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Ossipee voters approve operating budget after line-item fights over legal fees, welfare and outside agencies
Summary
After more than five hours of line-by-line debate, Ossipee voters approved the town's operating budget, $7,912,516, including several floor amendments: the town's legal services line was raised to $100,000, the Freedom Food Pantry/Waystation grant was increased, welfare funding was cut, and the town's tax-anticipation line was reduced.
Moderator opened Article 14, the town's operating budget, reading the warrant: "To see if the town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $7,907,516 for general municipal operations." The assembly then debated the budget line by line.
The discussion focused on a handful of contested lines that drew the most sustained comment: the legal-services budget, the line funding the Waystation (a homeless-services nonprofit), the welfare (general assistance) appropriation, and the town's tax anticipation line (line of credit). Speakers pressed the moderator and department leaders for details about prior-year spending and the anticipated impacts of increases or cuts.
The largest single amendment that carried was to the legal line. Selectman Jonathan Smith, citing recent building and zoning enforcement cases and recovery of funds through liens and sheriff's sales, moved to increase the legal-services line from…
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