Colebrook voters approve $3.66 million general budget and a slate of capital and operating articles

Colebrook voters on March 10 approved the town’s $3,662,464 general government budget and passed a series of capital and operating warrant articles, including funding for road paving, landfill closure, heavy equipment replacement, water and sewer projects, and Northern Borders dispatch upgrades.

Moderator Mike Ouellet opened the meeting at 7:02 p.m. and the session included the reading of local election results: Ray Gorman was reported elected Selectman (three-year term); Alicia Boire was elected Treasurer (three-year term) and was recorded as a write-in for School Clerk; Jolene Martunas was reported elected Town Clerk; Brent Lyons was reported elected Supervisor of the Checklist; and multiple library, cemetery and school board positions were also filled as listed in the warrant results.

On the warrant, Article 2 — the general government appropriation of $3,662,464 — passed following a motion by Sue Collins, seconded by Ray Gorman. Voters used hand cards for roll; counts were not specified in the meeting minutes. Multiple capital reserve and equipment articles passed without extended debate, including Article 3 ($247,500 to Capital Reserve Funds), Article 4 ($136,080 for landfill closure, with $50,000 withdrawn from the sanitary landfill closure fund), Article 5 ($106,600 withdrawal for road paving), and Article 6 ($47,000 withdrawal for a Bobcat loader from the Heavy Equipment Capital Reserve fund).

A member of the audience asked whether the Bobcat purchase included new broom and plow attachments. Mr. Rossitto replied that “the plans were just for the bobcat; the current attachments will last until the money can be appropriated for the new broom and plow attachments,” and estimated the combined cost with new attachments would be about $55,000–$56,000. That explanation preceded a hand-card vote that approved the purchase.

The water and sewer warrant (Article 9) — $644,490 to be offset by user fees — drew questions about a recently lost building used in the system. Sue Collins said insurance is covering the building and engineers are searching for a replacement; reimbursements for temporary disinfection-system costs are expected. Town Manager Tim Stevens explained that some water-main breaks this year were caused by unusually deep freezes and that crews have replaced and insulated the affected pipes; he said such leaks are an episodic municipal issue and will continue to be addressed as they arise.

Several public-safety items passed. Article 14 funded $505,900 for the Northern Borders Dispatch Center (with $262,666 from participating towns and $243,234 from Colebrook taxation). Ray Gorman explained that the state had provided a large, late-year payment for dispatch upgrades that affected the prior year’s accounting; the expenditure and the related state revenue were both recorded. Articles 15 and 16 added $10,000 to the dispatch equipment fund and authorized $186,250 for a dispatch stream tower, most of which is covered by a State of New Hampshire grant; questions about tower location and cross-border repeater agreements elicited a brief explanation of licensing and power limits to protect Canadian-province radio operations.

A broad set of other routine operating articles passed, including cemetery support, library operating support, and the acceptance of town officers’ reports. Several tax-related warrant items passed too: Article 18 modified the elderly property tax exemption under RSA 72:39‑a (effective April 1, 2026) with clarifications during the meeting about net-asset thresholds and the exclusion of the residence’s value; Article 19 adopted an optional $850 service‑connected total disability tax credit under RSA 72:35.

The meeting closed after a final citizen question about Main Street construction timing; Greg Placy said contractors expect the work to be completed in fall 2027. The meeting adjourned at 8:34 p.m.

What’s next: motions and hand-card votes were recorded as passed for all warrant articles cited; the minutes note that counters were continuing to review ballots and official election results would be posted the next day.