BY ROD HANSEN
A measure for expanded elderly tax exemptions survived the recent town deliberative session of Goffstown Town Meeting, escaping two proposed amendments that would have weakened the measure considerably on the March ballot.
The elderly tax exemptions, along with plans to provide 24/7 fire coverage, cuts to the town’s road plan and a $16.7 million operating budget were among the items to stir spirited debate on Wednesday, Feb. 7.
The elderly tax exemption proposal would increase the income level and the amount of assets people can have and still qualify for elderly tax relief.
The article seeks to lift eligible income levels for a single person from $18,500 to $35,000, for a married couple from $24,000 to $50,000 and asset levels from $35,000 to $150,000.
Also, the article would exempt people from 65 to 75 years of age from $45,000 in assessed property value; 75 to 80 years old would gain a $60,000 exemption and residents over 80 would get $80,000 exemptions.
Selectman Nick Campasano moved that the article be placed on the warrant, noting that income and asset requirements had not been adjusted since 1997, while exemption amounts were last changed in 2004.
The proposal faced a quick challenge from resident Evelyn Redmond, who labeled the asset limit of $150,000 “excessive” and moved to reduce that number to $75,000, excluding the value of a person’s home.
That amendment failed, as did a second proposed change that would have eliminated the heightened exemptions. After more than an hour’s discussion, the item will appear unchanged on the March ballot.
The town’s $16.7 million operating budget will appear on the ballot with an additional $20,935 for painting the front of the Grasmere Town Hall. Selectmen and budget committee members could not reach a consensus on that item prior to the deliberative session, said Selectman John Caprio.
When asked why painting expenses couldn’t be taken out of a proposed $100,000 Grasmere Town Hall restoration fund also slated to appear on the warrant, Selectman Phil D’Avanza said that fund addresses Americans with Disabilities Act compliance. The painting expenses would fall under maintenance, he said.
The amendment to the operating budget passed, setting the dollar value to appear on the March ballot at $16,789,463.
The town’s road plan, which selectmen reduced by $600,000 at the last minute to comply with budget committee recommendations, stirred some of the evening’s most passionate dialogue.
The road plan is now appearing as a special article for the sixth year, with $1,473,665 requested for this year’s
projects.
“The basic premise of the road program is that it is more cost efficient to rebuild roads than to maintain roads,” said selectmen’s Chairman Barbara Griffin.
Although selectmen had voted unanimously to remove $600,000 from the road plan, D’Avanza said removal of the money could ultimately hurt the town’s infrastructure. He recalled that Goffstown had once appeared at the top of a list of the state’s worst roads.
“Every year you take money out of the road plan, you have to push projects back. Pretty soon, we’ll say, ‘We did without $600,000 last year, so we’ll do without it this year.’ Then the 20-year road plan becomes a 21-year road plan, and the next thing you know we’re back on the front page – with the worst roads in the state.”
An attempt to amend the article to $2.07 million failed, and the road plan will go on the March ballot with the $1.4 million as originally presented.
Voters will also consider an article seeking to make the road plan part of the operating budget this year. When asked what that dollar value would be, Griffin said it would depend on numbers reached during the budget process.
A proposal to provide 24/7 fire coverage called for the hiring of 10 new firefighters at a cost of $295,438. This covers the cost of employing them for six months beginning in July through the end of the year. The annualized cost amounts to $557,335, according to the article.
Felix Pelchat, who co-chaired the town’s Fire/EMS Study Committee, said the plan presented a better alternative than a warrant article last year seeking 18 new firefighters.
However, the plan faced mixed reviews among budget committee members. Committee member Scott Gross said, “This is not a perfect plan, but it’s a good plan.”
Eric Geissenhainer, who also sits on the budget committee, spoke against the added firefighters.
“We don’t have the tax base to support this; this is going to be a tremendous burden on taxpayers if it’s implemented,” Geissenhainer said.
If all recommended articles are approved by voters, the town portion of the tax rate is expected to reach $8.60 per $1,000 of property value, an increase of 38 cents over the previous year.
Voting on the town warrant is scheduled for 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 13, at Bartlett Elementary School and Goffstown High School.