Sheffield Town Meeting Approves $4.9 Million Budget, Defers School District Funding to Special Session

SHEFFIELD -- May 4, 2026, Sheffield Annual Town Meeting approves $4.9 million budget and seasonal housing designation, defeats plastic bottle ban. Moderator Julie Hannum presided over roughly 95 voters working through all 27 warrant articles Monday, with Select Board Chairman Lee Butala opening by announcing the Southern Berkshire Regional School District budget was pulled from the warrant, all five district towns agreed to defer it to a special town meeting next month while new administration clarifies potential anomalies. The $4,939,386 FY2027 operating budget passed 89 to 7 with no debate. Voters approved a seasonal community designation under the state Homes Act 85 to 10, opening access to state housing-feasibility funds and allowing preference for essential workers in future affordable housing. A citizen's petition by 17-year-old Tate Collins to ban single-use plastic water bottles, citing research that "every plastic water bottle ever used still exists somewhere on this earth", failed 40 to 57 after opponents argued it would eliminate the only non-sugared purchasable beverage. A second citizen's petition, a resolution supporting a new Massachusetts state flag and seal, passed 52 to 37 after extended debate, adding Sheffield to 82 other Massachusetts municipalities that have passed similar resolutions.