BRPC Meeting - Jan. 15th, 2026

This will be a virtual meeting as allowed by An Act Relative to Extending Certain COVID-19 Measures Adopted during the State of Emergency, extending certain provisions of the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c.30A sec.20 until June 30, 2027
The Meeting can be accessed at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3926128831?omn=81888330894
Meeting ID: 392 612 8831
The Meeting Notice, Agenda, and meeting materials are on BRPC’s website: www.berkshireplanning.org. Click the calendar of events, then the meeting name, and follow the link to materials.

Agenda

(All times approximate)
I. Opening (7:00-7:05)
a) Call to Order and Open Meeting Law Statement
b) Roll Call of Commission Members Attending the Meeting
c) Vote to Approve Minutes of the November 20, 2025 Full Commission Meeting
II. Comments from Berkshire Regional Planning Commission Delegates and Alternates (7:05-7:10)
BRPC Delegates & Alternates may offer comments on any item not on the agenda. Discussion or action will be referred to a future meeting and not discussed at this meeting.
III. Comments from the Public (7:10-7:15)
Members of the public may offer comments regarding topics on the agenda or other matters they wish to bring to the Commission’s attention. Comments are to be directed to the Commission. Commenters must state their names and the city or town they are from. Any discussion or action will be referred to a future meeting and not discussed at this meeting.
IV. Presentation and Discussion about the Massachusetts Integrated Land Use Strategy (MILUS) (7:15-7:55)
In a brief presentation, Corrin Meise-Munns, Land Use Planning Manager with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs (EEA) will provide an overview of the Massachusetts Integrated Land Use Strategy (MILUS), including its organizational structure, overall goals, anticipated outcomes, and opportunities for participation. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A and discussion period focused on clarifying questions and high-level observations, during which EEA will note any overarching concerns or suggestions related to the project’s scope or process. As the MILUS workgroups are just getting underway, EEA will not yet have preliminary analysis or findings to share, and this presentation is intended to be introductory rather than substantive.”
V. Vote to Approve the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission Fiscal Year 2027 Assessment as Recommended by the Executive Committee at its December 4, 2025 meeting to include a 2.5% increase over Fiscal Year 2026 (7:55 – 8:00)
By law, BRPC must notify municipalities of their assessments no later than February each year so that they may be included in city/town budgets. With municipal budget preparation starting earlier and earlier, the BRPC Executive Committee voted to recommend the FY 27 assessment increase by 2.5% over the FY25 assessment. This recommendation allowed us to send a preliminary invoice to municipalities, but it needs to be formally voted on by the Full Commission.
VI. Presentation and Discussion about the BRPC Public Health Services and Public Health Planning Programs (8:00-8:15)
Retiring BRPC Public Health Program Manager Laura Kittross will describe changes to the BRPC Public Health program and provide a brief overview of the work of the BRPC Public Health Services and Planning programs. The new Program Managers, Lydia Shulman (Services) and Jaymie Zapata (Planning) will be introduced.
VII. Presentation & Discussion of Executive Committee Actions (8:15-8:20)
Executive Committee actions taken on the Commission’s behalf during the December 4, 2025, and January 8, 2026, meetings are presented for information and discussion.
VIII. Open Discussion by Commission Members about Current Items of Interest in their City or Town (8:20 – 8:30)
As time allows, Delegates and Alternates are encouraged to discuss key items of interest in their City or Town, such as town meeting updates, development proposals, changes in municipal leadership, proposed development projects, etc.
IX. Report and Discussion of the Executive Director’s Report (8:30 – 8:35)
X. Adjournment (8:35)
Other interested citizens and officials are invited to attend.
All times listed are estimates of when specific agenda items may be discussed.