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

BELCHERTOWN -- July 1, 2026, Belchertown Select Board reorganizes liaison duties and overhauls goals framework at July 1 special meeting. The five-member board voted unanimously to assign liaison responsibilities across more than 30 town committees and boards for fiscal year 2027, with BCTV removed from the list after the station hired full-time staff reporting to Town Manager Steve. The board then spent more than two hours reviewing its FY26 goals and objectives, voting 5-0 to strip all action items from the economic development goal pending a planned "quad board" meeting with the Planning Board and other bodies to establish a shared strategy, a step members said is necessary before any business recruitment or infrastructure goals can be meaningfully written. A separate 4-0 vote with one abstention affirmed that the town manager's role is to manage the incoming Economic Development Planner, a part-time position at roughly 15 hours per week, not to serve as the town's primary economic development officer. The board also voted 3-2 to keep a government study committee as a goal, over one member's objection that the town should first maximize Annual Town Meeting participation before reviewing its form of government.