BY STEPHEN BEALEThe worsening economic situation was evident at a Goffstown Budget Committee meeting recently, where members pressed for even deeper cuts in the town and school budgets in order to give taxpayers a break. At its Jan. 20 meeting, the committee cut the proposed 2009 selectmen budget from about $19.4 million to $18 million, a ...

BY STEPHEN BEALEA Goffstown School District e-mail notice about a meeting backfired when some residents accused the administration of political campaigning on behalf of the School Board. Superintendent of Schools Stacy Buckley recently apologized for the e-mail, which she sent to parents asking them to show up to a Budget Committee hearing and ...

BY STEPHEN BEALEA resident wants to strip the Goffstown School Board of some of its budget powers in the hope that spending will become lower. Guy Caron, chairman of the 450-plus member Goffstown Residents Association, is backing a petitioned article on the March ballot to make the Budget Committee set the default budget instead of the School ...

BY STEPHEN BEALESelectmen say they are prepared to make painful cuts to the budget in order to save cash-strapped homeowners from having to pay more in taxes next year. Selectmen said they could achieve their goal between reductions in one-time capital expenses and operating on a default budget, which is what was authorized for the previous year, ...

BY STEPHEN BEALE The town budget this year might be good news for people down on their economic luck. The total spending for 2009 would be $21.8 million, a decrease of about $118,000. The Board of Selectmen was presented the budget on Monday, Sept. 8. In interviews, selectmen were optimistic they could hold the line on budget ...

BY STEPHEN BEALEBedford is paying town and school employees more than its neighbor to the north, reflecting the economic inequities between the two communities. A comparison of the incomes of the top 25 earners among the four local governments using the most recent information shows that Bedford consistently pays higher salaries. Four public ...

BY STEPHEN BEALEPolice Chief Patrick Sullivan told the Goffstown Board of Selectmen this week that he has exceeded his budget for police details, largely due to the New Hampshire presidential primary. Sullivan said he is already $2,000 over his original budget of $60,000 for police details. He said the town spent about $15,000 on details in ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYIt may be warm in July, but area residents are still feeling the pain of the past winter’s heating bills and fear what the future holds. Goffstown resident Carol Clark said her oil prices have tripled from what she used to pay. “It’s extremely frustrating. I don’t know what to do. A $300 fill will cost ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYLong after the snow has melted beneath the warm rays of spring sunshine, New Hampshire towns will still be feeling Mother Nature’s wrath. This time, it won’t be barraging residents from the sky. Instead, it will hit them under their tires. “I was coming from Hannaford the way I come up every day,” said Jane ...

BY STEPHEN BEALEThe town election on Tuesday, March 11, reversed a string of defeats for proposals to expand the Fire Department. In two previous elections, voters had thrown out plans for 18 and 10 firefighters, but Tuesday they signed off on hiring two. The cost of the new firefighters will be split with a Homeland Security grant, which will ...