BY ROD HANSEN
With a $3.4 million operating budget and more than $580,000 in warrant articles to consider, about 50 voters raised little concern over the items at the deliberative session of New Boston Town Meeting on Feb. 9.
Board of Selectmen Chairman David Woodbury said maintaining a stable tax rate stood as a primary goal among town officials. A state list of towns and their tax rates places New Boston at 85 from the lowest among a total of 216, Woodbury said.
“We want to assure you that this budget has been looked at by a number of people with a number of different agendas...I’m confident in saying this town is very well served by the budget process,” Woodbury said.
Although factors such as the school and county tax rates and state education aid remain in question, Woodbury said the overall tax rate could rise 50 cents from its current rate of $15.30 per $1,000 in assessed property if all warrant articles pass.
The town budget has increased by $297,000, or 9 percent from last year, said Selectman Gordon Carlstrom.
Increases in the town budget can be attributed to higher salary and benefits for town employees, a $5,000 hike in cemetery costs due to maintenance of a new section, and a $57,000 increase in the police department, Carlstrom said. Of that, $55,000 will go toward hiring and equipping a new police officer, according to town budget information.
A $90,000 jump in the highway budget can mostly be attributed to higher asphalt costs, Carlstrom said.
Aside from the operating budget, several special warrant articles also seek tax dollars for various projects.
One item requests $4,800 in tax dollars to be raised for design and engineering costs for a footbridge connecting the center of the village to the south commercial district. An additional $19,200 in design costs will be covered by grants, which mirrors the 80/20 percent split between tax and grant funding for the project as a while.
Overall, the project will cost $150,000, with $30,000 to be funded through taxes and $120,000 through grants, said Dona Fairbairn, a member of the committee leading the efforts for the bridge. A warrant article in 2009 will seek the remainder of the money needed, Fairbairn said.
Other articles request money to be placed in reserve funds, including $60,000 for town hall renovations; $40,000 to help pay for a revaluation and $40,000 for the eventual replacement of Gregg Mill Road Bridge.
Voters will also decide whether to raise $8,000 for a Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission study on the feasibility of charging impact fees for large residential developments. Such a study is necessary as more large developments add to the town’s growth, Carlstrom said.
“It would be a very important $8,000,” he said.
Voting on all ballot items is set for Tuesday, March 13, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the New Boston Central School Gymnasium.