HAMILTON — This Saturday marks the 15th year public safety personnel in both Hamilton and Wenham will be collecting food for the needy, lead emergency dispatcher Anne Marie Cullen told selectmen Monday night.

They try to make this as easy as possible for donors. Simply place nonperishable food items in a recycling bin and leave it at the curb by 9 a.m.

The Acord food pantry volunteers are still looking for a new home but remain on Willow Street between Railroad Avenue and Linden Street.

For those who need to avail themselves of the pantry, hours are Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.

No more hours

There was no vote, but selectmen indicated they intend to toe the line regarding next year's budget.

They discussed a request from Regional Library Director Jan Dempsey, who said two longtime employees plan to retire in 2009.

Dempsey wants to not only replace them but also hire some part-time employees. Because the new full-timers will make less money than the departing retirees, Dempsey said she could do all of this with no increase in total salaries.

"But the hours would increase," Selectman Dick Low said. "That's inconsistent with other town departments."

Anticipating a tight budget, all town departments have been told not to plan any increases in personnel next year or in the hours they work.

Selectman Bill Bowler pointed out that Dempsey wasn't asking for more money, but Low wasn't appeased.

"If there was no increase (in hours), they could save more money," he said.

Tiptoeing through minefield

Playing Robin Hood is proving a trickier romp through a veritable Sherwood Forest of potential pitfalls than the merry selectmen ever expected.

A citizen's petition for a tax abatement for seniors was the loser at a Town Meeting jousting match in October. But selectmen and Finance Committee members, urged on by a plea from Maid Marian, aka Joanne Patton, promised to bring a better proposal to a future meeting.

Here's the rub: Robbing the rich to pay the poor sounds noble, but how do you limit the benefits to the truly needy and the sacrifices to the well-endowed?

Which doesn't even address whether it's a good idea to begin with.

There's been some discussion that any abatement should not be age-restricted but apply to anyone whose income makes their property tax bill particularly onerous.

However, selectmen noted that any kind of new tax abatement would require approval of the state Legislature, which is unlikely to say "yea" to anything that is viewed as too broad.

Selectmen asked the Finance Committee to look at a scenario in which seniors would get a 10 percent abatement.

They also acknowledged the necessity of getting a program right from the start, because taking something back once it is given will be difficult, to say the least.

Full throttle

The Department of Revenue's study of how Hamilton and Wenham might share some services, including a merger of the towns, is likely to get underway soon.

Town Administrator Candace Wheeler said Wenham officials would like to wait until budget season is over, but the state agency is hot to trot.

"The DOR has been quite clear they feel there's real momentum now," Wheeler said.

Low agreed, and so did fellow Selectman Bill Bowler.

"I'd prefer to move forward," Bowler said, "unless it's a deal-breaker."

Wheeler agreed to apprise Wenham Town Administrator Jeffrey Chelgren of the decision.

Light 'em up

The gazebo in Patton Park and the Christmas tree at Beverly National Bank will be illuminated for the holidays beginning Sunday, Nov. 30.

At least they're waiting until after Thanksgiving.