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Walpole, N.H. Town Hall.
Walpole, N.H. Town Hall.
WALPOLE, N.H. — Town residents will head to the Walpole Elementary School Saturday afternoon — with their masks — to decide a $5 million town budget, Town Hall roof and chimney repairs, and whether to buy a new sidewalk snow blower.
Select Board Chairwoman Cheryl Mayberry, who was reelected unopposed during Town Meeting balloting on Tuesday, said Saturday’s meeting is likely to be pretty quiet.
The proposed town budget is up 4.96 percent, and of the $5.04 million spending plan, $4,357,805 needs to be raised by local taxes.
Mayberry said the municipal tax rate is $25.43 for 2022, so the overall tax rate is actually lower for 2022 because the local education rate dropped by $1.20 and the state education (rate) by 2 cents.
Mayberry said $25.43 is the rate for the upcoming tax year.
The largest proposed spending article, a request to spend $215,000 to replace the historic Town Hall roof and repair its chimneys, would be funded by a combination of money already on hand — through the town’s unassigned fund balance. In the case of the sidewalk snow blower, estimated to cost $170,000, $85,000 would come from the unassigned fund balance and $85,000 from the highway department’s capital reserve fund.
Voters on Saturday, who are asked to continue to wear masks, will gather at the Walpole Elementary School gymnasium, starting at 1 p.m. Mayberry said the school gymnasium has more space than the Town Hall. The meeting will not be Zoomed, she said.
She said she had heard a lot of talk about the proposal to buy the town’s highway department a new snow blower, to clear the sidewalks in the villages of Walpole and North Walpole. Many are questioning the high costs.
Mayberry said a lot of the proposed spending articles would be funded through the town’s unexpended fund balance.
Voters earlier in the week approved the zoning ordinance changes regarding the regulation of different kinds of signs and flags, she said, and on Saturday voters will be asked whether they want the town to adopt the Walpole Community Power Electric aggregation plan, which would authorize the Select Board to develop and implement the Walpole Community Power Plan.
The Select Board unanimously supports a positive vote on the project, which Mayberry compared to the recent move toward community-based broadband service.
Under the electric aggregation plan, Walpole residents would vote individually on whether to opt in for alternate electric sources, she said. The legislation allows communities to create buying groups for electricity, she said.
In addition to the sidewalk snow blower and the Town Hall repairs, townspeople will be asked whether they want to spend $75,000 for repairs to the town’s swimming pool and pool house, and whether to buy a $25,000 commercial shredder for use at the town’s recycling center. Both would be funded from the unassigned fund balance.
Another article asks voters whether they want to spend $40,000 to repair the chimney and replace the front door at the Bridge Library, funding to come from the unassigned fund balance.
Also, voters will be asked whether they want to spend $45,000 for a vehicle for the Walpole Police Department, and an additional $15,000 for equipment for the police vehicle. In both cases, the funds would come from the town’s unassigned fund balance.
Mayberry said the town sets the rate each fall after everyone has submitted their financial reports for the rate of the upcoming year.
The 1st billing for 2022 is Dec. 21 and the 2nd payment is due in July. It always straddles the calendar year.
Contact Susan Smallheer at ssmallheer@reformer.com.
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