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By a four-to-two vote, the Hampden Town Council rejected the Fiscal Year 2024 proposed budget at its Tuesday meeting. The council held a goals and objectives meeting in February, received the comprehensive budget proposal in early May and held several focused workshops for a detailed discussion of every cost center prior to Tuesday. Only minor changes were adopted during that process. Our town manager and staff spent long hours preparing the draft budget, and after this detailed deliberation of all cost centers, my motion was for “council to approve the FY24 Hampden town budget including sewer budget and capital plan as originally presented and amended through workshops.”
Given the urgency to pass a budget by July 1, Hampden residents should have expected their representatives to use the normal deliberative process to amend the motion, in an attempt to reach a compromise that could be approved. Rather four councilors simply voted “no.”
I implore Hampden residents to reach out to their district and at-large representatives and urge them to negotiate a compromise that will result in an approved FY24 budget at the special Town Council meeting on Monday, June 26.
Eric Jarvi, vice chair, Hampden Town Council
Hampden
