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Finance committee waives rule, forwards reappropriation of unspent bond proceeds for city capital projects
Summary
The committee voted to waive the two‑meeting rule and forward a reappropriation order that would use unspent school bond proceeds for City Hall repairs, a middle-school roof shortfall, Waterford Community Center accessibility work and fit‑out costs for relocated city programs.
The Dartmouth finance committee voted on May 12 to waive a two‑meeting rule and forward an order reappropriating unspent bond proceeds from a previous school project to several capital items, including City Hall entryway repairs, a middle-school roof overrun, accessibility work at the Waterford Community Center and fit-out costs tied to a departmental relocation.
Mayor outlined the list of proposed uses and provided photos and cost context. He told the committee the middle-school roof came in about $663,000 over the budget estimates and that earlier assumptions about buried concrete and water intrusion at the City Hall steps required deeper work than originally anticipated. "When the granite steps were removed... we found large bays loaded with water," the mayor explained, describing work to fill and stabilize foundations and an increase in sidewalk thickness to support traffic.
The mayor also summarized remaining unappropriated bond proceeds: the packet showed $10,997,982 in savings against appropriations, of which roughly $8,161,000 has been appropriated and $3,400,000 expended, leaving about $1,711,982 available for reappropriation (figures provided by the mayor during the presentation).
A councilor moved to waive the committee’s two‑meeting rule and send the reappropriation request to the full council so projects that are time-sensitive — notably the middle-school roof — can proceed; another councilor seconded. Chair put the motion to a voice vote; the committee answered "aye" and the motion carried.
The committee also discussed legal constraints on the use of bond proceeds: funds appropriated from school-bond proceeds must finance projects with a minimum useful life (30 years under state law); short-lived items such as paving or equipment have different life schedules and may not be eligible for the same funding source.
Next steps: committee forwarded the order to the full council with the committee recommendation and an accompanying report and pictures; the full council will vote on the reappropriation and the committee’s request to waive the two‑meeting rule.
