One school of thought, represented by the NRA and like-minded politicians, holds that after every mass-casualty event, “now is not the time to discuss gun control; now is the time to heal.” The opposing view, articulated by Rahm Emanuel in 2008, is that “you never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” Great Barrington, we have an infrastructure crisis. Let’s consider, now, where we go from here because waiting for our infrastructure to heal is not an option.
With its markets, thriving downtown, shops, theaters, cultural venues, and restaurants, Great Barrington has become the commercial and artistic hub of South County while continuing to be administered as if it were the sleepier town of old. The town’s administrative resources have not kept pace with its robust growth. Town personnel have been stretched thin, asked to do more with less. This is no doubt due to the struggle the Selectboard faces meeting front-burner obligations while minimizing headcount to please demanding taxpayers. Something has to give.
Taxpayers should take heart that town administrators have been good stewards of their tax dollars. When you deduct school costs from the town budget, town’s frugality is evident. Great Barrington’s per capita operating budget for 2024/2025 is $2,286.67, which compares favorably to Stockbridge’s nearly double per capita operating budget of $4,345.58. Notably, Great Barrington is approximately twice the land area of Stockbridge. And Lenox, less than half the size of Great Barrington, has a total per capita overall budget spend of $6,946.62, about eight percent higher than Great Barrington’s total per capita overall budget of $6,427.77. So, there it is: Great Barrington, the economic engine of South County, provides more services and maintains more roads for less than its neighbors. But the town’s thriftiness can only be appreciated to a point. Great Barrington needs to emulate its neighbors and spend more, wisely…