Sheriff, county attorney budgets to be reviewed by committee Thursday

LACONIA — The county Budget Review Committee will analyze proposals from the corrections and supervision departments, as well as the sheriff’s and county attorney's offices at their meeting this week. 

The committee of the Belknap County Delegation is scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15, at the county complex off North Main Street.

Sheriff Bill Wright, County Attorney Keith Cormier, Corrections Superintendent Michelle Wetherbee, and Tricia Thompson of the supervision department prepared budget proposals for the committee, in cooperation with their respective department staff.

This is the second of four scheduled meetings of the delegation’s Budget Review Committee, which comprises state Reps. Harry Bean (R-Gilford), chair; Steven Bogert (R-Laconia); Juliet Harvey-Bolia (R-Tilton); Mike Bordes (R-Laconia); Matt Coker (R-Meredith); Lisa Freeman (R-Tilton) and Charlie St. Clair (D-Laconia).

The Belknap delegation is made up of the county’s representatives to the Statehouse in Concord.

Remaining meetings are scheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22, and at 2:15 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 29. Those meetings will include discussions regarding the budgets of the county’s register of deeds, nursing home and various outside agencies which receive county funding.

Also during the Jan. 29 meeting, the delegation’s Executive Committee will consider the treasurer’s request to borrow up to $16 million in anticipation of taxes to be collected for calendar year 2026. Each year, the county borrows monies to pay for costs until each town pays their respective tax bills.

The Executive Committee is made up of representatives Bean, Bogert, Harvey-Bolia, Bordes and St. Clair. Bogert also represents Ward 5 on the Laconia City Council, and Bordes is Laconia's new mayor. 

The budget review committee is tasked with reviewing the budget proposal offered by County Commissioners Peter Spanos (District 1, chair), Glen Waring (District 2, vice chair) and Stephen Hodges (District 3, clerk).

After the budget review committee has looked through the budget and come to an agreement on further recommendations, they’ll present those findings to the other representatives. That full group will take a vote on the county budget. They must pass a county budget by April 1, otherwise the initial budget proposed by the commissioners goes into effect by default.

These meetings are open to the public and streamed live at youtube.com/@belknapcounty1452.

This year, commissioners proposed a budget which included a total increase of 7.8%, with an associated 7.6% increase in the amount to be raised by taxes. Their recommendation the previous year included an increase of 11.9% in the amount to be raised by taxes, though that figure was reduced significantly during the budget review process.

At its conclusion, the delegation passed a $37.6 million budget, with $22.4 million to be raised by taxes, reduced from $38.2 million and $23.7 million, respectively.

County commissioners recommend funding the county attorney’s office at $1.4 million, $3.4 million for the sheriff’s office, $6.9 million for corrections, and $184,361 for supervision.

Total proposed expenses this year are $40.5 million, and total revenue is $16.4 million, with $2 million in fund balance to be applied — an increase of $700,000 over last year — leaving a proposed $24.1 million to be raised in taxes, a 7.6% increase.