Alicia Jipson: Understanding the Belmont proposed 2026 tax rate

There has been considerable discussion surrounding Belmont’s proposed 2026 tax rate, and as the town administrator, I would like to help clarify how those figures are presented in the Voter's Guide.

First and most importantly, the proposed 2026 budget and warrant articles reflect entirely new numbers. The estimated tax rate impacts shown are not increases added on top of your 2025 tax amount. Each year, the tax rate is recalculated from the ground up based on a new budget, new revenue projections, new warrant articles, and a new total property valuation for the town.

For 2026, all of those inputs will change. The town will adopt a new operating budget, voters will decide on new warrant articles, updated revenue estimates will be calculated in the fall, and the town will receive a new valuation that determines how the tax burden is distributed. The tax rate is then set using all of those updated figures. It is not simply last year’s rate plus or minus a specific amount.

The annual operating budget funds all municipal departments, including highway, police, fire and EMS, library, parks & recreation, building and grounds, and the services provided at Town Hall. These are essential, day-to-day services that keep the community safe, functional, and vibrant.

The proposed operating budget totals $12.1 million. Approximately 50%, an estimated $5.5 million, will be funded through non-property tax revenues. If approved, $6.6 million will be raised through taxation to support the operating budget, excluding other separate warrant articles. This article funds recurring annual costs required to deliver core public services. Increases in this year’s budget are primarily driven by rising costs of goods and services, including contracts and utilities, reflecting ongoing inflationary pressures affecting communities nationwide.

Residents are encouraged to review the Budget Committee’s financial report and recommendations detailed in the warrant and presented on the MS-737 form. Under New Hampshire law, the operating budget is a “bottom-line budget,” meaning voters decide on the total appropriation as a whole.

It is also important to understand the impact of adopting a default budget. Insufficient funding leads to gradual declines in essential services, infrastructure maintenance, and overall community well-being. A default budget may compromise public safety staffing and equipment, delay road and facility maintenance, increase long-term repair costs, weaken economic development, reduce community programs, limit emergency preparedness, and create staff recruitment and retention challenges. Deferred maintenance results in more expensive repairs in the future.

Departments have already experienced service reductions and postponed improvements under prior default budgets. A third default budget would deepen these impacts and further limit town services.

The selectboard views the operating budget as an investment in public safety, infrastructure, fiscal stability, and the long-term health of the community.

Additionally, the Town of Belmont Fire Department has secured approximately $500,000 in state grant funding through the Granite State Clean Fleets Program to help purchase a new fire engine, marking a major investment in public safety and modernization.

In 2025, the department began replacing the town’s 1998 Freightliner fire engine. The current apparatus has exceeded its recommended frontline service life and no longer meets modern safety and operational standards. Under National Fire Protection Association guidelines, fire engines are recommended to serve 15 years, and an additional five years in reserve. Belmont’s engine has far surpassed those limits and has become increasingly unreliable and costly to maintain. Reliable, up-to-date equipment is essential to protecting both firefighters and residents.

The total cost of the new engine is $864,823. The state grant will cover about $500,000 of that amount. The remaining balance, including non-reimbursable items, would be funded through a five-year lease if approved at Town Meeting on March 10, under Article 13, which authorizes the selectboard to enter into the lease agreement.

To control costs, the department worked closely with the manufacturer to purchase a pre-specification engine, making only limited modifications to meet operational needs. This strategy reduced the overall purchase price while ensuring the apparatus meets current safety and performance standards.

The grant significantly reduces the financial impact on taxpayers. However, if Article 13 is not approved, the town will forfeit the $500,000 in state funding, an opportunity which may not return.

Replacing the aging engine will improve reliability, enhance firefighter safety, reduce maintenance costs, and ensure compliance with national emergency response standards.

In the Voter's Guide, the town provides its best estimate of the potential tax rate impact based on the information available at the time it is prepared. Those estimates assume the proposed operating budget passes and all warrant articles pass. Because the actual tax rate cannot be finalized until after voting is complete and the official valuation and revenue numbers are confirmed (late fall of every year), the figures provided are good faith projections ― not final determinations.

It is important for voters to understand these estimates are planning tools meant to provide transparency and context. The final tax rate will ultimately depend on the outcome of Town Meeting votes next week, and the final financial data used in the rate-setting process that takes place in the fall.

I encourage residents to review the full budget materials and warrant carefully, as well as the Voter's Guide, so they can make informed decisions based on accurate information provided by the town. Copies are available at the Belmont Public Library and Town Hall, or online at belmontnh.gov.

If you have any questions about the budget, warrant articles, or Voter’s Guide information, contact me directly at Town Hall. You can also reach your elected selectboard members at administration@belmontnh.gov, including Selectboard Chair Ruth P. Mooney, Sharon Ciampi, Travis O’Hara, Sonny Patten, Jon Pike or Budget Committee Chair Tracey LeClair.

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Alicia Jipson is the town administrator for Belmont. She can be reached at administration@belmontnh.gov or 603-267-8300, ext. 124.