Hampden Select Board approves MassDEP septic consent order, declares truck surplus

Select Board · Meeting of March 23, 2026

Hampden Select Board approves MassDEP consent order and surplus truck declaration as budget pressures mount. The board and Board of Health met jointly March 23, voting unanimously to authorize the chair to sign a Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection administrative consent order requiring the town to disconnect a well at town hall from potable water and complete a Title V septic inspection, keeping the system under Board of Health jurisdiction rather than state oversight. The board also unanimously declared a 1953 Dodge Army surplus truck — donated to the town at no cost by the state — as surplus property with an estimated value of approximately $5,000, to be offered first to other town departments before auction.

Town Administrator Brian Davenport reported that neighboring Wilbraham charges $130 for a standard transfer station permit compared to Hampden's $80, and transfer station operator Laurie told the board that a recent monthly recycling disposal bill hit $1,661 as recyclable commodities that once generated credits now cost money to process. The Hampden Advisory Committee reported the non-school portion of the town budget is up roughly $220,720, while the school assessment — informally understood to be roughly $590,000 above last year — remains uncertain with teacher negotiations in mediation.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of March 23, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.