Meredith voters give town employees first raise in three years

MEREDITH — Voters breezed through nine articles on the town warrant in less than an hour Wednesday night, approving a $12,263,571 operating budget which maintains current levels of service and is up by just over $80,000 from last year.

Colette Worsman, chairman of the Board of Selectman, said that the virtually level funded budget was achieved despite a 5.75 percent increase in health insurance premiums and a $50,000 increase in the town's welfare budget. The budget provides a pay increase to town employees for the first time in three years which increases wages by one percent of the base scale and a step increase of 1.25 percent, based upon performance. Its budget impact will not exceed $79,707.

She said that the town will have three fewer full time positions this year as selectmen chose to leave three positions vacant after the employees left town service.

Worsman said the town is planning four major purchases this year in order to keep pace with its Capital Improvements Program, increasing spending in that category by $188,880 to $455,000. New equipment will include a T800 Kenworth dump truck for the Department of Public Works Highway Division, which will be funded from the DPW Equipment Expendable Trust Fund; a new police cruiser, a F350 4x4 truck for the Solid Waste division of the DPW and a Ford Ranger pickup truck for the DPW's Building and Grounds Division.

Helping free up funds for the purchases was a $182,214 drop in debt service from having paid off debt for the Pleasant Streeet and Plymouth Street sewer and road projects.

Only one person questioned the budget, Dave Sticht who questioned the purpose of an Inter-Lakes School Facilities Maintenance Fund of $284,520 which was listed in the report of the Trustees of the Trust Funds..

"Why do we have an account which is never used? What is the purpose of this fund?'' Sticht asked, saying that from his observation the amount in the fund had remained the same for several years.

Selectman Peter Brothers said that the money in the fund is used and recalled that when he was a member of the Inter-Lakes School Board as much as $500,000 had been used for roof repairs.

Sticht said that if the fund was used for schools that it should be included in the school district budget, not the town budget.

Louis Kahn, trustee of trust funds, said that the town is required by law to have the fund and that it includes contributions from both Sandwich and Center Harbor.

Voters approved a collective bargaining agreement with the local bargaining unit of the State Employees Association which provides $46,623 in salary and benefit increases in the form of a 2.5 percent salary increase dating back to April 1 for employees of the highway, solid waste, buildings and grounds and cemetery divisions of the Department of Public Works.

Also approved was an article designating New Road as a scenic road. Jack Rogers, who lives on Eastman Road, said that an error in the original designation of scenic roads within the town 15 years ago had left that road out of that category and that was now time to correct that mistake. Voters readily agreed.

A $60,000 appropriation for improving town roads passed easily and Selectman Nate Torr noted that only $20,000 of that would be local money, as the state pays two-thirds of project costs. He said that the town now had nearly $400,000 in its fund, which would translate into $1.2 million of road improvement projects in the years ahead.

$175,000 was added to the DPW Equipment Replacement Fund and $150,000 to the Fire Department Vehicle Replacement Fund.

At the conclusion of the meeting Selectman Brothers praised the work of Colette Worsman over the last six years and called for a standing ovation for her service, saying that the town owed her a debt of gratitude.

Worsman was defeated by Carla Horne 579-371 in her bid for re-election Tuesday.

Brothers also said that board members were opening up their arms to embrace Horne and that the board would continue to move ahead in a positive manner.