Accountability posts

**Hopkinton Select Board — February 10, 2025: Key Decisions and What's Heading to Town Meeting**

The February 10th Select Board meeting covered significant fiscal and policy items that Hopkinton residents should be aware of ahead of Town Meeting.

**PFAS Remediation Bonds:** Voters will decide on over $4 million in PFAS-related bonds. The board recommended (4-0) a $4,015,000 bond to close five contaminated lagoons at the Transfer Station, as required by NH DES between 2025-2033. Potential fines of up to $25,000 per day apply for non-compliance, and $401,000 in loan forgiveness is available. The board also recommended a $712,000 bond to remove 22 years of PFAS-contaminated sludge from the Wastewater Treatment Facility. Those costs could rise dramatically if the lagoon closure bond fails. Webster Select Board Chair David Hemenway raised questions about cost-sharing arrangements and loan term preferences that were not definitively resolved at the meeting.

**Community Power Rate Increase:** Rates are going up approximately 9% in March, from 8.9 to 9.7 cents per kilowatt-hour, due to a power purchase issue. That puts the program above what Eversource and Unitil currently charge. The board directed the Energy Committee to meet soon to discuss how to inform residents, but no specific timeline or notification plan was established at the meeting.

**Police Retention:** Chief Hennessey presented retention strategies including shift differentials, educational stipends, and fitness incentives, arguing that retention costs are significantly less than hiring new officers. The board requested specific written figures before committing to any changes.

**Land Conservation:** The board reached consensus to retain the Bassett Mill Road parcel for conservation purposes, based on a Conservation Commission recommendation citing upland wildlife habitat value. Abutter Wade Libby, who attended to advocate for purchasing the parcel, disputed the road classification and requested conservation data. No direct response to his concerns was recorded.

**Warrant Articles to Watch:** Article 6 (Official Ballot Referendum/SB2) was not recommended by the board (4-0). Article 16, which would rescind certain Select Board authority, was also not recommended (3-0), with board member Ken Traum abstaining without stating a reason.

**Emergency Repairs:** The board unanimously approved $125,000 from CIP emergency funds for wastewater pump station repairs, with work expected to begin by end of month and no service interruptions anticipated.

Town Meeting is your opportunity to weigh in on these decisions. A Budget Hearing is scheduled for Wednesday at 6:00 pm and an SB2 Hearing for Tuesday, February 18 at 6:00 pm, both at Town Hall. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/hopkinton/select-board/2025-02-10/ #MeetingWatch #HopkintonNH