Hampden Raises Transfer Station Fees, Appoints ZBA Member at April 13 Meeting

HAMPDEN -- April 13, 2026, Hampden Selectboard votes to raise transfer station fees and advances regional dispatch talks. The board unanimously adopted Board of Health recommendations to increase large trash bag rolls from $40 to $45 and small rolls from $20 to $25, effective May 1, with annual permit fees rising from $70 to $80 and senior permits from $40 to $50, effective July 1, as hauling costs climb and a new trash contract is projected at roughly $90,000. In regional dispatch talks, members expressed support for a proposed four-year agreement with Wilbraham running through fiscal year 2030 at a base assessment of $125,000 for fiscal year 2027, with annual increases of 2 percent in year one and 3 percent in each of the three following years, though no formal vote was taken. The board also approved the appointment of ZBA associate member Tom Attucks to a full seat following Fred Lesniak's resignation, and approved two one-day liquor licenses for Senior Center events in April and May. A joint meeting with the Wilbraham Selectboard on the regional school agreement was tentatively set for April 30, with a proposed agenda focused on a five-year maintenance plan, a repair cost cap, and a joint commitment letter to the district, but not, after board deliberation, a proposal to relocate eighth graders to the high school.