CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The Board of Selectmen voted Monday to approve an updated grant agreement with the Briggsville Water District.

 

The independent water district has two grants — $140,000 from the state's Rural Development Fund that will be used as the 25 percent match to a $400,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency grant.

 

The funds will be used toward engineering and upgrading of the 45-year-old public water system. However, the municipal grants must the accepted and administered by the town. 

 

The board members had asked for more concrete language ensuring that the town would not be responsible for any water district debt or bills. 

 

Mary Giron, representing the Briggsville Board of Directors, said her board was ready to sign the document to get things moving as there is a concern that the grants could be lost. 

 

But how the grant funds would be paid out is still matter of contention. 

 

"I don't remember any talk of how the payment plan structure would work on the other side of it, just more or less, hey, we're working with Briggsville on this grant," said Chair Daniel Haskins, referring to a past meeting when the grant applications were discussed. 

 

Giron said she was looking for the minutes of the directors meeting, saying she wasn't on the board at the time but was told what would happen.

 

Treasurer Kelly Haskins said no matter what had been decided, this would still require the town to make payments on the water district's behalf and then be reimbursed. 

 

"This would still have to go to town meeting," she said. "If the town was paying out any money from any of our accounts, even if we were being reimbursed, it still needs to be brought out to them to be voted on. 

 

"We have no money allocated to spend from our accounts. Zero dollars from our accounts to be paid for this grant, even to be reimbursed."

 

Giron said the directors are looking into loan, though it would mean interest, and at other alternatives to have cash on hand to compensate the town. 

 

The rural aid grant exceeds the amount needed for the 25 percent match, so that could be used, or district's stabilization fund could be tapped. 

 

"Again, all these homes, they're Clarksburg taxpayers as it is," Giron said. "It would be nice if we could help each other out so we wouldn't have to pay extra money out. But if we can't, we can't. So we're looking to all avenues."

 

The money will be available, she said, it's how the invoices are billed and processed. But, she added, the request for proposals hasn't even been written yet. 

 

"We're a ways out," Giron said. 

 

The board also discussed its proposal to the Northern Berkshire School Union on changing percentages used in assessing each town school district. 

 

The school union is made up of five towns and four schools that share a superintendent and administrative staff. 

 

Clarksburg's percentage is 54 percent based largely on enrollment and the Select Board has been arguing that amount is not equitable. 

 

The town's enrollment has been growing while the numbers in the towns of Florida, Monroe, Rowe and Savoy have been declining. 

 

The treasurer also pointed out the town does a lot of the financial accounting for the union but doesn't get recompensed.

 

"It's starting to get a bit on the heavy side, I feel, for Clarksburg based on what I feel the Northern Berkshire School Union does for all these schools," said Daniel Haskins. 

 

There are certain things all the towns have in common such as buildings (with the exception of Monroe) and having to report to the state, he said, adding that maybe there should be a flat percentage and then add on from there.

 

Giron, a member of the School Committee, said there are some shared services that are assessed equally among the school, but agreed that the town's vote isn't equitable. 

 

Clarksburg commands three votes, or 20 percent, of the 15 votes on the "super" school committee despite paying 54 percent of the budget. 

 

"We want to make sure we're getting that much from the school union," said board member Seth Alexander.

 

The board hopes to have the outlines of a proposal for the next school union committee meeting.