Belmont Budget Committee reviews both proposed and default budgets, just in case

BELMONT — After a series of budget increase requests by both the Belmont Fire Department and library last month, the Belmont Budget Committee held a public hearing Wednesday, reviewing both the default and proposed operating budgets.

As a precaution, as the Town of Belmont has operated with a default budget since 2024, the committee reviewed both the $12.2 million proposed budget, and the $11.3 million default figure.

The budget will come before voters on Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Town Deliberative Session. 

Unless petitioned warrant articles with monetary appropriations are filed by Tuesday, Jan. 13, there will be no more public hearings on the town’s proposed operating budget. Voters will be asked to approve the operating budget at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Town Deliberative Session at Belmont High School.

If the taxpayers don’t approve the proposed budget, the default budget — $1 million short of the proposal — will go into effect.

A public hearing regarding the Shaker Regional School District’s proposed operating budget is set for Thursday, Jan. 15. The budget figure listed in the Dec. 16 draft meeting minutes is $30.4 million.

A message left with School Board Chair Sean Embree was not returned by deadline.

The Shaker school district includes schools in Belmont as well as neighboring Canterbury.

The agenda for the school budget hearing indicates the board’s plan to take action on the 2026 school district operating budget and send it to the ballot. The meeting will start at 6 p.m. in the Belmont Middle School cafeteria.

At the Dec. 17 Belmont Selectboard meeting, Shela Cunningham, Belmont Library Trustee chair, requested an additional $10,000 for the director’s salary. The request was made as a precaution; trustees were unsure if they’d need it or not.

“It’s not clear that we're going to need the additional $10,000, but we’d like to have it available,” Cunningham said.

The selectboard denied the request for the library director’s salary increase, but approved a motion to increase the fire department’s warrant article for financing of a new fire truck.

The truck comes at an extremely discounted rate, saving taxpayers $500,000, thanks to a Department of Environmental Services Granite State Clean Fleets Grant, and the swift thinking of Assistant Fire Chief Donald Pickowicz.

“We were recently approved for $500,000 in funding through the Granite State Clean Fleets Program, which supports cleaner, more efficient municipal fleets. The total cost of the new engine, including component changes, configuration updates, and functional enhancements to bring it in line with our response standards and long-term expectations, is $925,000, with $425,000 being requested from the town via a warrant article to borrow the funds in 2026 replacing our 1998 Freightliner Engine,” Pickowicz wrote in an email.

The warrant article asks taxpayers for $425,000 to upgrade their spec truck to “their standards,” and if the town begins making payments this year, they will save roughly $6,000 in interest payments.

“One of the most positive aspects of this project is that we partnered with HME and selected an engine that was already being built as a spec truck. This allowed us to keep costs lower than a fully custom build,” Pickowicz wrote. “With timely approval of both the grant and the selectboard, we were also able to make necessary changes before the engine progressed too far down the production line, ensuring it meets the specific needs of our community.

"This project reflects our commitment to responsible planning, leveraging outside funding, and investing wisely in reliable, modern equipment that supports both public safety and environmental responsibility.”

HME refers to a private manufacturer of custom fire trucks and chassis for fire departments and fleets in the U.S. and Canada. 

The Jan. 7 selectboard meeting was cancelled "due to a lack of agenda items." 

For more information, visit belmontnh.gov.

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Katlyn Proctor can be reached at katlyn@laconiadailysun.com or by calling 603-524-0150.