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.