Hatfield Select Board Approves $61,712 Sewer Change Order, Faces $350,000 Funding Gap

HATFIELD -- August 22, 2023, Hatfield Select Board approves $61,712 Route 5 sewer change order as project engineer warns of $350,000 funding gap ahead. The board voted unanimously Tuesday to approve change order two on the pump station contract, covering revised site work and piping tied to a long-running easement dispute; project engineer Mike Voss said police detail and engineering costs are expected to exceed budgeted allocations by roughly $350,000, with the contingency fund now carrying only about $40,000. Fiscal year 2022 auditor Tony Roselli, presenting via video call alongside interim Town Accountant Richard Howarth, said the town's management letter findings, including a $28,000 positive cash variance and a $7.8 million other post-employment benefits liability, are "manageable" and far less severe than conditions five to seven years ago. The board also revoked the Heritage Tavern liquor license after the business closed without notifying the town, approved an interim treasurer-collector contract with Strategic Municipal Services at $95 per hour, adopted a revised Human Resource Policy Manual, and hired Ashton Wiegel as Administrative Assistant, while tabling a proposed 13 percent wage increase for Assistant Water Superintendent Brandon pending comparable community salary data.