6d9b6921-5205-4b0d-babb-6efe55364c95 Cultural Council Members Valerie Kohn (Chair) , term expires 2027 Jane Lyon , term expires 2025 Eileen Markland , term expires 2027 Deb Drumm (Secretary) , term expires 2025 Samantha Talora , term expires 2025 Joyce Carranza , term expires 2025 windsormassculturalcouncil@gmail.com Meetings Meetings posted at Town Offices Appointed by Select Board for 3 year terms Description The Windsor Cultural Council has the responsibility to receive, review, and award grants that will bring public programs to Windsor and its surrounding communities. These programs should promote access, education, diversity and excellence in the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences. The funding comes from state dollars through the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The financial awards are based on the size of the town. The Windsor Cultural Council is currently accepting online grant applications for 2023. Projects that benefit our community and individual Windsor residents in the arts and humanities are given special consideration. For more information, go to mass-culture.org and scroll down to “Apply now for LCC Grants.” If you need help, send your message to windsormassculturalcouncil@gmail.com . Deadline for the application is October 17, 2022. Information Cultural Council agendas Cultural Council minutes Related Services

Posted Nov 18, 2024 - Fire Restrictions Fire Department Important Message As Severe Fire Weather Persists, Windsor Extends Outdoor Fire Restrictions 518 Fires Have Burned More Than 1,500 Acres in Massachusetts Since October 1 With outdoor fuel sources extremely dry and no meaningful precipitation expected, Windsor Fire Chief James Hyatt and municipal leaders are extending restrictions on any outdoor fires at least until Friday, November 22. “This has been an unprecedented fall fire season in Massachusetts,” said Chief Hyatt. “The current and expected weather conditions mean that any outdoor fire is likely to spread quickly and become difficult to control. In Windsor, those fires could easily spread to homes and other properties.” Burning yard waste is already prohibited across Massachusetts through January 15 and year-round in some communities under 310 CMR 7.07, the Open Burning regulation. The local fire restriction additionally restricts the outdoor use of fire pits, chimineas, candles, cooking/heating equipment, and other ignition sources under Section 10.10.2 of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code. The Code grants fire officials the authority to prohibit any and all open flames and other ignition sources under certain hazardous conditions, including extreme drought. About 200 Massachusetts municipalities have imposed these prohibitions. Any requests for permits for outdoor fires, hot work such as cutting/grinding, and other activity will be decided in light of the ongoing fire risk. All of Massachusetts is facing an unprecedented fall wildfire season. While the state averages 15 to 20 fires a month in October and November each year, local fire departments have reported more than 500 fires since October 1, 2024. These fires have burned more than 1,500 acres – rivalling average statewide totals for an entire year. Many of these fires have damaged homes and other properties, and they are taxing local and regional firefighting resources. According to Chief Hyatt, the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, and the Department of Conservation & Recreation’s Bureau of Forest Fire Control & Forestry, almost all of these fires start with human activity and can be prevented by limiting outdoor activity that involves open flames, sparks and embers, hot engines or gasoline from power equipment, and other ignition sources. Chief Hyatt recommended the following fire prevention strategies during this period of severe fire risk: Follow local and state guidance on outdoor ignition sources. Remember that burning yard waste is prohibited statewide through January and in many communities year-round. Many cities and towns have implemented temporary restrictions on any outdoor fires until conditions improve. Refrain from outdoor cooking and heating. Sparks and embers from chimineas, fire pits, and grills can easily ignite dry vegetation, debris, and overhanging branches. Use caution with lawnmowers, leaf blowers, all-terrain vehicles, and other power equipment. Hot engines, sparks, and spilled gasoline can ignite dry leaves and grass. Dispose of ashes from fireplaces and wood stoves in a metal can, douse them with water, and cover them with a tight-fitting lid. These ashes can remain hot enough to ignite combustibles long after the fire goes out, never dump them outdoors or in the trash. Extinguish smoking materials in a sturdy ashtray with water or sand. Never toss cigarette butts, matches, or other smoking materials over the edge of a balcony, stub them out on stairs or railings, or toss them in dry vegetation or debris. “The faster we hear about a fire, the better chance we have of safely extinguishing it,” said Chief Hyatt. “If you see smoke or flames, please call 9-1-1 right away so we can protect you, your neighbors, and our community.”

f3b72a29-1f3c-41e8-bd33-dd9117052816 Apply for Permits The Town of Windsor has adopted online permitting through the Berkshire Online Permitting System. Contractors and homeowners must set up an account in order to apply for permits as listed below. Board of Health Permits: Permit system , instructions [pdf] and fees [pdf] Building Permits: Permit eyes system Building Permit Fees Voted and Accepted at the June 1, 2020 Annual Town meeting Full list of building, electrical, and plumbing/gas permit fees [pdf] Related Services How & What to Get Inspected Related Boards & Departments Board of Health Inspections

500f294d-9add-4fe7-a636-1260759077e3 Animal Control Member Dave Melle Animal Control Officer Mobile: 413-448-3075 Emergency Dispatch: 413-684-0300 Animal Control Hours On Call 24/7 Select Board appoints 1 person annually Description Responsibilities The Animal Control Officer combines the positions of Dog Officer and Inspector of Barns and Animals. The Dog Officer is responsible for dealing with stray and lost dogs, nuisance dogs, dog bites, home finder service, rabies clinics, and any other dog related matters. The Inspector of Barns & Animals is responsible for checking the conditions under which cattle and domestic animals are kept and the condition the animals themselves are in, and to act accordingly. Information Related Services Help with Animals: Lost/Nuisance/Bites, etc.

678b19a4-28b2-484e-9141-e7138972d58d Code Red Sign up for Code Red Alerts . It’s IMPORTANT. Windsor will not abuse the service. You will be notified in the event of a true emergency, such as a forest fire, evacuation order or something very important to the residents of Windsor. Register on your cell by texting WINDSOR to 99411 Register online Download the mobile app Questions: Call the Windsor Emergency Manager, Trinity Koch 413-684-3811 ext 9 Related Services Related Boards & Departments Emergency Services

bda14f6d-427c-4181-b16c-2f59d80d6734 Windsor Finances FY23-27 Windsor Finance Committee Statement on the FY23 Budget and the FY23-27 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework For comparison, here is the Finance Committee's Statement on the FY22 Budget and FY22-26 Framework The proposed budget for next fiscal year (FY23) represents a departure from the medium-term framework we issued this time last year. We hope to be back on track in FY24. The main challenge we are facing is how to respond to inflation, especially as it affects employees’ wages and salaries, but also as it affects other expenses, notably energy. At the same time, the proposed budget for FY23 contains important new positions that will help ensure the continued provision of basic services. We are in a good financial position going into the new year, with about $812,000 in reserves (free cash plus stabilization balances) and we will draw on these assets during FY23 at least. Even if the money we are expecting from the Federal Connect America Fund and the broadband MLP operating surplus do not materialize for some unforeseen reasons, we would still be in a good financial position over the next five years with assets falling to just under $700,000 before beginning to rise again. Such an outcome would however require a fairly bare-bones capital program. Should these funds arrive in FY23, which we fully expect them to do (though too late to include in this budget), then our financial position will be much stronger, offering us a favorable set of opportunities. Taxes and State Aid and Total Expenditure and How to Pay For it All As in the past, the Finance Committee has targeted the total tax levy to increase no more than 3 percent (see attached charts and tables). If the number of households increases, as it has in the past, this would mean that the average single-family tax bill would rise by less. Local receipts in FY23 are projected to be notably higher than what we budgeted in FY22 while state aid (net of charges and other expenses such as overlay) is expected to fall. All told, we are projecting total revenue to increase by 2.8 percent to roughly $2.283 million. Total expenditure (including transfers to funds) is projected to increase 12.1 percent to $2.500 million, with much of the increase arising from the across-the-board salary increase, new positions, and capital spending. The gap between revenue and expenditure would be closed through $140,000 in new borrowing (for the fire department truck and the new school bus) and a $81,437 drawdown in financial reserves, which which are projected to remain above above $700,000 for the year. Inflation: wages and salaries We are recommending a 7.1 percent across-the-board wage/salary increase. When we compiled the FY22 budget, inflation had been averaging about 1.5 percent a year. The 2 percent across-the-board salary increase approved last year was meant to provide town employees with a positive, if modest, increase in the purchasing power of their paychecks. Actual inflation turned out to be much higher (how much higher depends on which price index you look at and over what period of time – more on this below) and the inflation-adjusted value of salaries in FY22 actually declined. The Finance Committee voted to recommend compensating employees for the loss of purchasing power of their FY22 salaries and add 2 percent on top of that for FY23. Our methodology was similar to that used by the Social Security Administration to adjust SS payments each year except we used the CPI for New England published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and used a more recent 3-month period to calculate actual inflation. On this basis, we calculated actual inflation at 6.6 percent compared to the expected 1.5 percent. To this difference (5.1 percent) we added the usual 2 percent to arrive at the recommended 7.1 percent across-the-board increase. This adjustment (excluding the new positions discussed below) costs about $13,000 a year (compared to a 2 percent increase). New positions The Select Board and Finance Committee are recommending the addition of four new paid positions in FY23: a town administrator, a new full-time highway department worker, a fifth part-time police officer, and a library director. The first two positions come with full benefits. These four positions would cost $105,000 in the first year (including benefits). Other wage compensation adjustments Some town employees are paid by the hour (highway workers, police officers, bus driver, and others). In the past, the hourly rates and the annual appropriation were not directly linked. The annual appropriation acted as a “maximum” total compensation for each employee paid hourly. This is still the case, but in line with recommendations from the Department of Local Services, we are now constructing the annual appropriations from the bottom up; multiplying the hourly rate times the number of hours per year. Consequently, some budgeted amounts for hourly employees rise by more or less than 7.1 percent because we adjusted the number of hours up or down relative to FY22. Energy costs Fuel price are up sharply this year, as many are painfully aware. The average retail price of gasoline in Massachusetts was up 54 percent last March compared with a year earlier, the price of diesel was up 67 percent and the wholesale price of propane was up 46 percent. [ Massachusetts fuel prices from Energy Information Agency ]. The price of heating oil has also increased sharply, but the only building that will be consuming this fuel in FY23 will be the fire station as the town offices and town hall will be using electric air-source heat pumps. This means that our electricity consumption will rise and while we don’t yet know what will happen to electricity rates, we expect that the increase cost will not exceed the savings we realize from lower consumption of heating oil. The energy component of the FY23 budget is based on recent prices and we hope they come down soon but we have no way of knowing. Most of our fuel prices will get locked in by July through the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission bulk supply contracts, but we won’t know at what price until after the FY23 budget is approved. Capital spending Capital spending in FY23 incudes the historical building, a command vehicle and turnout equipment for the fire department, a new school bus, and a leaf blower for the highway department. The Medium-Term Expenditure Framework The medium-term forecast is premised on an annual 3 percent increase in the overall tax levy and a substantial increase in revenue arising from Windsor’s share of the Connect America Fund (CAF) and the annual operating surplus of the broadband MLP. We expect a total of about $850,000 from the CAF over the next five years, with a first disbursement of about $390,000 coming in FY23, though not in time for next year’s budget. We are also expecting about $85,000 a year from broadband operations. This would allow us to pursue a strategy of enhanced public services, a more ambitious capital improvement program, and/or lower taxes. The Master Plan process that is currently underway will help inform this decision-making. In addition to the capital expenditures in FY23 the medium-term framework includes spending for a new fire truck and a new police cruiser. The updated medium-term expenditure framework is reflected in the charts and table below. Related Services Related Boards & Departments Finance Committee

d0720a3e-dd8f-4da3-a3b5-22795d786a40 Emergency Services Windsor Police Department [or Fire Department below] Emergencies: 911 Office: 413-684-0037 (leave a message) Police Dispatch: 413-684-0300 (Not for Emergencies) Email: kbuoymaster@windsormass.com Located in lower level of Windsor Town Offices Police Hours: Monday 6-8pm Or to schedule an appointment, call the office and leave a message. Firearms A firearms license is required to possess or carry firearms in Massachusetts. Due to COVID-19 and social distancing considerations, we will only be taking renewals through the mail. Please fill out the application completely. Incomplete or false information may lead to the application being rejected and the loss of the application fee. Enclose a check for $100.00 made out to the Town of Windsor for the permit fee. We will call you to review your application after submission. You do not need a new photo for the permit - it will be taken from the RMV photo on your driver's license. Please mail the application and check to The Windsor Police Department at 1890 Route 9, Suite 3, Windsor, MA 01270. The application can be found here . Motor Vehicle Accidents Massachusetts state law requires requires a person who was operating a motor vehicle involved in a crash in which (i) any person was killed or (ii) injured or (iii) in which there was damage in excess of $1,000 to any one vehicle or other property, to complete and file a Crash Operator Report with the Registrar within five (5) days after such crash (unless the person is physically incapable of doing so due to incapacity). The required form can be found here . Medication Collection The Windsor Police Department has a secure recycle container for unwanted and expired medications. You can bring them during Police Dept. office hours every Monday 6-8pm. A description of what and how to bring your medication is available here [pdf]. Note: NO Medical Sharps or Needles allowed. E.g., NO hypodermic needles, syringes, auto injectors (Epi-Pens), infusion sets, connection needles/sets, or lancets. BUT, sharps are collected at the transfer station in the "mercury shed". Windsor Fire Department ( Dept. Facebook Group ) Emergencies: 911 Fire Station: 413-684-3236 (not for fire reports) Fire Dispatch: 413-684-0300 (not for fire reports) 2025 Route 9, Windsor, MA 01270 Brush Burning Permits Massachusetts allows residents to burn brush between January 15 and May 1, depending on weather conditions. You must obtain permission first at this site between 8:30 AM and 1:00 PM to obtain a permit on the day you want to burn brush. Permit availability on a given day will depend on weather conditions. Scheduling Fire Inspections You need a certificate of compliance from the local fire department that shows your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms meet the requirements for a sale or transfer. Read here to learn how to prepare your home for a smoke and CO alarm inspection. And here is a complete guide to Massachusetts smoke and carbon monoxide requirements for selling a property. There are also inspections available for boiler, propane tank and oil tank removal compliance. To schedule an inspection, please provide 2 weeks notice. Please email fireinspections@windsormass.com (or alternatively, leave voicemail at 413-684-3236.) The inspection fee is $25. Reflective Address Marker The Windsor VFD will make a reflective address marker to help emergency services locate your property. Full details here . Related Services Code Red Report a Motor Vehicle Accident Related Boards & Departments Emergency Services

c320a070-a8b5-4936-9d51-524e8bbc4b65 Annual Town Reports Every year, the Town of Windsor summarizes the activity of the town by asking each board, department, committee, etc. to write a description of what happened that year. These annual town reports are a record of those reports. Annual town reports [Google Drive] Related Services Agendas & Minutes from Town Meetings Related Boards & Departments Town Clerk

bd53184a-7ff6-414a-b823-51fb14ff919f Town Song Windsor Now and Then A song written by the late Ed Kohn Two hundred years and more we’ve been A town gone through hard times and then We’ve raised our heads up high again Like a Phoenix on the rise. When the logging days had come and gone And the tanning mills had all moved on And the Ball Bridge Works closed down We turned to what we had. Chorus: From Windsor Jambs to Estes (Sangar’s) Store This little town is steeped in lore; If you don’t know what a community’s for Then Windsor’s not your style. Hiking trails and Christmas trees Maple sap and a summer breeze Baseball games, cross country skis Is what we have today. But a town’s not made of bricks and stones Not even trees nor roads nor homes It’s made of muscle, skin, and bones And the love of folks like you. Chorus Related Services Related Boards & Departments

e2072755-ec1c-4fcd-9994-87c1900f1347 Report a Motor Vehicle Accident The Police Department requires reporting of all motor vehicle accidents. Follow the link below to see information about this. Related Services Related Boards & Departments

92eaa2ce-32ef-421b-9f83-4f0524d5d717 Transfer Station Staff Larry Robert (Attendant) Transfer Station Hours Wednesday: 6pm-7:45pm Saturday: 8am-12:45pm Swap Shop (the "Windsor Mall") hours are the same as transfer station hours Hired by Select Board Description While some Windsor old-timers fondly remember this as "the dump", trash has not been dumped here in decades. Rather, trash and recylables are temporarily stored here and then transferred elsewhere - to be managed by the Northern Berkshire County Solid Waste Management District . There also is a "swap shop", where useful items that are no longer needed can be left for others in town that may find a use for them. Follow the "Transfer Station" link below to learn about required stickers, pricing, etc. Information Related Services Transfer Station