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Danville Selectmen repurpose $50,000 for salt, endorse operating budget language and codify police wage schedule
Summary
The Town of Danville Board of Selectmen voted to repurpose a $50,000 Busby Construction encumbrance to buy road salt, approved wording for the 2026 warrant mailer that recommends the operating budget, and established the Sept. 8, 2025 police wage schedule as the town’s current base wages.
The Town of Danville Board of Selectmen on Jan. 27 voted unanimously to repurpose a $50,000 encumbrance originally set for Busby Construction so the Highway Department can purchase road salt.
The motion to repurpose the previously encumbered funds was made during a review of 2025 encumbrances after the town’s road agent informed the board that the salt account had been exhausted. Vale M. VanDoorne-Freeman, the Selectmen’s administrator, said the Highway Department requested the change and the board agreed the rescission/repurposing would be documented in the meeting minutes.
In related budget business, the board reviewed the draft resident mailer for 2026 warrant articles and discussed a DRA edit to Article 20 (Library infrastructure) that the board deemed not material. Selectman Shawn O’Neil reported the operating budget total as $5,169,692 and the default budget as $4,987,140; the board unanimously approved adding the phrase “Recommended by the Board of Selectmen” to the warrant mailer. Vale VanDoorne-Freeman distributed the final spreadsheets and the board signed copies dated Jan. 27, 2026.
On a separate personnel motion, the board unanimously approved a motion from Selectman Joe Hester to establish the police wage schedule adopted Sept. 8, 2025, as the current base wage for sworn officers effective immediately, and that the town is obligated to continue payment of those wages until changed by future board action or collective bargaining. The motion was seconded by Scot Barr.
Procedural votes taken during the meeting included approval of the Jan. 12, 2026 public minutes; a motion to enter a non-public session under RSA 91-A:3 II (a) and (c) at 7:43 p.m.; a motion to return to public session at 8:44 p.m.; and a motion to seal the non-public minutes, all of which were approved unanimously. The meeting adjourned following those actions.
The board directed town staff to coordinate final printing details for the resident mailer with the Town Clerk after the deliberative session; the board also agreed the minutes will serve as documentation of the encumbrance rescission. No vote tallies other than unanimous passage were recorded publicly for the motions noted.
