Belchertown Select Board Strips Economic Development Action Items, Awaits Quad Board Meeting

Select Board 2026-07-01 Part 2 · Meeting of July 1, 2026

Belchertown Select Board overhauled its goals framework and reassigned liaison duties at a July 1 special meeting, leaving most action items stripped from five of six goal categories. The board voted 5-0 to approve a revised liaison roster covering 31 committees, removing Belchertown Community Television from the list because the station now has dedicated staff reporting to Town Manager Steve Williams. On goals and objectives, the most contentious debate surrounded economic development, where a lengthy disagreement about whether Williams or the newly hired part-time economic development planner should lead the effort ended with the board voting 5-0 to keep the goal's five objectives but remove all underlying action items pending a proposed "quad board" joint meeting of the Select Board, Planning Board, and Economic Development and Industrial Commission.

A motion to conduct annual business needs assessments failed 0-4 with one abstention. The government-study action item under the fiscal sustainability goal survived on a 3-2 vote over member Jennifer Turner's objection that it signaled premature interest in changing the town's form of government. The board scheduled a follow-up special meeting for July 8 at 5:30 p.m. to add new action items to the gutted goals document.

In the full story:

• Liaison Assignments
• Goals and Objectives Review, Opening Discussion
• Goal 1, Advance Economic Development and Strategic Land Use Planning
• Goal 2, Ensure Public Health and Safety
• Goal 3, Improve Communication and Technology
• Goal 4, Strengthen Human Resources and Staff Development
• The complete report, 2,636 words

Source: the Select Board 2026-07-01 Part 2 meeting of July 1, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.