Hampden Select Board approves highway contract, copier purchase, and administrator extension

Select Board · Meeting of February 17, 2026

Hampden Select Board ratifies highway union contract and approves town administrator's three-year extension. The board voted unanimously to approve a new collective bargaining agreement with AFSCME Council 93, Local 1725, covering highway department employees at wage increases of 2.5, 3, and 3 percent over three years, then agreed to matching terms for Town Administrator Brian's contract renewal, adding 20 vacation days per year and a sick-day buyback provision. A $6,450 reserve fund transfer to replace a defunct Riso high-volume duplicator — used primarily to print the town's community newsletter — passed 2-1, with one member citing unresolved questions about placement.

The advisory committee recommended a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment for non-union employees, noting that each 1 percent adds roughly $20,000 to the payroll. The meeting also featured a lengthy discussion of a letter from former Select Board member Craig Revest calling on Hampden to pursue a regional middle school solution through the CORE program rather than accept capital cost responsibility for the Wilbraham-owned middle school building.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of February 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.