BY ROD HANSEN

With residents rejecting both town and school operating budgets this year, the school is seeking a recount, while the town considers ways to operate with far fewer dollars than they sought.

School budget recount requested

The requested school operating budget failed by only three votes on the March 13 ballot, by a tally of 646-643. Defeat of the item, which appeared as Article 3, sends the  requested operating budget of $11.9 million back to the default amount with a reduced value of $202,894.

Regarding the defeat, school board vice chairman Marjorie Burke said she was “disappointed but not surprised” at the outcome, and that money in the rejected budget was mostly slated to pay for custodial staff at the new Weare Middle School, set to open in the fall.

“Because the vote was so close, I’m hoping a vote here or there was missed and we’ll prevail on a recount,” said Burke.

School District Clerk Tina Pelletier received a request for a recount on Friday, March 16, submitted with the required 10 signatures by Don Burke, husband of  Marjorie Burke, who was out of town at the time.

According to New Hampshire RSA 40:4-C, one of the state statutes governing recounts, the event must be scheduled for a time not earlier than five days nor later than 10 days after the receipt of the request, Pelletier said.

According to procedures outlined in RSA Chapter 669, the recount must be hand-counted by a board consisting of Pelletier, School District Moderator Neal Kurk and the members of the school board, Pelletier said.

The recount was scheduled for Friday, March 23, at 6 p.m. in the town office building, Pelletier said. That date was tentative pending school board approval, she said.

Selectmen consider pay raise alternatives

Members of the town’s board of selectmen also had to grapple with a defeated operating budget following the elections.

The town’s $4.3 million operating budget, appearing as Article 12 on the town ballot, met defeat 709-564.

While no recount has been requested, it did leave selectmen considering ways to make up for the $134,956 difference between the rejected operating budget and the prevailing default figure.

Part of the money in the operating budget would provide for across-the-board 3.5 percent raises for town employees, board of selectmen Chairman Heleen Kurk said at the board meeting of Monday, March 19.

Reconsidering those raises may be one way to operate on a default budget, Kurk said.

“I think we probably need to pull back salary increases to between 2.7 to 3 percent (and) meet with all the department heads and speak with them to see what they can maneuver around to accommodate that,” Kurk said, noting that the operating budget had been “lean” even before being sent to default.

Selectman Thomas Clow said providing pay raises based on performance evaluations rather than universal increases would constitute a return to the town’s existing personnel policy.

Wendy Clark, who gained election to the board on March 13, said providing raises based on merit would conform with practices of the public sector.

“Frankly, it’s odd to me that raises aren’t given on an evaluation basis,” Clark said.

Selectmen will discuss the budget with town department heads at their upcoming meeting April 2.