Budget committee recommends operating budget, dozens of warrant articles; backs ambulance plan and sewer upgrades

The Wolfeboro Budget Committee on Jan. 16 recommended the town's 2025 operating budget by an 8-2 vote and endorsed a long list of warrant articles including a $900,000 bond authorization for additional Mill Street sewer pump station work and a phased plan to create a fire-based ambulance service that the committee recommended by unanimous votes.

The operating budget warrant article was the meeting's most contested item; the committee voted 8 to 2 to recommend the article to voters. Committee members discussed the consequences of a default budget and the separation of standalone warrant articles; staff noted that standalone warrant articles will proceed independent of a default operating budget. The committee and staff also discussed the town's unassigned fund balance and how any fund-balance drawdown would be applied at tax-rate setting, not by altering the gross appropriation on the warrant.

Why this matters: The committee's recommendation is advisory to the voters but shapes public debate going into the town's deliberative session (Feb. 4, 2025) and the official town vote (March 11, 2025). Several recommended articles would authorize borrowing, capital projects, or multi-year program start-up costs that affect future budgets and tax rates.

Most prominent actions

- Mill Street Sewer Pump Station Upgrades: The committee recommended authorizing an additional $900,000 in bonds or notes for increased costs on the ongoing Mill Street sewer pump station project (recommendation vote: 10-0). Steve Randall, who presented the item, said, “Initial construction estimates did not have a full scope of what the project is ... one of the things that was not factored in on the original estimate was the construction oversight needed by a third party, and that's coming in at $458,000.” The article was read to include authority to issue debt under RSA 33, the Municipal Finance Act, and to participate in the State Revolving Loan Fund; the selectmen recommended the article 5-0 and the item requires a 3/5 majority for approval at Town Meeting.

- Operating budget (2025): The committee recommended the operating-budget warrant article on an 8-2 vote. Committee members pressed staff on what a default budget would mean for other warrant articles and on the composition of the budget. Staff said the general-government operating budget (the portion funded by property taxes) is separate from enterprise funds (electric, water, sewer and related funds) paid by user fees; staff noted the budget includes increased debt service and ambulance contract costs.

- Ambulance program (nonbinding referendum and 2025 funding): The committee unanimously recommended a nonbinding referendum article meant to inform voters about multi-year costs of establishing a fire-based 911 ambulance service (recommend 10-0). The committee also recommended the related 2025 funding article to begin implementation of the fire-based ambulance service (costs in the warrant as presented; committee recommendation 10-0). Presenters noted the plan is phased across 2025—27 and that the nonbinding article is intended to make multi-year costs transparent to voters.

Other notable recommendations

- River Street rebuild and water main replacement (recommend 10-0). The article splits funding between the enterprise fund ($150,000) and general taxation ($200,000).

- Town road upgrades (recommend 10-0) and a series of water, sewer and treatment-plant capital funds and evaluations, most recommended unanimously.

- Library solar project (recommend 10-0). Presenters said $121,367 in grants, donations or rebates had been committed and the town budgeted a $52,014 tax-funded share; staff said additional grant funding is possible through federal programs but not guaranteed.

- Living Museum building stabilization and engineering (recommend 6-4). This article generated the meeting's closest recommendation vote; the recommendation passed 6-4.

- Labor agreements and police items: The committee recommended the AFSCME collective bargaining agreement (recommend 9-1) and the police union agreement (recommend 8-2). The committee recommended purchase of two replacement police vehicles (recommend 8-2) and 15 police body cameras (recommend 10-0); Captain Mark Levy of the Wolfeboro Police Department said the video storage is cloud-hosted through Axon: “...it's all in the cloud and it's with Axon.”

Public comment and fund-balance discussion

Several members of the public and committee members pressed staff about the town's unassigned fund balance and whether the town could use surplus to reduce taxes. Resident Bobby Budvin urged using the unassigned fund balance to lower voter-authorized borrowing and reduce tax impacts, saying the town should "buy down some of this debt in this warrant article by placing some of the funds from the unassigned fund balance." Staff responded that appropriations on the warrant are gross figures and that any application of fund balance to reduce the tax rate occurs during tax-rate setting after audited year-end balances are available.

What the committee did not act on

An agenda item described as an increase in income limits for the elderly tax exemption did not require a committee vote at this session.

Timing and next steps

The committee reminded the public the deliberative session is Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at 7 p.m. at Wolfeboro Town Hall Great Hall; the official town meeting (ballot vote) is scheduled for Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Town staff and department heads said they would post warrant backup and reports to the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration portal and make copies available for committee review ahead of deadlines.

Votes at a glance (article title / committee recommendation / vote)

- Mill Street Sewer Pump Station Upgrades (bond authorization for $900,000 additional): recommend, 10-0 - 2025 Operating budget (gross appropriation posted with the warrant): recommend, 8-2 - Ambulance nonbinding referendum (informational): recommend, 10-0 - Fire-based ambulance service (2025 funding to begin phased implementation): recommend, 10-0 - Town road upgrades ($900,000): recommend, 10-0 - River Street rebuild & water main ($350,000 total): recommend, 10-0 - Keniston Island electrical reconstruction ($525,000, enterprise-funded): recommend, 10-0 - Municipal electric interior-ceiling repairs (enterprise-funded): recommend, 10-0 - Library solar project ($173,381; $52,014 taxation): recommend, 10-0 - Living Museum stabilization & engineering ($350,000): recommend, 6-4 - AFSCME collective bargaining appropriation: recommend, 9-1 - Police union collective bargaining appropriation: recommend, 8-2 - Police replacement vehicles ($125,274): recommend, 8-2 - Police body cameras ($102,339): recommend, 10-0 - Municipal revaluation (reevaluation required by state law): recommend, 8-2 - Evaluation of small sewer pump stations ($100,000): recommend, 10-0 - Wastewater treatment plant capital reserve ($175,000): recommend, 10-0 - Pressure relief valve / South Main Street water tower ($100,000, enterprise): recommend, 10-0 - Water treatment plant yearly upgrades ($100,000, enterprise): recommend, 10-0 - Public works vehicles & equipment capital reserve ($380,000): recommend, 9-1 - Abenaki (Abenaki) Ski Area capital reserve ($32,000): recommend, 10-0 - Tree removal & replacement expendable trust ($25,000): recommend, 10-0 - Public safety building final upfitting (use of bond interest, $175,000): recommend, 10-0 - Discontinue several legacy capital reserve funds (transfer to general fund): recommend, 10-0

Clarifying details

- Mill Street project: Additional $900,000 requested to cover scope changes, engineering changes, and construction oversight; presenter said third-party construction oversight alone is approximately $458,000. - Mill Street tax impact: estimated 2025 and 2026 $0 per $1,000 assessed value; 2027 estimated 3¢ per $1,000 (as presented). - Ambulance implementation: 2025 expenses read as $816,223 (presentation); 2026 estimated $1,402,905; 2027 estimated $1,105,559 (figures were presented on the warrant language). - Library solar: presenters said $121,367 in grants/donations/rebates had been committed; the tax-funded portion presented as $52,014; staff said additional federal funds could arrive but were not guaranteed and could take 12—18 months. - Town fund balance: staff said the town holds about a $3,000,000 fund balance target (about 10% of the operating budget) and that audited 2024 year-end results will be available after the audit (typically delivered to the Board of Selectmen in July). Any decision to apply fund balance to reduce the tax rate would occur when the selectmen set the tax rate.

Ending

The committee completed its continuation session after reviewing and recommending the majority of articles read into the record; residents and department staff were invited to the deliberative session Feb. 4 and the town ballot voting on March 11, 2025. The committee and town staff said warrant backup and reports will be posted to the DRA portal and made available to the public in advance of the deliberative session.