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Date: 10/19/2022
HAMPDEN – The town of Hampden will conduct a Special Town Meeting at Thornton W. Burgess School on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. There are 11 articles on the warrant, most of which are financial matters. The funding for these articles totals roughly $238,000 and would be paid from the town’s free cash account, which has a balance of $698,490.
Articles 1 and 2 pertain to the Highway Department. The first article asks the town for funds to purchase a security system for the Highway Garage. An estimate has not yet been received on the project, but Board of Selectmen member Donald Davenport noted that there should be about $38,000 left in the account for the highway garage construction. A final amount will be presented at Town Meeting.
The second article seeks $11,094 to hire clerical support for the highway superintendent. Board of Selectmen Chair John Flynn said Hampden is “probably the only town where the superintendent is tied up doing paperwork.”
Advisory Co-Chair Doug Boyd asked if the article was more appropriate for the Annual Town Meeting. Fellow Co-Chair Carol Fitgerald agreed. She said that she had no problem with the content of the article, but that Special Town Meeting is designed to address “unforeseen” issues.
“That may be true, but we’re losing money,” Flynn said, pointing out that the time Highway Superintendent Mark Langone spends on paperwork is time that he cannot be inspecting roads and culverts. He added that there was more work than ever for Langone due to a recent increase in stormwater duties.
Article 3 would petition the state to allow for the continued employment of James Gormally with the Hampden Police Department. Under state law, police officers must retire at age 65 unless special dispensation is received from the state, upon which they can serve until age 70. Once retired, officers under this dispensation do not receive retirement or pension payments reflecting the additional five years of service. This article would not require funding beyond the salary paid to the officer.
Article 4 would increase the amount of employee benefits by $160,000. This amount reflects the retirement of one full-time employee and one part-time employee, and other benefits.
“Obviously, the workforce is aging,” Davenport pointed out. Boyd and Fitgerald suggested a study of likely upcoming retirements be completed to head off any surprises in the future.
A government study committee would be created by Article 5. The committee would review the entire town government over roughly 18 months and submit a report at the Annual Town Meeting in 2024. The article asks for voter permission to conduct the study and seeks volunteers for the ad hoc committee, to be appointed by the town moderator. There is no funding attached to this article.
Articles 6, 7 and 8 would add to the budgets for various line items. Article 6 seeks $5,000 to be added to the town’s Emergency Management budget for the adoption of Blackboard Connect, a program that allows the town to send out automated calls and alert the public to emergencies. The cost includes a one-time $1,300 installation fee.
Article 7 would add $50,000 to the budget for legal services, such as grievances and lawsuits. Markel shared that, three months into the fiscal year, there is $44,000 left of the original $65,000 budget.
“Given the legal activity, this number might be low,” Boyd commented.
Article 8 looks for $2,000 in funding for Board of Health expenses. Town Treasurer Richard Patullo noted that the Board of Health Revolving Account has returned far more than that to the town’s general fund.
In late 2021, Minnechaug Land Trust overran its approved estimate of $5,000 for dead and dying tree removal, brush cleanup and stump grinding at the South Road entrance to Minnechaug Mountain Conservation Land. In Article 9, the trust is requesting the town reimburse it for $9,909 in extra costs it incurred.
Davenport noted that Sherry Himmelstein of the Minnechaug Land Trust came to the Board of Selectmen in June and said the project was $6,000 over the approved amount.
“Now, it’s $10,000,” he said.
Flynn commented that the tree removal was proposed as a safety issue, and added, “I don’t see where stumps are a safety issue.”
Boyd said of the trailheads, “It’s their expense, but it’s a town asset.” He said the land trust has done “enormous things for the town,” and are “stellar people.” He described the overrun as a “judgment issue,” rather than an intentionally manipulative action.
Article 10 was originally included in the warrant to reduce the tax rate when it was thought the articles would partially be funded through raising taxes. After the decision was made to use free cash to fund all the items in the warrant, Article 10 was reconsidered.
Boyd commented that funding the articles from free cash instead of through raising taxes, accomplished the same goal as a tax rate reduction.
“My only concern is that property value has gone up so much,” the town needs to “offer a break to residents,” Board of Selectmen member Craig Rivest said.
The two boards considered the town’s new growth, which Principal Assessor Kelly McCormick estimated to be $12.9 million, and the fact that tax bills are expected to increase by only $40 in fiscal year 2024, due to new growth “absorbing” the increase in property taxes, according to Patullo.
Article 11 would add more than $400,000 to the town’s general stabilization account, which essentially acts as a municipal savings account. The amount represents what is left of the town’s free cash after accounting for the other articles and any other obligations.
Boyd called the move “prudent,” and said, “The day will come when the flow in the stabilization will be moving out.” He pointed to a time when federal and state grants “dry up” as that day. Patullo agreed, “The tide’s going to reverse.”