Belknap County commissioners ask delegation to reconsider $130,000 supplemental appropriation, approve 3-year lease for two sheriff cruisers

Belknap County commissioners voted to ask the county delegation to reconsider a prior request for a supplemental appropriation totaling $130,000 and to ask the delegation to hold a follow-up meeting under RSA 24 19 c. They also authorized the finance director to sign a three‑year lease for two fully equipped sheriff’s cruisers.

During the meeting the commissioners specified the supplemental appropriation breakdown: $100,000 for the UNH Cooperative Extension Service, $26,250 for the Belknap County Conservation District and $3,750 for CASA, for a total of $130,000. The motion to ask the delegation to reconsider the commissioners’ April 8 request was made, seconded and approved by voice vote. Commissioners also moved, seconded and approved a related request that the delegation hold a meeting under RSA 24 19 c to consider the appropriation.

Commissioners described receiving a hand-delivered letter signed by Chairman Harry Bean (chair of the county delegation) saying the delegation would not set a meeting because "the request does not meet the requirements of 2414A." Commissioners said the letter appeared to be a unilateral response from one delegation member rather than a decision by a majority of the delegation, and they asked the delegation to provide the legal reasoning if it intended to refuse the commissioners’ request. "I don't understand why Chairman Bean wouldn't provide information as to why he believes it's not valid," one commissioner said during the discussion.

Members of the public who spoke during the comment period strongly urged the county to press the delegation and restore funding. Brian Beihl of Alton Bay called the delegation's response "odd, if not downright, obstinate" and urged the commissioners to get a meeting date. Patrick Wood of Laconia thanked the nursing home staff and said he was concerned about proposed state Medicaid cuts; he recommended copying the attorney general on future correspondence to get attention. Ruth Larson of Alton criticized the delegation chair's conduct as part of a broader pattern and urged public accountability. Jamie Irving, identified as chair of the Belknap County Conservation District, and other speakers urged outreach and education to delegation members about the agencies’ work and invited the delegation to public meetings.

Finance and budget reports presented at the same meeting included Treasury activity and a short-term note (TAN) borrowing decision: the treasurer accepted a bid from M&T Bank for a short-term borrowing at 3.91% and a principal amount listed as $11,740,000; projected interest to be paid was reported as $381,203. The county’s cash position was reported as $9,116,009.11. Finance staff projected an overall revenue surplus of about $458,960 and an operating bottom-line surplus of roughly $108,269; department-level projections noted a nursing-home surplus of $247,460 (driven largely by private-pay census) and other small surpluses in sheriff and corrections lines.

On vehicles, commissioners approved the lease request for two sheriff cruisers under a three‑year lease with the lower financing bid (reported at about 5.43% versus an alternate quote from Ford at 7.79%). Commissioners said the vehicles were on the state bid list and that the leased units are already in-state and would be available when documentation is complete. The motion to authorize the finance director to sign the lease was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.

County staff and commissioners said they prefer to resolve the delegation question without legal action and invited delegation members to attend commissioners’ public meetings to discuss the request; commissioners also asked the county clerk (or the clerk’s office) to follow the procedural steps in RSA 2414A (supplemental appropriations) if the delegation agrees to receive the request so that a public hearing can be scheduled within the statute’s timeline.