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Ossipee selectmen review 2026 budget, approve several petition warrant articles including body cameras and Schools Out program
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Summary
The Ossipee Town selectmen reviewed a proposed 2026 operating budget (MS-37) that raises the amount to be raised by taxation by approximately 2.2%, and approved petition warrant articles funding a Lakehouse program ($2,500), police body cameras ($10,000), the Schools Out program ($50,000) and a Waystation request ($10,000).
Ossipee Town selectmen reviewed a proposed 2026 operating budget and approved several warrant articles at a meeting that included line-by-line budget review and debate over petitioned items. Speaker 2 presented the MS-37 operating budget and noted the document’s bottom-line totals and recent line-item adjustments.
The board discussed the proposed operating budget for the ensuing year and the related MS-37 packet. Speaker 2 read major line items, including selectmen salary ($32,200), town clerk/tax collector ($371,575), police department ($1,495,700), highway ($1,667,070) and outside-agency grants totaling $153,147. Speaker 2 said the MS-37 subtotal was $7,791,526 and, after warrant articles, the grand total reached $9,634,611. The amount to be raised by taxation on the MS-37 was listed as $5,622,026, with an estimated amount to be raised of $5,848,026 — a 2.2% increase over the prior year.
Several warrant articles were considered and voted on individually. On the Lakehouse program, Speaker 2 explained Selectmen and Copeland supported restarting the program; the board voted to appropriate $2,500 for the program. On police equipment, Speaker 5 summarized an earlier, larger proposal for body cameras as “extraordinarily high” and said a starter system was available for far less. He noted, “the idea of body cameras, which the board unanimously agrees, but his proposal was extraordinarily high, a quarter million dollar contract over a few years,” and recommended a lower-cost option. The board approved a $10,000 appropriation for body cameras.
The Schools Out program came to the warrant by petition. Speaker 5 described it as a long-standing program and urged support; Speaker 1 moved to fund the petitioned article for $50,000 and the board approved the appropriation. Multiple members noted the petition did not include a detailed explanation for the increase.
A petition request for Waystation/Weigh station funding of $10,000 drew the most contentious discussion. Speaker 5 said he opposed using taxpayer money to provide sleeping bags, tents and gas, arguing other outside agencies provide housing and services: “using taxpayer money to hand out sleeping bags, tents, and gas for electricity is not a wise use of taxpayer money.” After debate about past votes and program scope, the motion to fund the petition passed by roll-call-style counting, recorded in the meeting as 5 to 4.
Speaker 3 and others noted Matt drafted the MS-37 assuming warrant items would pass; Speaker 3 directed members to page 12 and the top-sheet totals to aid review. After line-by-line review of precinct, fire department and other departmental budgets (including ambulance contract $464,423 and various capital-reserve warrant items), Speaker 1 moved to accept all budgets as discussed; Speaker 5 seconded and the board voted in favor.
The board closed with procedural motions to adjourn and with members commending the selectmen and town administrator for their work on a budget the meeting characterized as restrained given recent pressures.
The meeting included multiple procedural votes to approve minutes (Nov. 6, Nov. 19 with corrections, and Dec. 3), and several clarifying exchanges about specific line items and totals. The town will present these warrant articles and the MS-37 at the upcoming town meeting for final consideration by voters.
