Last day to file for office in Gilford is Friday, ahead of deliberative sessions next week

GILFORD — Next week is a chance for voters to let their voices be heard, and propose amendments to the 2026 warrants for both the school and town, to be voted on in March.

School district

The school deliberative session is Tuesday, Feb. 3, and leaders will present each warrant article with explanations, so residents can be ready to decide on voting day. This year, in Article 1, voters will decide on a school board member for three years, and a moderator, clerk and treasurer for one-year terms each for school district. The filing period for office ends Friday, Jan. 30.

The proposed operating budget of $32.2 million is included in Article 2, and voters are asked to approve 2.7% more spending than last year. The default budget of $31.4 million is $886,757 less.

The article notes the average cost per pupil is $25,908, and lists overall state test scores, including 65% in language arts proficiency; 51% math proficiency, and 35% science proficiency.

Key increases include $415,403 in proposed building projects at each of the schools and the Meadows. There is a plan for $700,000 to be used for the Meadows bathrooms and concession stands, as well as other capital improvement projects, like $209,550 for high and middle schools heating systems, and $75,000 for a phone system.

Proposed budget increases also include $448,322 for salary adjustments involving support staff, administrators, and non-union workers; $100,000 for language arts curriculum updates for kindergarten through eighth grade to adhere to law; and $34,343 for a technology support position at the middle school.

The bus contract is also expected to increase 17.5% in the first year of the new contract, which is $184,935 higher than the previous year.

Article 3 will ask voters to approve the collective bargaining agreement between the district and the Gilford Education Association, calling for increases in salaries and benefits at the current staffing levels. The estimated increase in 2026-27 is $485,810, followed by increases of $471,629 and $474,356 in the ensuing two school years.

During the Jan. 16 public hearing held by the budget committee, Chair Joshua Ritson said the district works hard to bring in, and retain, the best teachers and staff possible.

“Overall, Gilford does an outstanding job at staffing from top to bottom,” Ritson said. “The administration is tasked at looking into the future, and actively trying to avoid massive expenditures, while reflecting on historical spending.”

If this article is defeated, Article 4 asks voters to authorize the school board to call a special meeting to address the items.

Article 5 asks voters to approve $300,000 to be added to school buildings maintenance improvement fund for district facilities and grounds.

The article notes it's intended to allocate money for future heating system repairs, stage rigging updates at the high school, and bathroom and concession stand renovations at the Meadows. The projected costs are estimated to be $909,550, and the unallocated balance of the capital reserve fund is $828,780. There will be no impact on the tax rate, as funds to be deposited will be taken from the surplus fund of the previous year.

Voters will be asked to add $100,000 into the school buildings roof maintenance capital reserve fund in Article 6. This article is intended to allocate money for repairs to the middle school roof in 2038, which is estimated to cost $1.7 million. The unencumbered balance in this capital reserve fund is estimated to be $326,790.

Article 7 asks voters to add $25,000 to the school buildings technology infrastructure reserve, intended for future repairs of the phone system. The projected cost is $75,000, and there is an estimated $64,743 in the balance of the fund.

Article 8 is a petitioned article to ask voters to oppose state-mandated caps on all school district budgets.

Town warrant articles

The deliberative session for Town Meeting will take place on Thursday, Feb. 5, where there will be explanation of the budget and warrant articles. Voters can propose amendments, which will be voted on to appear on the ballot.

This year’s warrant has 31 total articles, and Article 1 is for the election of officers. The filing period to run for office ends Friday, Jan. 30.

Article 2 has eight sub-sections for zoning articles.

The proposed operating budget, showing a 5.1% increase, will be in Article 3. Voters will be asked to approve an operating budget of $22.1 million, and if defeated, the town will adopt the default budget of $22 million, the same as last year with few adjustments.

Contractual wage, benefit, and insurance increases for 2026 show merit pay increases of 3.5%. The town has added no new positions to the budget, but some positions added last year were only partially funded. Those positions, which include a police prosecutor, fire training officer, deputy code enforcement officer, and assessing technician, will be fully funded.

The largest line item in the budget is $2.5 million for road improvements, with no increase over last year. Inflation is a factor, driving up the costs of goods and services.

Article 4 asks for $60,000 for a new breathing tank system for the fire department with an ongoing payment of $18,000 over five years, while Article 5 is for a new fire rescue vehicle for $96,000, with $23,000 to be paid this year.

There are 15 warrant articles through the Capital Improvement Plan, with 13 articles with funds from capital reserves rather than raised through taxation.

The school deliberative session will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, in the Gilford High School auditorium, and the town deliberative session at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5, also at the high school in the auditorium.

Voting takes place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, at Gilford Youth Center.