Warner voters approve up to $20 million bond for water treatment-plant upgrade

At the Warner Village Water District annual meeting on March 18, 2025 at Warner Town Hall, voters approved a motion to raise and appropriate up to $20,000,000 to test, engineer and construct an upgrade to the district's water treatment plant and authorized the issuance of up to $20,000,000 in bonds or notes under the Municipal Finance Act (RSA 33). The measure was recommended by the Commissioners and the Budget Committee and passed by a paper ballot vote of 15 in favor and 2 opposed.

The article proposed funding for testing, engineering and construction of a treatment-plant upgrade and authorized the Commissioners to issue and negotiate bonds or notes and to seek federal, state or other grants and assistance. Commissioners and consultants from DPC Engineering answered residents' questions about the necessity of the project and the consequences if the article failed, and residents suggested two follow-up steps: that the Commissioners hold a public informational meeting before advancing to the next project phase, and that the District send a letter to New Hampshire's congressional delegation seeking support for federal grant funding.

Because the article required a three-fifths majority for approval, voting was conducted by paper ballot beginning at 8:00 p.m., with ballots counted at 9:00 p.m. The Moderator, Kathy Carson, then declared the article approved. The transcript of the meeting records the vote tally as 15 yes and 2 no; individual voter names were not recorded in the minutes.

The authorization allows the Commissioners to apply for federal and state aid and to determine bond terms; the Municipal Finance Act (RSA 33) was cited in the motion as the statutory basis for issuing bonds or notes. The next procedural steps recorded in the meeting were limited to the vote and the residents' requests for additional public information and outreach; the Commissioners did not record a subsequent date for an informational meeting during the session.

The meeting record shows DPC Engineering representatives were present to advise on technical questions. The District's ability to secure federal or state grants may affect whether the full bond issuance is needed; the minutes note that seeking such grants was explicitly authorized but do not specify any targeted grant programs or guaranteed external funding.

The article's approval enables the district to proceed to the next phase of planning for the treatment-plant upgrade, subject to any subsequent approvals and financing decisions by the Commissioners.