By Jodi Wolfe
Staff Writer

Epsom voters rejected a $6.78 million bond for an addition and renovations to Epsom Central School by a vote of 517 to 430.

“(I’m) very disappointed,” said Don Harty, member of the building committee.

Harty said the school building committee will probably be back next year with a new proposal.

“The need is not going to go away,” he said.

Frank Catanese, chairman of the building committee, agreed.

“It’s been a long year,” he said.

The project would have included eight new classrooms, a new cafeteria and kitchen, a new heating and ventilation system, an expanded music room and expanded library space.

Road agent race
Gordon R. Ellis won the race for road agent, Epsom’s only contested race, with 664 votes. Ellis declined to comment because he had to get out and take care of the roads during the big snowstorm.

William E. Clark, who served as road agent in the 1970s, received 220 votes, but he said he had a good go of it.

“For the betterment of the town, it’s a loss,” he said.

Paving New Orchard Road
Epsom residents voted not to spend $160,000 to pave the quarter-mile dirt portion of New Orchard Road and not to reevaluate the New Orchard Road’s level of priority on the paving schedule. Bobbie Aversa, a New Orchard Road resident who filed the petitioned warrant article, said earlier that if it didn’t pass, she would be back next year.

New police officer
Epsom will now have police officers on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week as voters approved $20,000 for seven months’ salary and benefits of an additional full-time police officer by a vote of 513-419. The $20,000 would be used with $4,000 from the part-time police budget line in police department’s budget.

New fire department garage
Epsom taxpayers did not approve spending $30,000 to build a three-bay garage behind the fire station to house fire vehicles and store equipment by a vote of 225 to 701.

Town operating budget
Voters did not approve the operating budget of $2,493,975 by a vote of 410-514; therefore the default budget is $2,272,292.

School district budget
Voters also did not approve the school district operating budget of $6,846,918 by a vote of 437-507; therefore the operating budget is $6,642,297. The tax rate will increase by 20 cents.

School district deficit
Voters approved raising $72,071 to pay for a deficit from the 2004-05 school year for unanticipated high school tuition and special education costs. This will increase the tax rate by 40 cents.

Support staff contract
Voters approved $12,289 for increases in salary and benefits based on a collective bargaining agreement reached between the Epsom School Board and the Epsom Support Staff Association. This will increase the tax rate by 7 cents.

Electing a welfare officer
Epsom residents voted to continue electing a welfare officer instead of authorizing selectmen to hire someone for the position. This was not approved by voters last year.

Tax exemptions, credits
Epsom voters voted to increase the elderly exemption for ages 65 to 74 from $15,000 to $30,000; for ages 75 to 79 from $30,000 to $60,000; and for ages 80 and older from $60,000 to $120,000. The eligibility requirements will remain unchanged with the income limit of $18,400 if single, or $26,400 if married, and assets not in excess of $35,000.

Residents also approved a petitioned warrant article to increase the existing optional veterans’ exemption from $100 to $500, as well as increasing the tax credit for service-connected total disability from $1,400 to $1,800.