Sanbornton voters side with BudCom in argument over raises for employees

SANBORNTON — After considerable discussion and some confusion, voters at annual town meeting Wednesday night passed a fiscal year 2014-2015 budget of #3,825,697

The amount reflects the Budget Committee's recommended operating budget of $3,817,075 plus $8,622 added by voters for the Sanborton Public Library.

The final operating budget was $58,410 less that the selectmen's recommended budget and doesn't include a 2 1/2 percent across the board raise for employees, an increase in the fire chief's salary, and $10,000 for an administrative assistant to the Public Works Department.

Speaking for the Budget Committee, Roger Grey said that its members felt that over the past 10 years the town had given adequate raises to its employees, that it hadn't implemented any pay cuts, nor had anyone been laid off.

He noted that last year all employees got 2 1/2 percent pay increases and this year the committee opted to hold the line and make an attempt to reduce or at least keep level the amount the town spends.

"All were trying to do is change the momentum of tax and spend," Gray said.

For the selectmen's part, Karen Ober made a blanket motion to restore the cuts to their budget made by the Budget Committee. It was seconded by outgoing selectman Guy Giunta.

She said town counsel had told the board it was easier to understand and cleaner than amending each line reduced by the Budget Committee.

Selectman Dave Nickerson said that while Ober and Giunta were giving the body the impression that the selectmen were unanimous about the blanket floor amendment, he was not in favor of it and would vote against it.

After a show of hands the amendment failed by 31 votes — with 62 voters supporting it and 93 of them voting against it.

The only other attempt to amend the budget was made by Andy Sanborn, who spoke in favor of adding the $10,000 for a part-time administrator to the DPW however his attempt to amend the budget failed on a voice vote.

Newly elected Town Clerk Tax Collector Marla Davis said she supported having her salary at the selectmen recommendation of $45,000 annually instead of the $40,000 that was former Town Clerk-Tax Collector Jane Goss's recommendation.

Goss said she made that recommendation because she wasn't part of the state retirement system nor did she take town insurance but she presumed (correctly) that her successor (Davis) would.

Davis never made her dissatisfaction with her salary into a motion so no action was taken.

In other business, the body voted overwhelmingly to return annual town meeting and town elections to March. For about five years, Sanbornton voters have voted for in May for town elections and in March for the Winnisquam Regional School Board elections.

Recently, said advocates of the petitioned warrant article, fewer and fewer Sanbornton residents have been voting at the March school district meetings and some feel the town — already the smallest of the three contributing communities — was not making its voice heard on the school front, where voting is done in March.

Town Administrator Bob Veloski said Sanbornton will continue to budget for a fiscal year running from July 1 to June 30.