Budget committee votes not to recommend $5,000 Libby Museum petition; sponsor says effort is to 'save a museum'

At a meeting of the Wolfeboro Budget Committee, members voted to "not recommend" a petition warrant article that would add $5,000 to the Libby Museum capital reserve fund, citing legal and drafting problems that committee members said could confuse voters.

"It's about saving a museum that's an asset to the town of Wolfeboro," Suzanne Ryan, one of the article's sponsors, said, urging the committee and the public to view the petition as a step toward preserving the museum rather than only a building project. Ryan acknowledged in the meeting that she had received a legal opinion noting language problems in the petition and said petitioners plan to seek floor amendments at the deliberative session if voters send the article forward.

Town staff outlined the article as written and read the petition language to the committee, noting an estimated tax-rate impact as stated in the record. Committee members and legal counsel raised concerns that the article, as drafted, attempts several distinct actions — including language about successor trustees — that may exceed the town's legal authority and could require review by charitable trust authorities or probate court. The committee's legal memo, read into the record, said the petition "appears to be trying to do 3, maybe possibly 4 different things, which are not logically connected, and therefore, likely to create confusion amongst voters." (Sponsor and counsel comments were discussed in the meeting.)

Committee members emphasized that petition warrant articles must appear on the warrant as filed but can be amended on the floor at the deliberative session. Town staff noted the Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) review and the warrant posting timeline and urged petitioners to coordinate quickly if they plan to rewrite the article before the warrant is finalized.

A committee member asked about the existing capital reserve balance. Town staff said trustees had spent funds on stabilization work and estimated the reserve balance to be "in the neighborhood of $200,000" after recent expenditures and interest, though members requested exact figures for the voter packet.

After discussion, Speaker 9 moved to "not recommend" the petition. The motion was seconded and carried in a call vote; committee members noted that the committee's recommendation will appear in the voter information packet but reiterated that the article could be amended by voters at the deliberative session.

The committee also reviewed next steps: the select board plans public hearings to solicit citizen input on the museum's future, and petitioners indicated they will seek successor trustees and community support if the article advances. Town staff said they will continue coordinating with legal counsel and, where appropriate, the charitable trust unit on matters that affect trustee designation.