Salem Observer : voting

Stimulus money now more likely to be available for Canobie project

Salem Editor — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:08:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Voters may be asked to weigh in on the Canobie Phase II water and sewer project for a second time after blocking an attempt to move forward with the $4.1 million project less then a month ago.

Selectmen voted on Monday, June 1, to give Town Manager Jonathan Sistare the authority to hold another special town meeting if funds for the project become available through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. According to Sistare, the town is now likely to receive $1.25 million from stimulus funds for the sewer portion of the project.

Officials originally filed with the state for possible stimulus funds separately for both the water and sewer aspects of the project, designed to improve the drainage around the lake while upgrading local roads and extending water and sewer piping into area neighborhoods. Though the water portion of the project remains too far down on the state’s priority list to receive any funding, the sewer portion has moved up as other municipalities around the state decide whether to go ahead with projects green-lighted for stimulus dollars.

Sistare told selectmen he expected to receive a confirmation from state officials by next month that the project would be eligible for the funding.

Though the town fell short of reaching the two-thirds majority to pass the combined water and sewer project at the May 19 special election, selectmen are hopeful that voters will support a warrant article limited to the sewer portion of the project. Selectmen indicated the town could pay for the water portion of the project through the water sewer unreserved balance.

Selectman Everett McBride attributed the defeat of the combined projects at last month’s polls to poor campaigning and a lack of certainty when it came to whether or not the project would receive any of the stimulus funds. With 62 percent of voters coming down in favor of moving ahead with the project if federal funds were involved, McBride said he would support asking the voters a second time for approval.

“We went to the voters two weeks ago and said we think we may get the funding. We probably didn’t do a good job of campaigning. We got 62 percent and that’s a positive vote,” McBride said. “I would support asking the voters again. Whatever they say, that’s the end of the story, but they need to know we have the grant in hand. We will get the funding.”

Selectman Patrick Hargreaves was the lone dissenting voice on the board, arguing that the issue was settled as voters had already decided on the project.

“We had 830 people take time off to vote on this item and they voted no ... We’re telling the 830 people that your vote didn’t count. We are going to go back to the well and bringing more water up,” Hargreaves said. “No means no, and when somebody tells me ‘no,’ I understand what the word means.”

Despite his opposition, the board voted 4-1 in favor of giving Sistare the go-ahead to begin preparing for the town’s fourth special election of the year if federal funds are authorized for the project.

Recount leaves commission intact

Salem Editor — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:04:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

A hand recount of the ballots from last month’s special election garnered Cathy Ann Stacey one extra vote, allowing her to retain her spot on the nine-member Charter Commission.

Rival candidate Pamela Berry, who challenged the election results after losing the ninth open seat on the commission to Stacey by a single vote, failed to pick up any new votes during the two hour recount at Town Hall on June 1.

The initial results from the May 19 special election left Stacey with 233 votes to Berry’s 232 out of 828 ballots cast by residents. On hand to observe the recount along with a number of volunteers, Stacey described the process as nerve-wracking, but said she was happy to have the matter settled.

“It was a win-win situation,” she said. “The quicker we get seated and working the better.”

Berry, a member of the school board, could not be reached for comment.

Roughly 25 poll workers volunteered their time to administer the recount, which was based on the procedures outlined by Deputy Secretary of State David Scanlon, according to Town Moderator Chris Goodnow.

Though a few ballots were discarded, Goodnow said that the recount did not have an impact on any of the candidates elected to the commission.

A single ballot was challenged by one of the observers at the recount, but all of the parties involved were satisfied by the Board of Recount’s ruling, according to Goodnow.

He praised the outcome as a validation of the town’s election process. With the recount now finished, he said the election results were settled and could not be challenged further by any of the candidates.

Now town officials can begin planning for the commission’s first meeting, likely sometime early next week, according to Town Clerk Susan Wall.

Out of the 25 candidates that ran for one of the nine seats on the commission, many elected by voters have ties to the municipal government, including three selectmen, a member of the Budget Committee, a member of the Planning Board, the fire chief and the deputy police chief.

Voters gave town officials the approval to move ahead with the Charter Commission at the March Town Meeting. The members of the commission are tasked with studying ways to make the municipal government run more efficiently. Though recommendations made by the commission will ultimately go before voters for approval, the nine-member panel could pave the way for the adoption of a different form of municipal government.

Selectmen began moving toward the creation of a commission last fall after members of the now-defunct Charter Reform Committee, following a six-month study, told the board that the current town charter limited options for solutions to improve efficiency in the municipal government.

Known names take Charter Commission seats

Salem Editor — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:30:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Voters backed candidates with a background in local government for the Charter Commission, giving town employees and elected officials seats on the nine-member board on May 19.

The three members of the Board of Selectmen on the ballot, Patrick Hargreaves, Michael Lyons and Chairman Arthur Barnes, won their bids for a spot on the commission, along with longtime Budget Committee member Stephen Campbell and Robert Campbell, a member of the Planning Board.

Fire Chief Kevin Breen and Deputy Police Chief William Ganley were given the nod by residents at Tuesday’s polls.

Annette Cooke and Cathy Ann Stacey also took a seat each on the commission.

Approved in March by Town Meeting, the commission has been charged with making a range of potential recommendations to improve municipal government, from small changes to Salem’s charter to possibly replacing the Board of Selectmen with a town council.

The commission stems out of one of several recommendations the now defunct Charter Reform Committee gave selectmen last fall. Formed early in 2008 to study ways to make the municipal government more efficient, Committee Chairman Dan Norris told selectmen at the time that the current form of government had limited possible solutions.

With a population over 25,000, Salem is one of the largest communities in the state that retains the town meeting form of government.

Voters did not give the twothirds majority approval needed for the Canobie Phase II water and sewer project. Part of the project was in line to receive federal stimulus funds, but the tally of 508 for and 308 against was not enough to accept the deal.

The plan will not go forward at this time. Town officials will seek alternate funding to bring town water and sewer to the area.

Officials say water, sewer bond passes legal requirements for stimulus funds

Salem Editor — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:34:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Legal questions raised by at least one resident won’t sidetrack plans to use possible federal stimulus funds for the Canobie Lake Phase II project if voters approve the warrant article on May 19, according to town officials.

A 15-year member of the Budget Committee, Stephen Campbell has voiced concerns over a discrepancy between the way the warrant article for the $4.1 million project has been presented to voters and how the town has applied for funding from the 2009 American Recovering and Reinvestment Act.

The Canobie project is intended to improve drainage around the lake and upgrade local roads, as well as allow for the extension of municipal water and sewer piping into area neighborhoods.

While the warrant article includes the both the sewer and water work as part of one larger project, town officials filed separate applications under different categories for possible stimulus funding.

Though neither aspect of the project is currently eligible for stimulus funds, that may change as other municipalities decide whether or not to move forward with approved projects.

That could pose legal problems if only one portion of the work receives funding, according to Campbell.

“The real question is can they go forward at all with this project if they only get money for one (aspect of it)?” Campbell said. “If one project gets funding and one doesn’t, then only one can go forward.”

The sewer work is currently ranked 41st on the state’s priority list of clean water projects – eight spots shy of receiving funding – while the installation of a water main at that site is ranked 234th on the state’s list of drinking water projects and well below the cutoff for funding.

Campbell believes town officials may have muddied the water further by wrapping both projects together on the ballot rather than separate them and use money from the water and sewer unreserved fund or go through the traditional route to hold a special town meeting.

Though the recently passed Senate Bill 39 allows municipalities to hold special town meetings without going through the courts for projects involving stimulus funding, Campbell said moving forward with both projects – were one to get stimulus funding and not the other – could be a violation even with voter approval.

Town Manager Jonathan Sistare said both the wording of the warrant article and plans to fund the overall project have been cleared by the town counsel and the town’s bond counsel, citing the broad language of SB39 as the reason, and approved by the state’s Department of Revenue.

According to Sistare, though the town has always considered the Canobie Lake water and sewer as a single entity, two applications were filed for stimulus funding because the different aspects of the project fell under different categories. Were either aspect of the project to receive stimulus funding and get a two-thirds majority vote at the May 19 special town meeting, the town would move forward with the work, he said.

“What we wanted to do is to give the town the most flexibility and put forward both parts of these projects, and if we get approved for it that allows us to bond (the remainder) and not use cash reserves,” Sistare said. “There are a lot of unknowns and a hundred different questions about what can be done and what can’t be done with two parts of a project as we have. No one really has the answers and we’re going with the best judgement we were given.”

The town could stand to receive about $1.49 million in federal stimulus funds for the sewer portion of the project, with the remainder of the cost bonded, according to Sistare.

But, if neither aspect of the project receives stimulus funding or voters reject the warrant article, then the project will not go forward, he said.

State officials with the department revenue said they will be reviewing documents submitted by municipalities like Salem on a case by case basis to ensure that the process to receive and implement stimulus funding has been followed correctly.

Garcia takes District 4 state representative seat

Salem Editor — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:17:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Republican Marilinda Garcia handily defeated rival Democrat Sheila Murray in the April 28 District 4 special election for the vacant seat in the state House of Representatives.

Garcia secured 2,050 votes in District 4 – comprising Windham and Salem – to Murray’s 1,250, according to polling results released by her campaign.

Town officials in Windham reported Garcia garnered 678 votes to Murray’s 335. In neighboring Salem, Garcia took in 1,372 votes to Murray’s 915, according to Greg Moore, a member of Garcia’s campaign.

In a statement released after the polls had closed, Garcia said the margin of victory indicated that voters in both communities had given her a mandate for fiscal responsibility in Concord.

“We need representatives who will be mindful of the families who are struggling with this economy, not crush them with the burden of more taxes to pay for higher state spending,” she said.

The special election drew a larger turnout of voters than the March primary. In Salem 2,287 ballots were cast, compared to about 1,000 last month. Windham reported about 10 percent of registered voters hit the polls, casting 1,013 ballots.

The District 4 seat was vacated earlier this year after Republican Mark Pearson stepped down to take a job with the town of Hudson.

Salem Charter Commission: 25 vie for 9 seats

Salem Editor — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 01:11:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Twenty-five candidates, including elected officials, town employees and private citizens, are vying for nine open positions on the new Charter Commission and a chance to overhaul local government.

Narrowly approved by voters at Town Meeting in March, the commission can make a range of recommendations for changes to the town charter, from tweaking the way the town is currently run to whether Salem retains a board of selectmen or moves to adopt a town or city council.

One of three selectman vying for a seat on the commission, Arthur Barnes would like the commission to address problems that have arisen in the past when efforts to coordinate spending proposals between the town and the school district have failed. Though he does not have a specific form of government he would like to see put in place, having a central body of elected officials handling the budget could be a possible solution, he said.

“When it comes to the two sides of the town, the school and the town, they’re competing in the same arena. It’s been my experience that it’s almost impossible to coordinate big ticket items on both sides of the street,” Barnes said. “If we had a council, you would take the budgetary responsibilities of the School Board, the budgetary responsibilities of the (town) and bring them all together in one council so that these competitions would come to a stop, where you’ve got one body making the financial spending decisions.”

Patrick Hargreaves, a fellow selectman and candidate for the commission, believes that while improvements could be made, the current form of town government should be retained.

“There are certain things that everybody wants to change. I’m running to represent the small voice that likes the town the way it is. I think we have a great system in town,” he said. “I like to have my voice heard, and you do that at Town Meeting.”

A private citizen, Thomas Linehan said his major motivation to enter the race was to retain the needed super majority to pass bond articles and other large spending proposals.

“You’re obligating people 20 to 30 years down the road. You’re not just obligating the current people (in town),” he said.

A 15-year member of the Budget Committee, Stephen Campbell said he would like to see the charter include an ethics clause to spell out how the current town government should handle conflicts of interest as they occur in the future. Campbell has also come out in opposition to any changes that would turn Salem’s budgetary decisions solely over to a town or city council.

“If you change to town council ... how is it more democratic? A town council would let you elect the councilors, but it wouldn’t let you vote on the budget,” he said. “These calls for change always happen when people start turning down what the selectmen and School Board want them to vote for.”

The call for the creation of a commission arose out of several recommendations made in the fall by the Charter Reform Committee. Selectmen charged the committee last year with finding ways to improve Salem’s government.

A special election for the makeup of the commission is scheduled for May 19. The other candidates include Pamela Berry, Kevin J. Breen, Robert Campbell, Annette M. Cooke, Richard T. Cooney, Christopher Dillon, Laurence K. Disenhof, Dustin Dufour, Harley Featherston, Michael Flathers, William J. Ganley, Brian Keaveny, John LeFebvre, Joseph W. Lessard Jr., Michael Lyons, Patrick McDougall, Melanie Murray, Daniel J. Norris, Don Sorcinelli, Cathy Ann Stacey and Robert Uttley.

Garcia, Murray to vie for open House seat

Salem Editor — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:12:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

With the votes tallied from the March 24 primary, two local women are now set to go head to head for the open District 4 House seat.

Former state representative and Salem resident Marilinda Garcia handily defeated three other Republican candidates at the ballot box, putting her on the path toward regaining a position in Concord.

Garcia garnered 742 votes, with challengers James Holland, 272, Edward DeClercq, 80, and Donna Mauro, 32, falling short.

The 25-year-old Garcia will now face off against Democrat Sheila Murray, 63, in the April 28 special election. Murray, also a Salem native, ran unopposed in the March 24 primary.

The District 4 House seat opened up after Mark Pearson resigned in January following his re-election in order to take a position with the town of Hudson. The race for the open house seat was the only item voters from Windham and Salem weighed in at the ballots, the primary being the first of three special elections Salem is set to hold this spring.

In a statement released after the polls closed, Garcia called the results a strong message from residents in Windham and Salem to keep taxes low, limit spending and demand both an efficient and accountable government.

“I’ll make sure that we have a voice for fiscal responsibility and transparent government in the State House,” Garcia said. “We need one more person who will put the brakes on the massive tax increases and runaway spending that we see being proposed by an out-of-control legislature up in Concord.”

A part-time college student and music teacher, Garcia opened her campaign last month with higher taxes for tobacco products, the potential for tolls on Interstate 93 and a proposed $10 increase in car registration fees in her sights. Garcia served previously for a single term in the House through 2008.

Murray, a former Salem librarian and supervisor of the checklist, is focusing on increasing services for the elderly, education and has come down in support of expanding gambling at Rockingham Park as a new source of revenue for the state.

Salem charter commission plans move ahead

Salem Editor — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:08:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Selectmen took another step toward making changes in the town’s form of government by making preparations for a May special election to determine the makeup of a charter commission.

Selectmen plan to officially set the date for the election – now tentatively schedule for May 26 – during a brief meeting on March 24. Candidates for the nine open positions on the commission are expected to begin filing for the election early in April.

Though the voting came down to the wire, residents gave selectmen permission to go ahead with the creation of the commission during last week’s elections.

The move may mean the end of the town’s current five-member Board of Selectmen, Town Meeting form of governance.

According to Town Manager Jonathan Sistare, the charter commission has several options to consider, including proposing Salem retain the annual Town Meeting for budgetary concerns while switching from a Board of Selectmen to a seven or nine person town council.

A second option could see the formation of a city council, which would bring an end to the institution of Town Meeting in Salem all together.

While the commission will have the authority to operate independently of the Board of Selectmen, any proposed changes to the town’s current charter will have to go before voters for approval at next year’s Town Meeting.

Though some selectmen have expressed reservations about the potential demise of the Town Meeting form of government in Salem, Sistare has been supportive of the commission as a periodic review of the town’s ability to govern effectively.

Communities that have changed as much as Salem has in the past 10 years should revisit their charter to ensure that the best type of government is in place to serve the needs of the residents, he said.

“Other towns turn toward town councils mostly because they can be more reactionary when there is a need to do so. They have an executive governing board’s powers and legislative powers,” Sistare said. “They can make changes quicker or just handle budgetary items. (For example) in response to the floods, if they need to appropriate more money they have a mechanism to do that instead of town meetings, which can be a bit cumbersome.”

Salem is the last remaining community with a population of more than 25,000 in the state to retain the Town Meeting form of government.

The move toward changing the town’s charter began picking up steam last year after selectmen authorized a charter reform commission to make suggestions on how the town could be governed more effectively.

Among other recommendations made to the board last September, the subcommittee proposed the creation of a charter commission, the first in 11 years.

One of three special elections to be held in the coming months, selectmen have estimated the price tag to be between $4,000 and $5,000, though the town is considering running a bare bones operation at the polling stations to minimize the overall cost.

Voters reject union raises in Salem

Salem Editor — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:05:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

For school officials and union representatives it may be back to the drawing board after voters rejected every collective bargaining agreement that affected the tax rate at the ballot box.

Voters turned down proposed raises for the district’s teachers, aides, nurses, secretaries and custodians on last week’s ballot. It marks the second year in a row secretaries and custodians have been denied an increase in salaries or benefits.

An increase for food service personnel did pass, but the contract does not have an impact on the town’s tax rate.

Going forward, officials expect union representatives to request the School Board reopen contract negotiations. While the option of doing nothing and waiting a year remains on the table, School Board member Peter Morgan expects to be back in negotiations with union representatives in the near future.

Complicating the matter, voters also rejected an article that would have allowed the board to call for a special school district meeting to reconsider the contracts. Without a special meeting, negotiators will have to reach an agreement that has no financial impact on the 2009-10 school year.

While school officials could petition the Superior Court for a hearing to decide whether the district can hold a special meeting regardless – if the unions insist on pay raises – a judge would need to agree that the failed contracts constitutes an “emergency,” according to Morgan. Whether a judge would rule with the district remains unknown, he said.

“If we could just negotiate cost items only, the unions would get the message that the percentages that they were asking for weren’t acceptable,” Morgan said. “Now we have to weigh, given the economic climate, are we going to be able to convince the court that if somebody didn’t get a raise that’s an emergency? I’m not convinced that it would be the best option.”

Superintendent Michael Delahanty believes that the gloomy economic forecast, increasing unemployment numbers and numerous foreclosures made salary and benefit increases unpalatable to an electorate that otherwise endorsed the district’s operating budget.

“The fact that so many people have lost jobs or taken pay cuts has certainly affected the mindset of voters … because the way things are, there was no room for salary increases,” Delahanty said.

While Morgan agreed that the state of the economy played a major role in the election, he said voters rejected across the board any proposal that would have had an impact on the tax rate. With a proposed operating budget less than that of the district’s default budget, he saw the passage of the budget less of an endorsement and more of a negative reaction to the idea of increased spending.

“The message from the voters is clear. They’re worried about their jobs, they’re probably not going to get raises this year and they don’t believe anyone else should either,” Morgan said. “We want our employees to be satisfied and treated fairly, but we also represent the voters and they need to be satisfied and teated fairly.”

New trucks top list for Salem second session

Salem Editor — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:36:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

A slew of appropriations are due to come before Salem voters on Saturday, March 14, as town officials look to residents to approve the purchase of a new fire engine, ambulance, dump truck and other service vehicles at the second deliberative session of Salem Town Meeting.

Officials are asking voters to agree to a five-year, $112,438 lease with an option to purchase a replacement engine for the fire department and additional equipment for the vehicle as well as a $60,006, fiveyear lease on a new ambulance also with equipment.

For the Department of Public Works, voters will weigh in on a proposal to enter a five-year $25,836 lease agreement for a new dump truck and a five-year $38,372 lease to replace two of the town’s salters. Public Works officials are asking voters to approve a $1 million appropriation to fund winter weather operations for the remaining year.

While voters were asked to approve the funding for two bridges on the annual ballot on March 10, another bridge replacement project is up for vote. Officials are looking to residents to approve a $468,000 appropriation to fund the reconstruction of the Pelham Road bridge over the Porcupine Brook.

According to officials, the current culvert is structurally inadequate and hydrologically deficient. Minor repairs that were completed following the Mother’s Day floods of 2006 have reached their functional life span.

Selectmen are also calling on voters to approve $193,890 for the purchase of three emergency generators following the December ice storm. One generator will keep power restored to the Wheeler Dam on Canobie Lake in the event of a loss of electricity and the other will allow the town to open an emergency shelter at the Ingram Senior Center.

Voters deny raises to Salem teachers, other school employees

Salem Editor — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:19:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Voters approved the town’s proposed $32,950,575 operating budget for the 2009 by nearly a thousand votes in Tuesday’s balloting.

The budget passed 2,174 to 1,202. About 17.6 percent of registered voters turned out at the polls March 10.

School officials also won support for a $56,608,925 operating budget, 2,135 to 1,272. The budget includes funding for the district’s kindergarten program, set to start in the fall.

A proposal calling for the creation of a charter commission gained a thin margin of approval among voters, with a final tally of 1,657 to 1,521. The measure paves the way for a possible change in the way the town is governed.

Salem is currently the largest community in the state that operates with a five-member board of selectmen and town manager.

A bond article appropriating just over $2 million for the reconstruction of the Lawrence Road bridge and the Cluff Crossing bridge, both of which have been on the state’s municipal bridge red list since 2007 for structural deficiencies, gained the necessary two-thirds majority from voters as well – 2,628 yes votes vs. 794 against. According to town officials, about 80 percent of the funding for the project put up by the town will be reimbursed through the state.

A slew of zoning proposals met mixed results among voters. A change in the zoning ordinance aimed at the potential redevelopment of the Rockingham Park racetrack, which would allow large-scale developers more flexibility for commercial projects of 25 acres or more, gained approval from voters, while a proposed amendment allowing for the construction of buildings up to five stories in height was narrowly defeated.

Voters also rejected increases in salaries and benefits for the school district’s teachers, aides, secretaries, nurses, student specialists and custodians. An increase for the food service personnel – funded by the state – was passed narrowly by voters.

Incumbents received support among voters as Selectman Arthur Barnes (1,594) and Selectman Elizabeth Roth (1,858) both won re-election bids, defeating challengers Roland Thebage (1,097), Ronald Belanger (983) and Paul Welch (519).

School board members Robert Bryant (1,564) and Pamela Berry (1,894) also retained their seats, defeating rivals Janet Bruce (1,294) and Dane Hoover (931).

Bridge replacement bond tops lists of issues in Salem

Salem Editor — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:38:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Residents will have their first chance to debate a $2.4 million bond for the replacement of the bridges on Lawrence and Cluff Crossing roads at the town’s first deliberative session at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, in the high school.

If voters pass the bond in March in its current state, selectmen hope to receive an 80 percent reimbursement on the cost of the work from the state’s Municipally Managed Bridge Aid Program, though the financial aid for the bridges may not be available until 2014 and 2015, according to Town Engineer Robert Puff.

The two projects have also been presented to the Local Government Center as part of a list of “shovel-ready” projects that could be funded through President Barack Obama’s proposed $818 million economic stimulus package.

Town Manager Jonathan Sistare believes that if the federal aid trickles down into New Hampshire, both projects might jump up on the state’s list and the financial reimbursement may be available sooner. Both have been on the state’s list of structurally deficient or unsound bridges since 2007.

Weight restrictions are currently in place on both bridges – a maximum of 10 tons of the Cluff Crossing bridge and 13 tons on the Lawrence Road bridge – forcing the town’s heavy fire apparatus to avoid the structures except during an emergency.

The town is also asking residents to approve a $32.9 million operating budget, down from the $37 million appropriated last year, for the ensuing fiscal year. Combined with the appropriation for bridge reconstruction, the town is looking to appropriate just over $35.3 million next year. Set off by $17.3 million in revenue from fees and permits, the cost to taxpayers will be $17.9 million.

Restoring kindergarten money to be discussed in Salem

Salem Editor — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:11:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Voters will have the chance to either restore funding for the state-mandated kindergarten program to the budget or leave it by the wayside at the deliberative session of the School District meeting on Feb. 5.

The school district’s proposed operating budget – roughly $54.7 million after the Budget Committee removed the $1.6 million planned for next year’s kindergarten program and a further $400,000 in staff costs – tops a list of 10 warrant articles headed before voters in March.

If the money for the kindergarten is not restored, Superintendent Michael Delahanty has warned that the district may have to make cuts elsewhere to comply with state legislation changing the state’s definition of an adequate education to include kindergarten.

Without the kindergarten money, the school district’s operating budget still represents a proposed tax rate increase of about 6.6 percent or about a $128 increase for an average homeowner with a house worth $300,000.

Were kindergarten and the staff funding restored, the operating budget impact on the tax rate would be 9.3 percent or about $181 more per the average $300,000 homeowner.

Salary increases
The district is also proposing to raise $411,642 to fund a step increase in salaries for teachers, nurses and student services specialists for the 2009-10 fiscal year. The 3 percent pay raise represents a 27-cent rise in the tax rate and is a result of the collective bargaining agreement reached between the School Board and the Salem Education Association.

The district is asking for a further appropriation of $37,353 to fund a 2 percent bump in wages and benefits for secretaries, representing an 8-cent impact to the tax rate.

Custodians, aides and food service personnel are also looking at potential salary increases if voters approve each of the three separate warrant articles up for deliberation. The district is asking for $87,910 for a 3 percent wage increase with a tax rate impact of 2 cents for aides and $45,319 for a 2.75 percent raise – with a 10-cent impact to the tax rate – for custodians. The district is asking voters for a further $21,954 to fund a 2.75 percent salary increase for food service personnel.

Residents will also have the chance to decide whether a warrant article that will direct the School Board to cap any increase of their annual budget to any increase in revenue from the previous annual budget. The warrant article – put forward by petition – would also limit the School Board to increasing the annual budget up to the rate of inflation as determined by the National Consumer Price Index.

The deliberative session is set for Thursday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., at Salem High School.

Salem Selectmen to put $2.4 million bridge work article before voters

Salem Editor — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:27:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

Selectmen are asking voters to approve the replacement of two town bridges in March after adding the multimillion- dollar bond article to the Town Meeting warrant on Monday, Jan. 12.

On the state’s municipal red list since late 2007, the Lawrence Road Bridge spanning the Spicket River and the Cluff Crossing Road Bridge over Policy Brook could be replaced at a cost of $2,394,000 if voters approve the bond article in March.

Each bridge is eligible for up to 80 percent reimbursement from the state through the Department of Transportation’s municipal aid program, according to Robert Puff, town engineer.

Selectmen said both bridges had also been included on the town’s list of “shovel-ready” projects as the state prepares for a possible financial infusion from President-elect Obama’s proposed $775 billion economic stimulus package.

“The (stimulus package) is a trump card that we don’t know,” said Selectman Everett McBride. “I think there is going to be money available.”

While the state’s reimbursement funds would not become available until 2014 for the Lawrence Road Bridge and 2015 for the Cluff Crossing Bridge, Town Manager Jonathan Sistare urged selectmen to move ahead as quickly as possible.

According to Sistare, were federal funds from the economic stimulus package to come to New Hampshire, both of the projects might jump up on the state’s list, resulting in a full 80 percent reimbursement with a shorter wait then currently anticipated.

Though several selectmen indicated that they agreed with Town Finance Director Jane Savastano’s recommendation to ask voters for a 10- year bond vs. a 20-year bond, the board opted to hold off on making a final decision at the Jan. 12 meeting.

Designs for both replacement bridges have already been completed. According to Puff, the proposed Lawrence Road Bridge would raise the structure’s elevation and widen it to the approximate limits of the natural river bank, allowing floodwaters to pass under rather than over the roadway as occurred during the 2006 Mother’s Day floods.

Weight restrictions are currently enforced on both bridges – a maximum of 13 tons for the Lawrence Road Bridge and 10 tons for the Cluff Crossing Road Bridge – since state engineers have rated the structures deficient.

This past summer, public safety officials called on selectmen to tackle the problem after fire apparatus were restricted from using the bridges during emergencies. School officials have had to reroute buses around the bridges, as well.

Salem school officials disappointed by decision to remove kindergarten from budget

Salem Editor — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:10:00 GMT

BY DERRICK PERKINS

A Budget Committee decision to remove kindergarten from the school district’s proposed budget for next year has made starting the program more difficult, but not impossible, say officials.

According to Superintendent Michael Delahanty, the School Board could create a separate warrant article to put in front of voters in March, ask voters to restore the funding for the program at a Feb. 5 deliberative session or make cuts elsewhere in the budget to cover the kindergarten program’s expenses to comply with the state’s mandate.

Salem is one of 12 communities that have been directed to put a kindergarten program into place after the state redefined the definition of an adequate education to include the kindergarten year. Despite a 5-4 vote on Jan. 8 by the Budget Committee to remove the program’s funding from the school budget, Delahanty said the district would begin compiling a list of eligible 4-year-olds in the community in preparation of formally enrolling next year’s kindergarten class.

“Right now I would say without the funds it would be quite a challenge to have kindergarten, though it’s not impossible,” Delahanty said. “Without the specific funds appropriated, we could still try to make kindergarten happen and that would be even without a separate warrant article and even without the restoration article.”

Set to discuss their remaining options on Tuesday, Jan. 13, Delahanty said he believed that the board would attempt to restore the program into the operating budget by way of next month’s deliberative session. Otherwise, were voters to turn down a separate warrant article in March and the district to implement kindergarten anyway, the board would have to make a “very hard decision” on what long-standing programs to eliminate, Delahanty said.

Michael Carney, a member of the Budget Committee, said his vote to remove kindergarten from the operating budget was made out of principle.

“I think the state has mandated it to us. If it’s a mandate, they should pay for it. If it’s not a mandate, then we should have the right to vote on it and the (public) should vote it up and down,” Carney said. “It’s just the principle, and maybe I’m sticking on them too hard. I believe that it’s a constitutional issue.”

Carney is not the first member of the Budget Committee to question the validity of the state’s mandate. Stephen Campbell, a 14-year committee member, has criticized the School Board for not following the lead of school officials in Hudson by taking the state to court over imposing what he said amounts to an unfunded mandate.

Despite Campbell’s vocal opposition of the mandate, Delahanty said he was surprised and dismayed by the Budget Committee’s decision.

“I understand (the) rationale – I heard it – but it’s no less disappointing,” he said.