Not everyone in Candia is entirely welcoming of the town’s firstever deliberative session of Town Meeting.

“To date, this has only caused confusion and money,” selectmen’s Chairman Clark Thyng said of the town’s switch this year to the official ballot system, commonly known as Senate Bill 2, or SB2.

The deliberative session of Town Meeting, at which residents can alter warrant articles for ballot voting in March, is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 3, at 9 a.m., at Moore School.

As many as 600 people have attended traditional Candia Town Meetings in years past, said Thyng. Just over 4,000 people live in the town.

Based on conversations he’s had with a town lawyer, Thyng said this year’s turnout by the legislative body will likely be a record low.

“Town counsel says you can expect about 35, 40 people at a deliberative session,” he said.

“What Candia’s hearing from other towns is that deliberative sessions get smaller and smaller, and run by special interests.”

The change to SB2 was initiated last year by a citizen’s petition. Proponents of SB2 praise the system because allows more people with time or health constraints to vote on warrant articles without having to dedicate a full day at a traditional Town Meeting.

This year’s list of warrants includes a proposed municipal operating budget of nearly $2 million.

Thyng said the selectmen may attempt to raise the dollar amount at the deliberative session to boost the police department budget, which was previously cut by the budget committee.

“We’ll be fighting to support our version (of the budget),” Thyng said.

But given the newness of SB2, Thyng said, “I don’t know that anybody knows how to yet.”

A warrant article submitted by citizen petition calls for $85,000 to renovate the historic library building on High Street for use as town clerk and tax collector offices.

Selectmen Fred Kelley and Rick Lazott have spearheaded that plan, though selectmen voted not to recommend it. Thyng, who looked into renovating the vacated building for town office use four years ago, guessed $85,000 wouldn’t likely complete the work, which includes installing a new septic system and well, creating a handicap walkway and bathroom and paving the parking lot.

“It’s a good idea, but a bad plan,” Thyng said. “My personal opinion is that the project will easily go over $100,000.”

Kelley has said he’s wanted to find a use for the building since he’s been a selectmen, and has said the building currently costs thousands of dollars annually to maintain.

Another warrant article submitted by petition asks for $25,000 to fully repair and restore the High Street “Soldier’s Monument.”

About $10,000 would have to be raised through taxes, since about $15,000 have already been collected through grants and private donations.

This year’s list of warrants also includes some annual requests, including $5,000 for the operation of the Fitts Museum, money for several charity organizations, and $45,000 for police special details. The special detail expense is entirely offset by incoming revenue from special detail work, Thyng said. Still such annual requests, which have cruised through past Town Meetings, may be in more danger with SB2, Thyng said.

“An uneducated voter may may make some gut decisions,” Thyng said. “When you would come to the (traditional) Town Meeting, you would get an education on what you’re voting on.”