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Tamworth Select Board endorses 2026 budget; says town will not use savings to offset taxes now
Summary
The Town of Tamworth Select Board recommended the proposed 2026 budget and most warrant articles, noting a 3% staff cost-of-living increase, a 22% drop in health-insurance costs after a plan change, and an 11% overall reduction in appropriations; the board decided not to draw on the Unassigned Fund Balance before the tax rate is set.
Karl Behr, a Select Board member, opened the public hearing on the proposed 2026 Town budget at 5:06 p.m. and said the board would review the budget and warrant articles and accept public comment.
Town Administrator Emily Nolan said the printed packets use a color system to help readers: "Green sheet is revenue, white sheet is expenses, and pink sheet is the library budget." Nolan also explained the WA column ties appropriations to warrant articles.
Emery Roberts, a Select Board member, summarized the budget’s main drivers: town employees received a 3% cost-of-living increase for 2026; Primex property and liability insurance rose about 4.6%; the town changed its health-insurance plan, producing an estimated 22% reduction in the town’s health insurance costs; and the overall appropriation is approximately an 11% decrease from last year. Roberts also noted the town combined health and dental costs into a single personnel line rather than allocating them across department budgets.
Lianne Prentice, a Select Board member, reviewed the Unassigned Fund Balance history and policy, saying the fund typically rolls over $400,000–$600,000 in prior years but was estimated at about $270,000 rolled over in 2025. She said the town’s unassigned fund balance is currently estimated at about $1.7 million, roughly 13% of the town budget, and that the town’s policy target is 8–15%.
Steven Schaeffer, a Select Board member, said the board decided not to draw from the Unassigned Fund Balance to offset the 2026 warrant and would instead raise the full appropriation through taxation now; the board intends to revisit available fund-balance offsets when it sets the tax rate in the fall. Schaeffer said keeping the fund balance intact allows it to earn interest and provides flexibility later in the year.
Behr walked the meeting through the warrant articles item by item; the packet shows the budget’s major line items and related warrant articles, including larger sums for public-works and general-government operations. Nolan fielded a public question about veterans’ tax-credit impacts and said the town does not have an exact count on affected taxpayers available off the top of her head and advised the MS-1 would be examined for that figure.
The Select Board moved to approve the budget as presented and approved the motion by roll-call vote, 4–0. The board also scheduled a public hearing on February 17 to discuss the school district and the SB2 (official ballot) format. The meeting adjourned at 6:06 p.m.
Why this matters: the board’s choice not to use the Unassigned Fund Balance before the tax rate is set means property-tax bills will reflect the full warrant appropriation this spring; the board preserves the fund as a contingency and may use it to temper the final tax rate later in the year.
