By Michelle Kim

NEW BOSTON – Along with the operating budget, voters can expect warrant articles expanding tax exemptions for elderly and disabled and updates to the solid waste ordinances at the Feb. 4 deliberative session of Town Meeting.

The proposed operating budget of approximately $3.7 million is about 8.7 percent higher than last year’s proposed operating budget and about 6.4 percent higher than the default level.

There are also 10 appropriating special warrant articles and three individual warrant articles, totaling about $650,000.

The estimated tax impact of the proposed operating budget together with the appropriating individual and special warrant articles would be an increase of 18 cents per $1,000 of property valuation, according to Town Administrator Burton Reynolds.

The proposed operating budget increased by about $20,000 from the amount presented in the public budget hearing, mostly due to additions for upgrading the Fire Department’s breathing apparatus over the next three years, according to Reynolds.

Two articles to expand tax exemptions for the elderly and disabled would increase the exemption limit from $21,000 to $35,000 for a single person and from $30,000 to $45,000 for a married couple. Reynolds said he was unsure about the number of people the exemptions would affect or the amount of tax dollars.

“I’m thinking it’s not anywhere near the effect raising the veterans’ exemption had,” he said.

An article on the solid waste ordinances would mostly update language. The ordinances have not been updated since they were written in 1991, according to the article’s explanation.

Four articles regarding zoning ordinance changes address issues ranging from heat detectors in garage stalls to sign regulations to sprinkler system design standards.

Residents will also see four petitioned articles at the deliberative session. Two petitioned articles request tax exemptions for solar powered and wind powered energy systems. Another article calling for state lawmakers to reject the “pledge” against new taxes was also introduced in multiple New Hampshire town warrants by a group called the Granite State Fair Tax Coalition. The other petitioned article requests the town to maintain and repair a private drainage system.

Another article would allow the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee to state their recommendations on all warrant articles instead of just a few types of warrant articles.