Sandisfield Select Board approves tax rate and fire volunteer pay shift program

SANDISFIELD — November 24, 2025 — Sandisfield Select Board unanimously approves 2026 tax classification and new fire shift incentive program. Meeting on November 24 came days after a special town meeting of 171 residents voted overwhelmingly to authorize eminent domain acquisition of Station 2 from the Sandisfield Fire Department Inc. at a ceiling of $560,000. Board of Assessors representative Roger Brown confirmed certified residential values rose roughly 10 percent year over year, with the average assessed home value now at $442,000 across 599 parcels, and five newly constructed homes appearing on the rolls for the first time in recent memory. Fire Chief Michael Grillo disclosed the department had been operating under a provisional state ambulance license — under direct state supervision — before a successful re-inspection the week of November 17 yielded a full two-year license expiring well past the November 30 deadline. The board also approved a volunteer shift incentive paying qualified first responders up to $25 per hour and firefighter-EMTs up to $30 per hour for scheduled eight-hour station coverage, requiring no new appropriation.