Notes from Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT), October 20, Hybrid meeting

Present:

• Tom Stokes, Chair
• Roxanne McCaffrey
• Peter Strauss
• Michael Canales, Town Administrator
• Jay Bikofsky
• David Wasielewski, identified as intern to PILOT

1. Minutes from March 9th meeting approved as corrected (March 20 meeting did not take place as scheduled)
2. 4-member committee therefore 3 is a quorum (1/2 + 1 = quorum)
3. Chair suggested adding Bronley Boyd as 5th member for his expertise. McCaffrey said Chair can't add member, only Select Board (SB) can appoint. McCaffery added, if Boyd wants to be on PILOT, he should apply to SB
4. Chair asked is it time to re-start PILOT paused during COVID19? Members said yes
5. As step one, Chair scheduled attendance at SB October 27. McCaffrey asked why it was necessary to meet with SB? Chair said to receive their support. McCaffrey said already have their support
6. McCaffrey suggested a way to proceed: quantify value of services provided to nonprofits. For example, the water, sewer, roads, police, and EMTs provided. She used Tanglewood as example. Others agreed and suggested they create a spread sheet of the costs and then base a request for donation on that figure. All concurred — evidently, that is what they do in Boston PILOT
7. Strauss wanted to know about the nonprofit's income stream. Wasielewski said that information is available online — it is public information required by law.
8. Bikofsky suggested looking at communities other than Boston — more like Stockbridge — to determine what they did. Ex: Northampton
9. The Chair was in contact with Lenox and Williamstown. Neither were interested in PILOT. Lenox largest nonprofit is Tanglewood, and Lenox charges BSO and receives fees from BSO for services provided. Williams College in Williamstown is largest nonprofit but is also a taxpayer. Neither wants PILOT
10. Canales said that North Adams has PILOT
11. Strauss noted that he had looked over last ten years and then he named the nonprofits that have not contributed
12. Strauss asked if organizations such as Trustees of Reservation (Naumkeag and Mission House) or National Trust (Chesterwood) pay elsewhere?
13. McCaffrey wanted to do the organizational work — that is elect chair. Chair said they did that at March meeting. However, McCaffrey said that was before elections and must do it again. Eventually it resolved with a co-chairmanship: Peter Strauss and Tom Stokes

Meeting adjourned

Editor's note: 1. Tanglewood uses Lenox water and sewer and hires police from the County Sherriff's Office. Therefore, calculating the cost of services provided as a baseline for a request would not work for Tanglewood as Stockbridge provides no services other than roads and bridges.

2. Wasielewski was referring to the Form 990s that not-for-profits are required by law to make public and that they post online.

Photo: Lis Wheeler