Money for community agencies flat or reduced in county budget

LACONIA — Members of the Belknap County Delegation’s Budget Review Committee will recommend no increase in funding for most outside agencies when they vote in early February, resulting in an overall increase of about 4.8% in the amount to be raised by taxes.

The full delegation, comprising Belknap County’s elected representatives to the Statehouse, is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 4, at the Belknap County Complex on North Main Street.

A 4.8% increase to the amount to be raised by taxes works out to an average county tax rate of $1.07, an increase of $0.05 over last year, or about $30 on a $600,000 home. That figure is slightly lower than the 7.6% increase recommended by County Commissioners Peter Spanos (chair, District 1), Glen Waring (vice chair, District 2) and Stephen Hodges (clerk, District 3) initially. 

For the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, commissioners recommended allocating $182,500, an increase over the $82,500 approved last year. Budget committee members will recommend the representatives fund that organization at the same level as last year. In 2023 and 2024, it received $165,000 in county funding. 

The Belknap County Conservation District will also be recommended for level funding at $25,000, though commissioners recommended $60,000 for this year. In 2023 and 2024, the BCCD received $50,000 from the county.

And the committee will recommend level funding to Lakes Region Mental Health Center, which received $16,000 in county appropriations last year, half of what they received the two years prior. 

The committee recommended the Community Action Program of Belknap and Merrimack counties receive reduced funding at $45,000, $11,000 less than received between 2022 and 2025, and recommended by county commissioners. 

“Obviously, the commissioners are not in alignment with these final numbers,” Spanos said. “I think all of us who serve the county here in Belknap have to be careful of undervaluing the services to some of these outside agencies. In particular, the work that the [UNH Co-op Extension] does, and the [Belknap County Conservation District]. There’s environmental stewardship that I think gets well served, and I think that stewardship going forward is in great jeopardy with the numbers of the Co-op and particularly the extension.”

The budget committee is Reps. Harry Bean (R-Gilford, chair), Steven Bogert (R-Laconia), Mike Bordes (R-Laconia), Matt Coker (R-Meredith), Lisa Freeman (R-Tilton), Juliet Harvey-Bolia (R-Tilton) and Charlie St. Clair (D-Laconia). Freeman did not attend the meeting, and Harvey-Bolia arrived shortly before it adjourned.

Thursday was also the last county leadership meeting attended by County Administrator Debra Shackett, who has served Belknap for nearly 20 years. She is retiring, and her last day is Jan. 31. She’ll be replaced by Carina Park, the former administrator for the Town of Lincoln.

Paul Chiarantona, public affairs manager for the UNH Co-op Extension, told committee members reduced funding from Belknap County will continue to hamper their ability to provide services to residents moving forward. 

Chiarantona said three of their county-based staff positions were eliminated with the budget reduction last year: a natural resources specialist, a food and agriculture specialist, and an economic development specialist. 

“Basically, services in all five of our program areas would be restored to Belknap County with restored funding. If the funding remains at the level or is fully reduced, the ability to ramp up services will be very difficult as time goes on,” he said. “We’re still at that point where we’re able to restore it.” 

After hearing comments from representatives, Bean, Bogert, Bordes and Coker briefly left the meeting room to caucus within their own party, while St. Clair remained at his desk. After their return, they agreed on the recommendations they’ll make to the full group of representatives in February.

Budget committee members also learned Merrimack County funds CAP at a lesser level than Belknap has traditionally done, though the organization serves more people there than here, which contributed to their recommendation to reduce their funding.

“So we pay $30,000, and they pay $25,000 in Merrimack, for twice as many people,” Bean said. “The math doesn’t work for me there, sorry.”

“I agree, if we could get more from Merrimack, we would ask,” said Heather Patton, child development director for CAP.