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Date: 4/27/2022
HAMPDEN – The town of Hampden will be conducting its Annual Town Meeting (ATM) on May 9 at 7 p.m. at Thornton W. Burgess School, 85 Wilbraham Rd. The warrant consists of 22 articles, including approval of the budget and other financial matters, increasing compensation for some town employees and changing the process by which board vacancies are filled. There is also a citizen’s petition regarding land that had been considered for use as self-storage facilities.
Budget and Finances
Article 2 presents the town’s fiscal year 2023 (FY23) Operating Budget. The total operating budget is $14,926,221, an increase of $317,428 over fiscal year 2022 (FY22). The budget for the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District makes up half of the operating budget, at $7,840,690. Generally, the budget is level service funded, though changes to some departments and line items have had an impact.
County retirement costs have dropped by roughly $35,000 due to fewer town employees for emergency dispatch since the regionalization of that service.
Legal expense is one line-item residents may have expected to see reduced, due to the settlement of the lawsuit with Hampden Wilbraham Regional School District. However, the legal action taken in the wake of the Planning Board’s denial of two self-storage petitions will result in legal expenses for Hampden.
The budget for the Board of Registrars, which oversees voting in town, more than doubled over FY22, from $8,800 to $20,800. Advisory co-chairs Carol Fitzgerald and Doug Boyd explained that there are increased costs expected this year regarding elections, including early voting and primary elections for state offices.
Article 5 asks for an increase of up to $20,000 to the Transfer Station’s Enterprise fund to reflect the cost of waste management and a fuel surcharge as prices for gas and diesel have increased drastically over last year. On a similar topic, a line item in the budget for gasoline was kept level this year with a budget of $60,000, but Boyd said he expects a request for more funding at the Special Town Meeting in the fall, after trends in the fuel market stabilize.
Article 14 seeks $11,650 for a School Resource Officer at Minnechaug Regional High School. This would be paid from taxes, available funds or a mixture of both.
Compensation Increases
Article 10 would increase the compensation for assessors by 10 percent. The warrant seeks acceptance of MGL Chapter 59 Section 21A, which stipulates that certified assessors or assistant assessors should receive the extra compensation provided it does not exceed a specified cap.
At the October 2021 Special Town Meeting, a reclassification of the principal assessor’s position up to a Grade 6-Step 8 was approved. That change was to rectify what the Board of Assessors felt was a misclassification.
Similarly, Article 11 would accept MGL Chapter 41 Section 108P, which allows for an increase in compensation of 10 percent for any treasurer or collector who has been certified by the Massachusetts Collectors and Treasurers Association. This increase also comes with a monetary cap.
Community Preservation
Article 6 consists of two Community Preservation projects: new handsets and a lock system at Centennial Commons for $28,000 and $29,406 for the field at Minnechaug. The latter is contingent upon approval of Wilbraham’s portion of the project at its Annual Town Meeting. The Community Preservation Committee fund has a current balance of $506,000, leaving just under $450,000 in its fund.
Vacancy Appointment Change
Article 18 would require a bylaw change. The new bylaw would change the way appointments are made by the town moderator or any elected board.
After a board resignation has been tendered to the town clerk, leaving a vacancy, the Board of Selectmen and the remaining members of the board in question will jointly evaluate and publicly interview candidates to fill the seat. Each member of the Board of Selectmen and the board with the vacancy will have an equal vote and signify it during a roll call.
An appointed board would alert the appointing authority when resignations are tendered, and the authority will appoint a new member for the remainder of the term.
Under this bylaw, members of affected boards may actively recruit candidates to fill open seats.
Board of Selectmen Chair Donald Davenport submitted this article in response to turmoil after the resignation of two Planning Board members amid two controversial cases before that board. Davenport was vocal in his assertion that all candidates should be interviewed jointly by the Board of Selectmen and the remaining Planning Board, but the rules as written allowed the Planning Board to interview the candidates and submit their shortlist to the Board of Selectmen.
Land Purchase
Article 19 is a citizen’s petition to authorize the Board of Selectmen to pursue the purchase of two parcels of land, at 2 Somers Rd. and 16 Somers Rd. These properties, each owned by a separate company, had been proposed as locations for self-storage facilities. Both projects were denied by the Planning Board late in 2021. Despite ongoing litigation in Land Court over the issue, the article seeks to buy the land for an unnamed purpose, “that the Board of Selectmen deem to be in the best interest of the town.”