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Police chief seeks 6.7% budget increase and $20,000 reserve as road crews plan culvert work
Summary
At the Dec. 15 Selectmen’s meeting, Police Chief Mike Ho-Sing-Loy proposed a 6.7% increase to his department’s preliminary budget and requested $20,000 for a police capital reserve; Road Agent Doug Glover outlined a highway budget with an $80,000 non-lapsing carryover and said a culvert on Pearl Lake Road may require a warrant article.
Selectmen on Dec. 15 reviewed preliminary department budgets and infrastructure priorities, including a police budget increase and planned roadwork.
Police Chief Mike Ho-Sing-Loy submitted a preliminary budget showing a 6.7% increase from the current year and asked the board to fund $20,000 for the Police Department Capital Reserve Fund to help the department remain competitive on officer pay. He also noted the completion of a container building at the highway garage, which provides covered storage for the cruiser and portable signs.
Road Agent Doug Glover presented a preliminary highway budget and said he expects to carry over approximately $80,000 in the town’s non-lapsing account to jump-start next year’s paving program. Glover said he will likely need a warrant article to replace a culvert on Pearl Lake Road and is collecting prices for pipe and for a day of machinery from Ward Contracting to complete the work in a single day if funded.
The meeting record shows no final votes on these budgets; the items were presented as preliminary requests ahead of warrant preparation. The board discussed maintaining vendor pricing and review timelines as staff gather estimates.
The board also noted ongoing road restoration work off Streeter Pond Road and a separate issue: multiple resident complaints about maintenance and plowing on State Road 117 through Sugar Hill. The board plans to send a letter to the District One Engineer to ask DOT to review plowing assignments after the transcript notes the DOT garage covering Route 117 has changed.
Next procedural steps recorded were continued budget refinement and potential placement of the culvert replacement on the warrant, pending final cost estimates and review by the board.
