Lanesborough Finance Committee Reviews Split Tax Rate Data, Defers to Select Board

LANESBOROUGH -- November 3, 2025, Lanesborough Finance Committee reviews split tax rate scenarios and flags urgent fire engine replacement need. The five-member committee, chaired by Lyndon Moore, examined Berkshire County comparison data compiled by member Kristen Toole showing Lanesborough's median single-family tax bill is already the highest among county towns using a split rate, and reviewed what-if scenarios prepared by members Julie Baker and Vera Farrell with Town Assessor Ross showing a maximum 1.5 commercial-industrial-personal property shift would save the median homeowner roughly $485 a year while adding approximately $1,700 to a $200,000 commercial property's annual bill; the committee made no formal recommendation, leaving the decision to the Select Board at its November 10 tax classification hearing. Fire Chief Jeff Duchesne told the committee that Engine 2, a 29-year-old pumper with an estimated $800,000 replacement cost, "has to be replaced" and that new 2026 model-year emissions rules could add $20,000 to $50,000 to the price if the town waits until the June annual town meeting, with roughly $400,000 already set aside. The committee unanimously approved a $5,775 reserve fund transfer for expanded PFAS landfill monitoring at the old Orbed Road site driven by new state DEP requirements, and a slate of six routine interdepartmental transfers including a $150,000 bookkeeping reclassification of retiree insurance costs.