Dalton Boards Amend Information Technology Services Budget

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board and Finance Committee voted to amend the Information Technology Services during their meetings this week. 
 
The revised budget increases the budget 4.41 percent bringing the total budget consisting of expenses only in the amount of $71,000. 
 
The previous budget was level funded from last year but the town's insurance agent has now developed requirements to maintain cyber security as part of the town's cybersecurity insurance. 
 
This software will enable the town to have multi-factor authentication and endpoint detection and response so if there is a breach they can find where it came from. 
 
The town will have to pay for this software annually so will now be part of the budget in years to come. 
 
They approved the Parks and Recreation budget in the amount of $62,000, a 3.12 percent increase 
 
This budget was previously a grant the town would give to the Community Recreation Association but last year it became a contracted service. 
 
The town has to abide by the anti-aid amendment that prevents it from giving money to private entities. 
 
The town has contributed to the CRA since it opened a century ago. The association offer programs including summer camps, sports, and recreational activities to the community. There is financial aid for those who qualify. 
 
Officials say this form of budgeting is cleaner than providing the nonprofit with a grant so that they can provide its services to the town.
 
The funding that the town pays helps the CRA cover some of the expenses the programs cost allowing the programs to cost less for the participants. 
 
They also approved the Town Accountant in the amount of $116,926, a $23,026 increase from the previous year. This increase doubles the hours that the assistant is doing.  
 
The increase will also cover the cost of the expenses and cost of the professional and technical training that the town accountant will also have to go to this year to remain certified.  
 
They also approved decrease of $16,500 in the Audit Budget bringing the budget to $35,000. The reason for the decrease is because audits happen every other year. 

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Letter: Is the Select Board Listening to Dalton Voters?

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

A reasonable expectation by the people of a community is that their Select Board rises above personal preference and represents the collective interests of the community. On Tuesday night [Nov. 12], what occurred is reason for concern that might not be true in Dalton.

This all began when a Select Board member submitted his resignation effective Oct. 1 to the Town Clerk. Wishing to fill the vacated Select Board seat, in good faith I followed the state law, prepared a petition, and collected the required 200-plus signatures of which the Town Clerk certified 223. The Town Manager, who already had a copy of the Select Board member's resignation, was notified of the certified petitions the following day. All required steps had been completed.

Or had they? At the Oct. 9 Select Board meeting when Board members discussed the submitted petition, there was no mention about how they were informed of the petition or that they had not seen the resignation letter. Then a month later at the Nov. 12 Select Board meeting we learn that providing the resignation letter and certified petitions to the Town Manager was insufficient. However, by informing the Town Manager back in October the Select Board had been informed. Thus, the contentions raised at the Nov. 12 meeting by John Boyle seem like a thinly veiled attempt to delay a decision until the end of January deadline to have a special election has passed.

If this is happening with the Special Election, can we realistically hope that the present Board will listen to the call by residents to halt the rapid increases in spending and our taxes that have been occurring the last few years and pass a level-funded budget for next year, or to not harness the taxpayers in town with the majority of the cost for a new police station? I am sure these issues are of concern to many in town. However, to make a change many people need to speak up.

Please reach out to a Select Board member and let them know you are concerned and want the Special Election issue addressed and finalized at their Nov. 25 meeting.

Robert E.W. Collins
Dalton, Mass.

 

 

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