Approximately 75 residents attended the Annual Town Meeting on June 25 to address the 16 items on the agenda. After First Selectman Al Cahill was nominated to serve as Moderator, residents rapidly approved items authorizing the Selectmen to borrow, expend, and accept money from the State, as well as the 5 Year Capital Improvement Plan. Kathy Freed, as the sole nominee, was elected by acclamation to serve on the Regional District 11 Board of Education, replacing Rose Bisson who is retiring after several years of service, including as the current Chairman.
The agenda items that generated discussion at the Town Meeting will be decided at a referendum scheduled for July 9. These included the town government and elementary school budgets. Cahill reviewed changes in the municipal budget resulting in a 2.63% increase over last year, which mostly involve public safety, including funding for the fire department, the ambulance corps, and the highway department, with a $20,000 increase to the line item for tree trimming. The budget also includes a 2% cost of living increment for all town employees.
The costs to taxpayers for both education budgets, however, were reduced. The RD#11 budget reduction of 3.39% was the result of a decrease in Hampton’s assessment due to a decline in students attending the regional school. The elementary school budget was reduced by the Board of Finance in accordance with the amount prescribed by the State to meet the Minimum Budget Requirement. School board Chairman Rose Bisson stated that the board would meet the following evening to determine where the $31,916 cut would be made. Lynn Burdick raised questions concerning the impact of the solar panels on the electric bill, and though the school’s Business Coordinator was not present to supply precise information, Superintendent Frank Olah estimated that the school saves $1,700 a month as a result of energy efficient measures. Administrative costs were also questioned, including the principal’s raise, at 8%, or $7,484, with Bisson explaining that a market adjustment was necessary to bring the salary closer to the level of other area principals. Olah explained the necessity of the $12,350 increase for the Special Education Director, from one day per month to one day per week, in order to accommodate the needs of the 18% of the school’s students who receive special education services. Though Bisson did not have the figures available to answer Lisa Sanchez’s question regarding the adult to student ratio, documentation supplied to the Board of Finance on June 13 reveals the adult to student ratio to be 3.3:1, with an instructional staff to student ratio of 4.2:1.
While the transfer of money from the General Fund to complete the paving of Kenyon Road was approved at the Town Meeting, the Selectmen are asking taxpayers to approve the transfer of $250,000 from the General Fund to a Municipal Reserve Fund at the referendum to cover the costs of several capital improvements, such as paving the elementary school’s parking lot and playground, the replacement of the school’s generator, repair of the town’s tennis courts, and the construction of a pavilion on the Town Hall campus.
The expenditure of $171,500 from the Open Space and Land Acquisition accounts for the Town purchase of 51 acres of land along the Little River will also be voted on at referendum. The parcel, located south of Hammond Hill, has been identified as “highly desirable” by the Conservation Commission as a natural habitat for wildlife. Cahill envisions multiple purposes for the land, which might include open space, recreation, and the current uses: agriculture, fishing and hunting. Though multiple concerns were raised over using the property for hunting, which ranged from noise to municipal governance, Cahill explained that the purchase of the land was the first consideration; specific uses for the property would require a later discussion among residents.
Two ordinances will also be considered at the referendum. The Board of Finance is recommending adoption of an ordinance which establishes a bidding requirement and procedure for purchases and services by both the town and the school. Another ordinance will consider changing the position of Tax Collector from one of election to one of appointment, a recommendation of the Board of Selectmen after discussions with the Northeast Council of Governance over the course of the year. Cahill explained that the ordinance would allow the Selectmen the option of appointing a qualified person, or outsourcing the position to another town, noting that the towns of Chaplin and Scotland are already utilizing services Windham is providing. A collaborative arrangement with another town would not preclude office hours in Hampton a few times a month, Cahill said, and potential savings range from $8,000 to $20,000 annually.
The meeting culminated on a high note when Lynn Burdick praised the road crew for the “fantastic” paving of Kenyon Road, thanked First Selectman Cahill for moderating the Town Meeting so soon after knee surgery, quipping about the need for him to “get a leg up”, and encouraged residents to “meet the Mennonites”, who have “mastered the term community involvement”, noting their recent assistance in weeding the town gardens and paving the entrance to Town Hall.