APPROVED 3/4/03
TOWN OF HAMPDEN, MASSACHUSETTS
BOARD OF SELECTMEN/HEALTH
MINUTES
February 15, 2003			Town House
10:00 AM			625 Main Street
Roll Call:	The meeting was called to order at 10:00 AM Board of Selectmen James D. Smith, Duane Mosier, and Mark Barba were in attendance.

1. Police Budget FY-40

The selectmen reviewed reformatted FY-04 budget information that had been worked on by the Chief Mellis and James Smith. James Smith will do another review with Chief Mellis on Monday 2/17 and prepare a draft for the 2/17 meeting with the Advisory Committee.

2. 2. Building Use

Guests: John D. Flynn and Judy Jackson

The selectmen and guests toured the office portion of the Town Hall and reviewed various alternatives for moving offices. At the end of the tour the selectmen discussed the pros and cons of several options. The goal was to satisfy the overall needs for meeting space while addressing the needs and concerns previously expressed by all departments that had submitted written comments. At the end of the discussions Mark Barba volunteered to produce a draft document describing a tentative agreed upon plan and to bring the document to the selectmen’s meeting on 2/18 for final review and acceptance.

Two alternatives were discussed for the Treasurer’s office. It was decided to invite the Treasurer in to the 2/18 meeting to get her input before making a final decision.

3. 3. Green Meadows Renovation

Duane Mosier discussed the well site requirements. The land to the rear (East) of the building is available for purchase and is the best alternative. In order for the town to purchase the property an article must be placed on a town meeting warrant to accept the real property.

4. 4. FY-03 State Local Aid Reduction

Local Aid has been cut by approximately $57,000. To make up for this reduction it was the consensus of the board to meet with the Advisory Committee and propose pursuing a combination of across-the-board budget cuts for half of the shortfall, and a transfer from the Stabilization Fund for the remainder of the shortfall. The cuts would apply to all town budget items except the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District, as the District is not directly funded by Local Aid. Under this scenario the across-the-board cuts would amount to about 1%, and the Stabilization Fund transfer would be about $30,000. The board thought it would not be prudent to use accelerated revenue projections or aggressive sweeping of revolving accounts, as those actions would distort the actual impact of the shortfall and reduce future free cash availability for other expenses.

The board will seek input from the Advisory Committee on 2/17 to get their input before making a final decision on how to proceed.

Respectfully submitted

James Smith, Chairman

Board of Selectmen