Stockbridge Finance Committee Accepts Clean FY2025 Audit With No Material Weaknesses

STOCKBRIDGE -- April 6, 2026, Stockbridge Finance Committee unanimously accepted a clean fiscal year 2025 audit and reviewed four new warrant articles at its April 6 meeting. Auditors Dave Irwin and Joe Collins of Adelson & Company reported an unmodified opinion with no material weaknesses, total assets of $50.6 million, $9.7 million in outstanding debt, and a debt-service ratio of 7.9 percent of budget, well below the 15 percent ceiling Irwin cited as a general benchmark. "It's another good, clean opinion for the town," Irwin said. The Berkshire County Retirement System's strong investment performance cut Stockbridge's share of the net pension liability to roughly $14,000, down from $12.5 million the prior year. Two non-material management letter recommendations were issued: improve capital asset activity logging and reconcile Schedule A filings more carefully to audited figures. The committee also reviewed four Select Board warrant articles totaling roughly $103,000, including a $14,406 share of regional animal shelter upgrades, a $12,904 opioid settlement fund pass-through, and two $25,000 appropriations for Southern Berkshire Ambulance covering Furnace District 911 service and an ambulance replacement, the latter drawing skepticism from members who noted Southern Berkshire had never previously invoiced for coverage of the district's 49 annual calls.