Berkshire Planning Commission Budget Up 16% for FY24

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Regional Planning Commission's proposed budget has increased by more than $886,000, or about 16.4 percent, largely due to several new grants.

On Thursday, the Finance Committee OK'd a proposed $6,266,015 budget for fiscal 2024, which is $866,431 higher than this year. It will go to the full commission for final approval.

Treasurer Buck Donovan said that, as usual, the ask is detailed and done very well by staff.

He pointed out that there is a jump in compensation and vacation leave from around $150,000 to around $190,000 because the organization has more employees with bigger salaries.

Overall benefits including health, dental, sick, vacation, and comp time increased by $143,985 from $984,065 in FY23 to $1,128,050 in FY24. Retiree health insurance decreased because of the decrease in the dental rate cost for FY24.

The computer equipment, software, and maintenance line also increased significantly from around $51,000 to about $72,000 because BRPC was required to do additional malware and spam protections from its insurance company.

The budget increase is primarily due to new grants for economic development, housing, environmental and energy, and public health programs. BRPC has several awarded grants that will be under contract shortly as well as grant applications that have been or will be submitted in the coming months.

Revenues include $250,000 from the Substance Misuse Grant Program and about $357,000 for Local Health Support Contact Tracing, and about $306,000 for the Regional Food System Partnerships Program.

Progressives March for Human Rights in Pittsfield

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
08:55AM / Sunday, January 19, 2025

Amelia Gilardi addresses the crowd at Park Square. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Around 100 people marched down North Street on Saturday in support of human rights. 

 

The Pittsfield People's March was designed to unite community members, raise awareness, and promote the fundamental rights of all people. It was one of numerous marches across the nation, including in Boston and the annual one (formerly the Women's March) in Washington, D.C. 

 

The marches started in 2017 in response to the first election of Donald Trump, who is set to sworn in for a second term on Monday. Saturday's marchers expressed their fears that the incoming administration will place money and power over the needs of the people. 

 

"For me, the motivation of this march was to make people see that we are all feeling similarly, that we are not isolated in our feelings, and that your neighbor feels like that, too," said march organizer Meg Arvin of Western MA 4 the Future.

 

"So one, it's not just you thinking this way, and two, you have other people that you can lean on to build that community with to feel like you are not in this by yourself and that you have other people who will be here to support you."

 

The first march, and its successors, have focused on fears of rights being chipped away, including women's bodily rights, free speech rights, voting rights and civil rights. The first Washington march drew nearly 500,000; Saturday's was estimated at 5,000.

 

Arvin, who moved from Tennessee a few years ago, said she comes from a state where rights have been taken away and knows what it looks like for people to be desperate for representation.