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Date: 2/3/2022
HAMPDEN – Three departments – the Council on Aging (COA), the Fire Department and the Highway Department – submitted their requested budgets for fiscal year 2023, (FY23) to the Hampden Board of Selectmen on Jan. 31. All three limited their requests to a mostly level-funded budget, aside from salary increases based on the compensation schedule adopted in 2021.
COA Director Rebecca Moriarty presented a budget of $227,714, up $9,275 over FY22, with the salaries accounting for the entire bump. The COA generally accounts for just 1 percent of the town’s operating budget.
Moriarty said utility and building costs had not increased “in quite some time,” but Board of Selectmen member John Flynn cautioned that utility companies have been seeking rate increases and to expect an impact in upcoming budget years.
Fire Chief Ed Poulin told the board there would be no changes to the staffing hours in the new year’s budget. Salary increases bring the budget up by $7,830 to $371,841. Aside from this the budget remains level.
It was a similar story for the Highway Department. Aside from an increase of $14,474 in salaries, the budget remained level. The total sum for FY23 is $372,923.
On a related note, the board reviewed a request to exceed the FY22 snow and ice removal budget. The line item is generally funded for $100,000 but regularly exceeds that amount and is paid for through year-end bills at the Annual Town Meeting.
Flynn explained the town doesn’t raise the level of funding because it cannot be lowered later if there is a warm winter. Town Administrator Bob Markel added that due to climate change, the need for snow and ice removal is difficult to predict. As an example, Board of Selectmen member Craig Rivest said the number of snowstorms in FY21 is equal to the current number so far this year. More snow is in the forecast for the upcoming weekend.
The board praised the Highway Department’s work to clear roads during the Jan. 29 nor’easter. Highway Superintendent Mark Langone said the department worked on the roads for 24 hours throughout the storm.
Building Assessment
Architecture EL has put in a bid to update the building assessment of Hampden’s Town Hall. The update of a 2017 assessment is needed before the town can receive grant money from the Massachusetts Office of Disabilities. The assessment would determine what work was needed to make the building accessible to people with disabilities and keep it in usable condition for the next 30 to 50 years.
At $23,000, the bid was described by the board as significantly higher than previous estimates, despite not including an assessment of mechanical or heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Rivest wondered if the company bid high out of a desire not to do the job.
“I don’t want to use the term ‘high-ball,’ but it does happen,” Markel said, adding there were plenty of jobs for architecture firms available right now. It was decided that Markel would bring the bid back to them for negotiation.
If the bid is accepted, Markel said the assessment could be taken from the Building Department’s revolving fund, rather than tapping into the general fund. However, Flynn questioned whether it was an appropriate use of the funding and asked for a written statement from the Building Inspector and the town accountant approving the use.
Other Topics
A no parking sign was approved for Academy Hall, as a neighbor has been using space needed for emergency vehicle access.
The mask mandate for town-owned buildings was lifted after Flynn explained case numbers had been dropping and the Health Department believes the worst of the omicron variant surge has passed.
Markel reminded the board that the municipal light plant, approved at the 2021 Special Town Meeting will need to receive a second vote at the upcoming Annual Town Meeting. He said, “It will provide something most towns don’t have, which is competition,” for internet service with the large telecommunications companies. Markel added that conversations have gone well with Whip City Fiber, a fiber optic internet provider owned and operated by the Westfield Gas and Electric Light Department, but that a decision had not yet been made.