By Devon Cormier
Staff Writer

New safety vehicles and capital reserve fund items are the main items on the ballot to be discussed at the deliberative session of the New Boston Town Meeting.

But most warrant articles voters will consider on Election Day should look pretty familiar.

New Boston Town Meeting is Monday, Feb.7, at 7pm, at New Boston Central School.

“Most things in the warrant articles have been on the capital plan for a while so a lot of them should look pretty familiar to people,” said Town Administrator Burton Reynolds. “People have been voting to put this money away for the past few years.”

Safety vehicles sought
What voters haven’t been doing for the past two years is approving money for police cruisers. Voters can expect to see a warrant article asking to authorize the town to enter into a four-year lease agreement worth $82,000 for three police vehicles. The first year would cost taxpayers around $20,000. There is an escape clause and an option to buy.

“We’ve tried this different angle with a lease because we’re so far behind,” said Reynolds. “The cars all have so many miles on them and now they all need to be replaced and they are just eating up expenses with repairs.”

Insurance for firefighters
The fire department will also be looking for a few vehicles, but it also seeks approval of $3,878 for the first-year payment in a three-year policy for supplemental insurance for the 50 volunteer firefighters in New Boston.

The warrant article is supported by the selectmen and the budget committee because worker’s compensation benefits leave firefighters and their families vulnerable to financial difficulties if they are injured, officials said.

More than 15 firefighters showed up to support the idea when the selectmen last discussed it. The firefighters will be responsible for paying 20 percent of the insurance cost.

In addition, the fire department will ask for authorization to spend about $300,000 already set aside for a new pumper truck or fire engine, and to spend about $100,000 already saved up in a capital reserve fund for a utility truck that carries extra air.

Fire Chief Dan MacDonald said the air-packs firefighters wear on their backs only last for about 20 minutes before they need to be refilled. The current utility truck was passed to the fire department from the highway department and is now uninspectable because of extensive rust.

The fire department is also asking voters to put $66,000 in the capital reserve fund.

Cemetery expansion
The most expensive item on the ballot will be a cemetery expansion project that gives the cemetery two extra acres. About $90,000 has been saved and the balance is $111,000.

New voting machine
This year residents will vote with an Accu-Vote Optical Scanner machine. The voting box, which was demonstrated to selectmen, is being used for little cost, and in return for using it, an article will ask voters if they would like to purchase it.

The cost will be $6,250. The supervisors of the checklist asked that the selectmen consider the machine because elections often keep volunteers at the polls from early in the morning on election day to early in the morning on the following day.

Town operating budget up 5 percent
The operating budget has been set at $2,879,610, up from the default budget of $2,735,265. The increase is about 5 percent, something Reynolds attributes to inflation and town growth, he said.

Other warrants
Other warrant articles are as follows:
• To use $55,000 for a townwide assessment update as required by law. There is $36,000 in a capital reserve fund, leaving taxpayers with a balance of $19,000.

• To use $145,000 for a loader for the highway department. $83,000 has been saved and the estimated trade-in value is $23,000, which leaves taxpayers with $39,000.

• To use $114,000 for a dump truck for the highway department, $44,000 of which will be paid for by taxpayers.

• To use $140,000 to replace the roof of the town hall, $41,000 of which will be raised through taxes.

• To raise $70,000 to upgrade Bog Brook Road.

• To raise $20,000 to save for the eventual replacement of the Lyndeborough Road bridge.

Reynolds said that putting money into capital reserve funds is very important. Also important is following the schedule the budget committee, capital improvements committee and selectmen decide would be the most efficient use of money, Burton said.

“By following the capital improvement plan we have in place, we are saying to people ‘your taxes are not necessarily going to go up,’” said Reynolds. “Eventually it will work out so all capital improvements will be paid for a year before we need to use the money. That way we will have some wiggle room.”

All of the warrants are supported by the selectmen and budget committee. No petitioned warrants were submitted. The numbers or details of these warrant articles could change at the deliberative session on Monday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. at New Boston Central School.