Brookfield Selectboard readies warrant articles, proposes $207,000 from two trust funds for Moose Mountain Bridge design
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Summary
At a regular meeting ahead of a Jan. 6 public hearing, the Brookfield Selectboard reviewed warrant articles including a proposed $1,650 veterans disability tax credit (RSA 72:35), rewritten elderly exemptions, discontinuing a park and recreation fund, and plans to withdraw $62,000 and $145,000 from Moose Mountain bridge trust funds (total $207,000) to pay for engineering and design work.
The Brookfield Selectboard on the record reviewed its warrant articles and the proposed 2026 budget and scheduled a Jan. 6 public hearing, with several spending and tax-exemption changes highlighted.
The board presented a revised Article 10 that would modify RSA 72:35 to set an optional tax credit for service-connected total disability at $1,650 and to consolidate several existing veterans credits into this single credit if voters approve the article. The chair said the change reflects recommendations from the Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) and the town attorney and is a language refinement rather than a change in intent.
The selectboard also said it had rewritten the elderly-exemption language following DRA guidance. The revised article preserves exemption amounts but changes age bands and raises income limits: the board cited a $50,000 exemption for persons 65–74 and said the net income limit per individual would increase to $75,000 (from $50,000) and to $90,000 for married filers (previously $60,000). The board said the full rewritten text will appear on the warrant.
Another warrant article proposing a private graveyard trust fund was recommended to be struck after DRA advised that private money cannot be placed into a public expendable fund; the board will recommend removing that article at the Jan. 6 hearing. Separately, the board proposed discontinuing the Park and Recreation Trust Fund and transferring the remaining balance (reported as $7,700 as of Dec. 2024) to the Brookfield General Fund.
On infrastructure, the board said it will present two trust-fund withdrawals for Moose Mountain Bridge: one of $62,000 from a trust fund created in 1991 (modified in 2016) and another of $145,000 from a second Moose Mountain fund. The pair of withdrawals would provide roughly $207,000 to cover engineering, design, permitting and preparatory work on the bridge, the chair said, and would be used during 2026 for front-end project costs. The board said DRA recommended a two-step process so any residual balances can be handled in subsequent years.
The board emphasized that these articles and numerical details will be posted with the formal warrants and that amendments can be made at the Jan. 6 public hearing. The meeting packet notes the Jan. 6 hearing is the next scheduled opportunity for residents to comment and for the board to accept changes to warrant language before posting the final warrant and moving the items to Town Meeting consideration.
What’s next: The public hearing on the warrant articles and the proposed 2026 budget is scheduled for Jan. 6. The board will post final warrant language and accept amendments at that meeting.