Hot topic: There are no unusual or particularly contentious articles on the 2017 Boscawen warrant, but town co-administrator Alan Hardy is curious what will happen with a ballot question asking voters to approve an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) ordinance for the town. The New Hampshire Legislature passed a law in 2016 establishing municipal local control over the installation of an ADU, which goes into effect on June 1. Hardy said he isn’t sure if all Boscawen voters know about this new law.
“We’ve had times where people have voted no just because they didn’t know anything about it,” he said. And if the ordinance isn’t approved on town meeting day, Boscawen will have no oversight over the installation of new ADUs.
“If a town had not created an ordinance at all, the accessory dwelling unit would be allowed by right,” Hardy said. And that, he has noted, can lead to safety concerns.
Budget: The proposed operating budget is $3.6 million, down $15,447 from last year.
Boscawen has not calculated projected tax rates if the budget is approved.
Noteworthy articles: Technology and software upgrades have helped inflate the police department line –proposed to go up almost 21 percent – and a capital reserve fund for the town offices.
“If you look at the capital reserve contributions,” Hardy said, “You’ll see $25,000 going to our side of the buildings for computer systems. That’s so all the large data files that are coming to us and the police department can be backed up locally.”
Contested races: None.
When and where: The town meeting was postponed to March 21 at 7 p.m. at the town hall. Ballot voting will be Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Boscawen Town Hall.