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Candia Board of Selectmen approves departmental budgets at Sept. 13 hearing
Summary
The Board approved multiple departmental budgets—town clerk, planning, animal control, police, highway, and others—while debating a building-maintenance warrant article and material-driven increases in roads and police lines.
The Candia Board of Selectmen met Sept. 13 for the town’s first budget hearing and approved a series of department budgets after presentations and short discussions. Key votes included the town clerk budget ($95,180), planning board ($11,004.75), animal control ($7,850.02), highway ($861,444), police ($951,494) and others; the consolidated town total reported by staff was approximately $4,000,002.11, a 5.9% increase over the prior year.
Several departments cited material and regulatory drivers for their requests. The highway superintendent requested additional funds for patching, noting material costs rose (a cited 6.8% increase in some patch materials) and proposed boosting the tree‑removal line from $10,000 to $18,000 because of a growing number of dying roadside trees. The highway plan also includes one day of vacuum-truck work to clean catch basins.
The police chief sought higher salary lines to be competitive in recruitment, plus increased training (academy requirements, indoor range frangible ammunition), testing and certification expenses, ballistic vests and software transition costs (the latter tied to a Rockingham Sheriff's Department grant). The board approved the police budget after discussion of recruitment, sign‑on bonuses and training strategies.
Members debated town building maintenance funding. Some favored preserving a modest operating balance and pursuing a $10,000 warrant article to finance a new front door, sill repairs and resurfacing; others preferred to increase the maintenance line directly. The board adjusted building-maintenance numbers and agreed to revisit a warrant article ahead of the final warrant and budget committee meeting.
Votes at a glance (as recorded in the hearing): - Election administration: $18,100 — approved. - Town Clerk: $95,180 — approved. - Planning Board: $11,004.75 — approved. - Animal Control: $7,850.02 — approved. - Ambulance & Fire (combined action): Ambulance as adjusted / Fire as presented — approved. - Highway: $861,444 — approved. - Police: $951,494 — approved.
Next steps: Departments will track expenditures against adopted budgets and return to the Board if material variances appear. The budget committee will review final numbers and the Board may place warrant articles on the ballot for building repairs.
