County delegation votes to approve $37.6 million operating budget

LACONIA — The Belknap County Delegation passed the $37.6 million county operating budget at the end of a lengthy meeting Wednesday night, ending a months-long process of deliberation.

The delegation Budget Committee presented their suggestions to the broader group, made up of all Statehouse representatives serving Belknap County. The presentation caps off a process of significant reductions in expenditures made from the initial budget presented by County Commissioners Peter Spanos, Glen Waring and Stephen Hodges at the end of 2024.

Included in the budget passed by representatives Wednesday night are reductions in appropriations to three outside agencies: Lakes Region Mental Health Center, the Belknap County Conservation District and the University of New Hampshire Co-op Extension. 

Paul Terry of Alton made the motion, which passed successfully, to reduce awards to the conservation district and the extension by 50%.

Glen Aldrich of Gilford said he supported the reductions because his property taxes increased about three times in recent years and so have his neighbors’.

Court Appointed Special Advocates of New Hampshire were defunded, and the Community Action Program, which provides constituent services including Meals on Wheels, was level-funded at $56,000. LRMHC's funding was previously cut 50% during the budget review process. The organization received an allocation of $16,000.

Those reductions amounted to savings of about one penny per $1,000 on the tax rate, bringing the average tax rate across communities down to $1.05 instead of $1.06.

Mike Bordes of Laconia said the savings of one penny on $1,000 valuation may not outweigh the benefits and services provided by the outside agencies.

“I want to thank our board of commissioners, I think they did an excellent job of putting together an excellent budget.

“I do not commend you for the nickel-and-diming that you did to that budget,” Hunter Taylor of Alton, former county commissioner, said during a portion of the meeting reserved to hear public comments. “The nickel-and-diming to the outside agencies simply is done for show — it does not do much for the taxpayers and it completely ignores a longstanding partnership between government and nonprofits, and it’s a partnership that has paid off well for this county.”

Suggestions to reduce appropriations to the jail and to the county’s restorative justice program — a conviction diversion program — failed to garner support from the delegation. 

Matthew Lunney of Meredith made a motion to reduce the jail’s wages appropriations by $85,512, but the effort failed. Lisa Freeman of Tilton made a motion to reduce appropriations to the restorative justice program by $42,407, but later withdrew it.

“I have been doing this for 17 years, I have been doing referrals to diversion all of those years. You’re talking about, generally, 18-, 19-, 20-year olds. You’re talking about misdemeanor B offenses, maybe misdemeanor A offenses,” Gilford Police Department Prosecutor Eric Bredbury said. “If this is a first time offender and they are convicted of this, that misdemeanor offense is going to affect them getting a job in the future, being a productive member of society. It may also impact them for financial housing going forward — these are mistakes that young adults are making that, as a prosecutor, myself, Laconia prosecutors, Alton prosecutors — are making judgement decisions.”

The final version of the budget passed 11 to 5. It’s a 5.6% increase in the amount to be raised by taxes over last year's budget, about 6.85% lower than the budget originally proposed by county commissioners. The estimated average tax rate by municipality works out to $1.05, with $22.34 million to be raised by taxes.

Voting against the budget were: Aldrich (R-Gilford), Barbara Comtois (R-Barnstead), Lisa Freeman (R-Tilton), Thomas Ploszaj (R-Center Harbor) and Charlie St. Clair (D-Laconia). 

Those who supported the budget were: Harry Bean (R-Gilford); Bordes (R-Laconia), Juliet Harvey-Bolia (R-Tilton), Matt Coker (R-Meredith), Lunney (R-Meredith), Steven Bogert (R-Laconia), Sheri Minor (R-Laconia), Russell Dumais (R-Gilford), David Nagel (R-Gilmanton), Paul Terry (R-Alton) and Douglas Trottier (R-Belmont).

Travis Toner (R-Belmont) and Peter Varney (R-Alton) did not attend the meeting.

“What I saw tonight was very, very disappointing. Your budget and what you’ve cut, the increase to a house of $500,000 is $25. Do you know what other costs you’re going to raise by cutting the various agencies that you have cut?” Eliza Leadbeater said during public comment.

“Our county commissioners know best [what needs] to be funded, and their budget should be passed without some of you trying to pick it apart, and go as far as shredding it, as far as I’m concerned.”