Brookfield selectmen set tentative 2026 budget, weigh bonding and trust-fund withdrawals for Moose Mountain Bridge

The Brookfield Board of Selectmen reviewed a draft 2026 operating budget and a slate of warrant articles that the board plans to post ahead of a public hearing, while debating whether to bond a major bridge repair or pay from existing capital reserves.

Speaker 1, leading the budget presentation, said the executive summary shows an increase “so it's a $3,000 increase from the previous year,” primarily driven by changes to secretary and wage line items. The proposed operating budget figures presented during the meeting placed municipal operating spending just above $1 million.

Board members highlighted several specific increases and one-time costs: election-year expenses for the supervisors of the checklist (+$11,000), higher planning-board legal services (+$5,000), a fireproof filing cabinet purchase noted in Treasurer accounts, and line-item shifts in assessor and deputy wages. The board set conservative revenue estimates for volatile items such as meals tax and building permits.

A central budget choice discussed was funding for the Moose Mountain Bridge engineering and early construction work. The town holds roughly $207,000 in a Moose Mountain capital reserve fund; Speaker 1 said the board is “leaning to bonding that work versus trying to raise it through taxation,” noting a preliminary estimate of about a $500,000 bond over 10 years, which the chair framed roughly as “$50 a year” per taxpayer before interest. Several selectmen indicated comfort reducing the budgeted transfer into the road/bridge capital reserve from $200,000 to a smaller placeholder (board members discussed $20,000–$50,000) and leaving complex bonding decisions to a future special meeting if bids return too late for the annual town meeting.

The board also read and edited proposed warrant article language to appear on the ballot, including articles to: change terms for supervisors of the checklist under RSA 41:46-a, modify optional tax credits and elderly exemptions under RSA chapters cited by the chair, create a private graveyards trust fund, deposit to the road-and-bridge capital reserve, and fund townhouse repairs and property reevaluation. The acoustics work for the Townhouse was added to the warrant as a $10,000 placeholder pending a firm proposal from an acoustical engineer; staff noted the engineer had submitted a partial invoice and would attend a January meeting by Zoom.

Speaker 2 and others emphasized timing constraints: the board agreed to post warrant articles next Tuesday and to hold a public hearing on Jan. 6. Several selectmen and staff noted the need to route the draft warrant materials through the town attorney and the Department of Revenue Administration (MS-636 form) before final publication.

Next steps: finalize amounts and wording for discontinuance/withdrawal warrant language for the Moose Mountain capital reserve funds once engineering estimates and bid packages arrive, file the MS-636 for the public hearing, and consider a special meeting if the town proceeds with bonding for the bridge.