Alton voters approve $10.2M revised budget at Special Town Meeting

ALTON — Voters approved a revised operating budget of $10.2 million, avoiding resorting to a default budget for a third year. The approved budget notably provides merit increases for town employees and three, full-time firefighter positions, including a full-time lieutenant.

The revised budget passed at a Special Town Meeting election on Saturday, at Prospect Mountain High School, by a vote of 500-388. This represents a turnout of about 20% of registered voters.

The revised budget has a 5.1% increase over the 2025 budget of $9.73 million, and a 4.4% increase over the default budget of $9.8 million.

According to Town Administrator Ryan Heath, the budget includes three full-time firefighter positions, one of which is a lieutenant position added by the budget committee in a hearing before the deliberative session last month.

“All three are full-time positions. Included in that is all the benefits and retirement,” Heath said.

Heath said last year, voters approved hiring four new firefighters in a separate warrant article. When the budget article failed, those positions were not created.

In the new budget is money for merit increases of up to 4%, based on employee evaluations. Heath said evaluations are done by department heads and go through his office, and started before Town Meeting in March. Merit increases will go to any qualified employee outside of their six-month probationary period. Police and fire personnel have a one-year probation if they are not certified, which is waived if they are.

“The vast majority qualify for a merit increase,” Heath said. “The evaluation determines the amount, a maximum of 4% based on the evaluation.”

The approved budget also includes $116,580 for a state-required revaluation of town property, which is actively taking place.

“The budget being passed really is a big morale boost for the staff,” Heath said. “A lot of support was shown at the voting."

Heath said the town now has a budget that retains staff, and allows them to rebuild and fill vacancies.

“We can move forward in a positive direction.”

Selectboard Chair Paul LaRochelle said on Monday the revised budget, voted on at the Special Town Meeting, was made possible through state law.

“This was something that we decided to do as selectmen,” LaRochelle said. “There is an RSA in the state that allows the selectmen to do this, just for the operating budget. We will maintain who we have, give them what they haven’t had in three years, and be able to hire on another firefighter.”

The proposed operating budget failed at the March 10 Town Meeting by a 504-551 vote, and in the days that followed, Heath and other town leaders assembled more palatable figures. After three straight years of having the budget voted down, there was not only frustration among town staff and the selectboard, but employees who went without raises. Operating on the default budget would have also created immense strain in day-to-day operations.

The selectboard approved a revised budget of $10.13 million on March 27. That budget included two new full-time firefighter positions. The budget committee voted on April 8 to add a full-time lieutenant to the tune of $90,000. This brought the revised proposal to $10.2 million, which went to the deliberative session.

A small number of residents turned out for a deliberative session on May 5 that lasted less than 20 minutes. There were some questions and discussion — no amendments — and the proposed budget overwhelmingly moved to the ballot for the Special Town Meeting.

Selectboard members in a meeting on May 12 said they were pleased with the turnout, but it was only about 2% of registered voters. The board members agreed they needed to do a better job of providing information about the budget, and get the word out about the Special Town Meeting.

LaRochelle wrote in a letter to the editor published in The Sun on Saturday — the day of the election that started at 7 a.m. and ran until 7 p.m. — that the revised operating budget had an increase of $426,503 over the default budget. He noted if the revised budget passed, the new estimated municipal tax impact would be $4.53, an increase of $0.19 per $1,000 over the current municipal tax impact of $4.34.

“With the $0.19 increase on the municipal tax rate, we will be able to provide the majority of the town employees with a pay increase that they have not seen in three years,” LaRochelle wrote. “The fire department will be able to maintain full time coverage, the police department will be able to fill vacancies to include a school resource officer, and the department of public works will be able to properly staff their departments to maintain our roads, buildings and services.”

He noted this could be accomplished by not filling five open positions, and instead fill other vacancies and retain current employees. He said without the revised operating budget, services would be “very difficult to maintain at the current levels.”

“The town is trying their best to balance these issues on behalf of the whole community,” LaRochelle wrote.

The selectboard was slated to discuss the results of the election during their meeting on Tuesday evening.