Residents voting in the town election will be faced with decisions about whom to elect to various town offices, how the zoning ordinance should be amended, and how much the town should spend on basic services, such as fire and police.

The election is Tuesday, March 10, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Bartlett Elementary School for residents of District 1 and Goffstown High School for those in District 5.

One article, $300,000 to buy land next to the town library, would not cost taxpayers a cent. The money would instead come from donations to the library and invested over time, according to library director Dianne Hathaway.

The .7-acre parcel is next to the library. It would be subdivided from a Victorian home, which is also on the 12 High St. property. It has been for sale by its owner, Ray Donner, whose plan to turn the historic home into offices and build a 12-unit condominium was stymied by abutters in Hillsborough County Superior Court two years ago.

In the short-term, the land would be used for parking. The library has only eight spaces now, but snow accumulation in the winter or flooding during warmer months can shrink that to six spaces, according to Hathaway.

People who can’t find a space park too close to the library or a nearby bank. “It’s a real difficult situation,” Hathaway said.

She said the cost of the parking lot is not included in the $300,000 amount. Instead, the library would have to propose that as part of its budget for 2010. “Any kind of future improvements is definitely going to be with community input and voting,” said library trustee Jen Foley.

While waiting on the parking lot, Foley noted that the land would be “green space” for picnics and other public functions.

She said library trustees also welcome input from residents on what they should do with the space. Their next meeting is at 7 p.m., March 18, at the library. In the future, the land could accommodate an expansion of the building.

“We’re using the original building. There’s been very little space added,” Hathaway said. “We’re tripping over each other – there’s no space for the staff to work except public space. We’re using every inch of this building.”

Compared to other libraries in towns with similar populations, Goffstown is certainly on the smaller end of the spectrum.

It serves a town of 18,000 people with just 5,100 square feet of space. The Hooksett library has 25,000 square feet for 13,000 people and Bedford has a little over 19,000 square feet for a population of 21,000.

Residents will also vote on a town operating budget of $19,362,358, up from $18,908,807 the previous year. The cost of separate ballot articles, however, is down from $2,974,150 to $815,000 this year, but most of that difference is due to a $2.5 million municipal water bond on the ballot last year, according to Town Administrator Sue Desruisseaux.

The bond was for water service in the Lynchville and Danis parks. The town will pay it back through fees on homeowners in those neighborhoods, combined with grant money, so the bond will not affect the local property tax rate.

The town portion of that rate will be higher if voters approve all the appropriations on the ballot this year – from $8.37 to $8.70 per $1,000 in assessed property value.

On the new rate, a $300,000 home would owe $2,610 in taxes.

Most of that, or $8.33, is due to the operating budget. An article that asks for $500,000 to be saved for future fire vehicle purchases adds 36 cents. The last cent represents $15,000 for the Goffstown Main Street Program.

More information about the election, including a sample ballot and a list of candidates for office, is available at www.goffstown.com.