Finance Committee backs ZBA recording funding, appoints union talks liaison

LANESBOROUGH — February 2, 2026 — Lanesborough Finance Committee approves funding to record Zoning Board of Appeals meetings and taps a member for union talks. The five-member committee voted unanimously at its February 2 meeting to draw from the existing technology budget line — estimated at roughly $2,400 — to cover audio-video recording of ZBA hearings and meetings through June 30, with a per-meeting cost of approximately $350 to $400. In a separate unanimous vote, the committee appointed member Julie Baker as its first-ever liaison to union contract negotiations with the DPW and Police Department, both unions whose three-year contracts expire at fiscal year end. The committee also reviewed short-term rental tax collections showing a combined yield of roughly $2,758 from 46 registered operators over approximately two fiscal quarters — figures members called implausibly low — and agreed to invite the town's auditing firm to present publicly at an upcoming meeting after community interest surfaced in a forensic audit that staff said could cost between $100,000 and $800,000.