Canterbury Select Board opens public budget hearing and reads warrant articles 7–19; no public comment recorded

The Canterbury Select Board opened a public hearing on the town budget and read warrant articles 7 through 19 into the record, including estimated tax impacts and funding sources.

Select Board members read Article 7 — a request to raise and appropriate $3,485,450 for general municipal operations — and reported the estimated tax impact as $6.11 per $1,000 of assessed value (about $2,444.63 for a $400,000 home). Articles 8–13 and 15–19 were read in sequence with line-item totals, funding sources, and tax impact information for each.

Notable warrant articles read into the record included: - Article 8: $88,000 to be placed into capital reserves for highway equipment/truck, a rescue truck, landfill closure, town building maintenance and related highway reserves (estimated tax impact roughly $0.23 per $1,000; ~$92.90 for a $400,000 home). - Article 9: $35,874 to pay principal ($35,000) and interest ($874) on a gold star bond, to be removed from the town’s unassigned fund balance (no tax impact); Select Board noted this is the last year of that payment. - Article 10: $7,000 for purchase of a ballot counting device to be funded from the unassigned fund balance (no tax impact); board clarified the machine is currently unavailable. - Article 11: $80,000 for renovation work on the Sand Lake House garage to come from the Sand Lake House Capital Reserve Fund (no tax impact). - Article 12: $20,000 for weatherization of the Elkins Public Library (estimated tax impact 0.0105 per $1,000; about $21.11 on a $400,000 home); a Select Board member noted Tom will speak to that article at town meeting. - Article 13: Establish a voting equipment capital reserve fund under RSA 35:1 and place $5,000 in the fund; board of selectmen to be named agents to expend from the fund (estimated tax impact ~0.001 per $1,000; ~$5.28 on a $400,000 home). - Article 14: Establish a renewable energy capital reserve fund under RSA 35:1, place $1,000 into the fund, and designate the Select Board as agents to expend; additional funding would come from the Canterbury Power adder funds and would not require tax funding (estimated tax impact effectively negligible; ~$1.06 on a $400,000 home). The Select Board noted representatives from the Canterbury Conservation/Planning/Power group (CCPC) may speak at town meeting. - Article 15: $6,500 to fund a feasibility and suitability study for the transfer station (to determine renovation/expansion at current site or whether current site is unsuitable), to be withdrawn from the transfer station upgrade capital reserve fund (no tax impact). - Article 16: $10,500 to hold a household hazardous waste collection day at the Canterbury Transfer Station (estimated tax impact ~$0.03 per $1,000; ~$11.08 on a $400,000 home); the minutes record a later clarification that grant funds will cover a small difference where applicable. - Article 17 (petition warrant article): $60,000 to replace the existing packer truck with a stationary electric compactor, compaction container and concrete pad; this article was a petition article and was not recommended by the Select Board (estimated tax impact listed; transcript notes petition sponsor’s intention to speak at town meeting). - Article 18 (petition warrant article): change the purpose of the transfer station upgrade capital reserve fund to include feasibility/study and future engineering/site work — a petition warrant article requiring a two-thirds vote and not recommended by the Select Board (no tax impact). - Article 19: authorize the Select Board to accept up to $15,000 from distributions from the Sandbank Trust Fund; exact amount to be determined by the trustees and distributed by year-end (no tax impact).

After the reading, the Select Board opened the floor for public comment on the budget; the record shows no members of the public spoke during the hearing. Select Board members and staff provided clarifying remarks on some items (for example, that prior-year tax amounts raised for ballot equipment remain unspent and therefore the purchase will be funded from the unassigned fund balance, and that Article 14’s renewable-energy capital reserve would rely on Canterbury Power adder funds rather than general taxation).

The board noted petition articles (17 and 18) were brought forward by petitioners and that petition sponsors intended to speak at town meeting; the Select Board discussed options including tabling or handling the petition articles at town meeting if the petitioners preferred.

Separately during the meeting, department representatives provided short updates recorded in the public record: the Elkins Public Library reported circulation increases and program plans; highway and transfer-station staff reported equipment status and planned maintenance; the fire chief and police chief delivered standard monthly incident and mutual-aid updates. Those department updates were reported as informational and did not include town-board policy decisions at this session.

Why it matters: The readings provided residents and town officials the estimated fiscal effects of the proposed operating and capital requests ahead of the town meeting vote. Several articles depend on capital-reserve funding or petition sponsor action; two petition warrant articles are explicitly not recommended by the Select Board and will require voter action at town meeting.

Votes at a glance (recorded during this meeting) - Approval of check payable manifest: $36,439.87 — motion moved and seconded; board voice vote, recorded as "Aye." (manifest approved) - Approval of payroll manifest (amount recorded in meeting): $58,593.48 — motion moved, seconded, voice vote "Aye." (approved) - Welfare manifest: $1,549.25 — motion moved and seconded; voice vote "Aye." (approved) - Interfund transfer: $15,424.00 — motion moved and seconded; voice vote "Aye." (approved) - Approval of minutes (executive session Jan. 20 and public minutes Feb. 3 and related edits): motions made and seconded; minutes approved as amended by voice vote.

No formal votes on the warrant articles themselves were recorded during this session; the reading served as the public hearing prior to town meeting action.

The board and staff advised residents that if they cannot attend either session of town meeting they must appoint a ballot representative (a "ballot box"/agent) to cast votes on their behalf per the town’s procedures. The Select Board also reminded petitioners and staff about logistics for March 3 town meeting and planned follow-up work sessions to allocate speaking roles for warrant articles.

Taper: The Select Board concluded the budget hearing portion after the articles were read and staff and department updates were given; petition article sponsors and Select Board members said they would continue preparatory work before the March town meeting vote.