Belchertown Select Board strips most goals and objectives action items, plans July 8 rebuild

Select Board · Meeting of July 1, 2026

Belchertown Select Board voted to gut its goals and objectives framework, removing the majority of action items across all six goal categories at a July 1 special meeting. The board approved its fiscal year 2026-27 liaison roster 5-0, assigning members across more than 30 committees — removing BCTV from the list now that full-time staff report directly to Town Manager Steve Grenham — then spent more than two hours debating who owns the town's stated priorities. A central dispute over economic development resulted in a 4-0-1 vote affirming Grenham's role as manager of the incoming economic development planner rather than lead practitioner, with Member Lisa Lissard Pearson abstaining and arguing that only Grenham has the authority to "knit together" departments and committees under one roof.

The board voted 5-0 to strip all action items from Goal One — advance economic development and strategic land use planning — pending a proposed joint "quad-board" strategy session with the Planning Board and economic development bodies. A government structure study item survived a 3-2 vote under the fiscal sustainability goal, with two members opposing it until traditional town meeting participation options are exhausted. The board scheduled a follow-up special meeting for July 8 at 5:30 p.m. to add new goals to the now-stripped document.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,504 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 1, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.