Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Votes at a glance: Warner approves operating budget and multiple capital reserve funds
Summary
At the March 15 meeting Warner voters approved a $3,070,486 operating budget and a slate of capital reserve and policy warrant articles, including funds for the fire station, public works, library, transportation matching, and veterans tax credit; key ballot tallies were reported for Articles 5 and 10 and Article 25's amended amendment.
Warner's Annual Town Meeting on March 15 resulted in the approval of the 2017 operating budget and numerous warrant articles. The meeting adopted the $3,070,486 operating budget (Article 6) by voice vote after a presentation by Budget Co-chair Kimberley Edelmann. In addition, voters approved a range of capital reserve and policy items; where the minutes record specific ballot tallies or requests for paper ballots those are noted below.
Key outcomes (as recorded in the meeting minutes):
- Article 6 (2017 Operating Budget): Passed by voice vote after presentation by Kimberley Edelmann (Budget Co-chair).
- Article 10 (New Fire Station Construction CRF): Passed by paper ballot, YES 159, NO 48; requested $182,000 to be added to the fund ($82,000 from unassigned fund balance, $100,000 raised by taxation). Alan Brown provided historical context for the New Fire Station Committee.
- Article 11 (Fire & Rescue Vehicle CRF): Passed by voice vote; requested $90,000.
- Article 12 (Firefighter Equipment CRF): Passed by voice vote; $10,000 to establish/record the fund. Town Administrator James Bingham explained this was a housekeeping step to reconcile fund naming with Department of Revenue Administration records and Trustees of the Trust Funds were transferring and renaming existing balances.
- Articles 13, 14 and 15 (Highway Road Construction CRF $100,000; Highway Equipment CRF $100,000; Bridge Repair CRF $20,000): Combined for discussion and passed by voice vote after Tim Allen, Director of Public Works, discussed planned projects.
- Articles 16'21 (DPW Facilities, Records Preservation, Contingency, Transfer Station Equipment, Library Building, Transportation Matching CRF): All passed by voice vote; presenters included Selectman Brown, Martha Mical, John Dabuliewicz, Sara McNeil, and Timothy Blagden. Details where provided: Article 20 requested $24,000 for library improvements (floor leveling, lighting, water damage repairs); Article 21 requested $5,000 to seed a transportation matching fund.
- Article 22 (Warner Fall Foliage Festival parking assistance): Passed by voice vote; $20,000 to assist site work for a new town parking area adjacent to the school.
- Article 23 (Adopt RSA 72:28-b, All Veterans Tax Credit): Passed by voice vote; Paul Violette explained the credit and eligibility consistent with RSA 72:28-b.
- Article 24 (Place question on state ballot to change polling hours): Passed by voice vote; proposal to put a state-level question to open polls at 7:00 AM for regular state elections beginning in 2019.
- Article 25 (Odd Fellows Building petition): Passed as amended; the Amended Amendment passed by paper ballot YES 92 NO 29; the final amended article then passed by voice vote (see separate article for full debate and outcome).
- Article 5 (Solar array): Passed by paper ballot YES 270 NO 44 (see separate article for full debate and amendments).
Moderator and multiple speakers used voice votes for routine items and paper ballots where requested or where statute/threshold required. Several motions to restrict reconsideration on passed articles were approved during the meeting.
Where the minutes did not record dollar amounts or vote tallies for specific items, the entry below lists the article as passed and marks missing details as "not specified."
