street Connector.

Jan 5, 2026

Local Early Voting Approved for May Election

The Select Board voted 3-0 to allow in-person early voting for the May 18, 2026 annual Town election. Voting will be available May 4–8 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with extended hours until 7:00 p.m. on May 6; the Board also authorized two police officers for each of the May 18, September 1, and November 3 elections.