The Advisory Committee listens to a question about the Special Town Meeting warrant at an Oct. 27 board meeting.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
HAMPDEN — Hampden will hold a Town Meeting on Nov. 3 at 6:30 p.m., at the new town offices, 85 Wilbraham St., formerly Thornton W. Burgess School.
There are 18 articles on the warrant, ranging from funding capital projects to creating a new tax.
The town’s free cash account — money left over after the previous year’s allocations — has a balance of $1.82 million, about twice the average amount. The surplus funding is related to Article 15. Advisory Committee Chair Doug Boyd said at an Oct. 27 meeting that there is enough free cash to pay for the $1.2 million capital projects and expenses on the warrant, leaving a balance of about $600,000.
Article 2 seeks $38,008 in additional funding for the town’s facilities manager. At the spring Town Meeting, $40,000 was approved for the position, but the extra funding would allow it to be full-time role. The facilities manager will focus on the new town offices while repairs and refurbishment continue but will also be tasked with overseeing all town buildings.
Two of the town’s buildings require new HVAC systems. To address the heating and ventilation system at the Senior Center, Article 5 would amend an article from May’s Town Meeting that allocated $140,000 for the repair of the Senior Center’s roof, septic system and bathroom to include the building’s HVAC system. The $120,000 that was intended for roof replacement would be combined with the $130,000 requested in Articles 6 to replace the HVAC.
Senior Center Building Committee Chair Gary Weiner explained that the HVAC system began to fail in August. Because the Senior Center is the town’s designated emergency heating and cooling center, it was decided that the HVAC system took precedence over the roof. He said the roof will have to be opened to replace the HVAC, and as such, it is best that the roof work has not yet been completed. Funding for the roof will be sought at the 2026 annual Town Meeting. Weiner also said the Senior Center’s windows will need to be replaced soon and that a current estimate for that project is $90,000.
While sections of the new town offices are air conditioned, the library and certain offices are not. Article 7 calls for $300,000 to add air conditioning to those areas. Selectboard Chair John Flynn explained at the Oct. 27 meeting that the library is the main focus because proper storage of books requires humidity control.
At the Town Meeting in May, $75,000 was approved for repairs and renovations. An additional $80,000 was approved to cover moving costs for the town offices and the library. Requesting the HVAC funding at the fall Town Meeting instead of in the spring allowed the town to use free cash for the expense, which is certified after the annual Town Meeting.
Temperature control will not be added to other areas of the building, such as the spaces used by the Parks & Recreation Department. When asked by Advisory Committee member Heather Turcotte, however, Flynn said there would be capacity to expand the air conditioning to other offices, as needed.
There are several other capital expenses on the warrant. Article 11 asks for $20,000 to purchase a pickup truck for the Parks & Recreation Department. The department’s truck, which is used throughout the town, broke earlier this year and is operable. The cost to fix the truck was quoted at $7,650, nearly exceeding the vehicle’s $9,000 value. While articles 8 and 10 would have requested $70 for a police cruiser and funding for a front loader for the Highway Department, Flynn said the Selectboard had decided to push those items off until the 2026 annual Town Meeting. Boyd remarked that, even though no action will be taken at this Town Meeting, the need remains for these vehicles.
Article 14 would institute a 6% hospitality tax on properties that serve as short-term rentals and lodging. There are seven properties in town that would be affected. Flynn explained that the renter would pay the tax, rather than the property owner. It would be collected along with the state tax of 6.25%, and the state would send the tax revenue to the town quarterly.
Article 15 would complete the allocation of $650,000 to the water district expansion project that had been approved at the fall 2024 Town Meeting. Because the money was approved but never expended, it rolled into the town’s free cash reserves.
The final three articles are placeholders that the town can use, depending on whether all previous articles pass. If, for example, some articles do not pass and there is more than expected left in the free cash account, Article 16 would allow some of that funding to be used to lower the tax rate, while Article 18 would transfer free cash to boost the balance of the town’s stabilization account, essentially a municipal savings account. Alternatively, if the previous articles pass, voters could opt to use Article 17 to use money from the stabilization account to lower the tax rate. Boyd said it is unlikely articles 16, 17 and 18 would be used together, but having them on the warrant gives the town “maximum flexibility with the funds.”
