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Volunteers defend New Ipswich Green Center as board moves to clarify accounting
Summary
Volunteers told the Selectboard the Green Center is run by about eight regular volunteers, relies on donations, and typically contributes $500 toward propane and $500 toward the food pantry; board members asked auditors and staff to clarify whether donations should be tracked in a dedicated account and to fix chart‑of‑accounts entries so revenue and expenses are transparent.
Volunteers at the New Ipswich Green Center described its origins and daily operations at a Selectboard meeting, saying the donation‑based "swap shop" began roughly 17 years ago and is run primarily by volunteers including Mary Forier.
The group told the board the site attracts roughly 100 cars on busy donation Saturdays and operates with about eight regular adult volunteers and many younger helpers. Volunteers said they route duplicates and overflow to Savers and use a dumpster for unusable items. They said monetary donations typically cover the dumpster cost and about $500 a year toward propane, and the center has historically also given $500 to the food pantry.
The Selectboard focused on how the Green Center’s donations and expenses are recorded. Officials recalled a previous warrant‑article question and guidance from the New Hampshire Municipal Association about whether the operation could use a revolving fund for its transactions. Trustees of the town trust fund and town staff said auditors have flagged inconsistent posting and chart‑of‑accounts entries that make it hard to trace Green Center revenue and related expenditures.
To address that, municipal staff proposed establishing a clearly labeled revenue line such as “Green Center miscellaneous” that would capture donations, paired with corresponding expense lines for the dumpster and propane. That approach, staff said, would preserve volunteers’ autonomy while making town accounting transparent and auditable.
Selectboard members asked auditors to confirm the statutory treatment of any dedicated fund and to advise whether the Green Center’s receipts should be classified as expendable or revolving. The board also discussed alternatives such as folding the bookkeeping into the transfer station or welfare department accounting, depending on the auditors’ findings.
The board said it would consult the auditors and work with trustees to finalize how the center’s funds will be tracked. No formal motion was taken on a change of fund structure at the meeting.
The Selectboard asked staff to return with statutory guidance and a concrete chart‑of‑accounts proposal at a later meeting.
