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Selectboard approves payment manifests; reviews operating budget and multiple warrant articles ahead of town meeting
Summary
The Selectboard signed accounts-payable and payroll manifests, approved minutes, and reviewed a slate of warrant articles and capital-reserve proposals including a ballot counter, Sam Lakehouse withdrawal, Elkins Library weatherization and a proposed transfer-station compactor petition.
At its meeting the Selectboard approved the accounts-payable manifest and payroll manifest, approved minutes from prior meetings and reviewed multiple budget-line items and warrant articles scheduled ahead of the town-meeting warrant.
Votes at a glance: The board approved an accounts-payable manifest totaling $108,154.81 and a payroll manifest totaling $51,972.42; members also approved meeting minutes for January 6 and subsequent draft minutes after amendment. The board then reviewed an operating budget proposal of approximately $3.47 million, a 4.6% increase from the prior figure presented.
Warrant-article preview: Selectmen reviewed several proposed warrant articles to appear on the town meeting warrant, including (language summarized): establishing a capital-reserve account and initial deposit for renewable-energy projects (to accept Community Power adder funds), an article to bond up to $180,000 (presented in discussion earlier) for municipal solar and batteries, a $7,000 article to purchase ballot-counting equipment, a request to raise funds for Sam Lakehouse repairs offset by withdrawals from a Sam Lake trust, and a $20,000 request toward Elkins Library weatherization (Tom Franco presented expected outside grants that may lower the town share).
A petition warrant for a stationary electric compactor and concrete pad at the transfer station (approx. $60,000 requested) was also on the agenda; Selectboard staff noted the petition calls for 3-phase power and a concrete pad and staff flagged questions about available power at the site and long-term haul/transport requirements.
Budget timeline and posting: The board discussed the schedule for publishing proposed budgets and warrant articles in advance of the public hearing and town meeting, and confirmed that once posted the numbers cannot change until the public hearing unless a new hearing is posted.
Ending: Selectboard members asked staff to finalize posting material for the public hearing, seek more precise construction and grant numbers on key warrant articles, and to notify relevant parties where the board requested outside cost-sharing (for example, the school district on ballot-coding fees). The board moved into an executive session at the meeting’s end under RSA 91-A:3 II(c).
