Don Girard, a lifelong resident of the Pembroke area, added some zest to an otherwise routine town meeting Saturday, when voters approved an $8 million operating budget, an increase of less than 1 percent from last year.
While the struggles of the state’s retirement system and stagnant wages for Pembroke police officers were discussed, nothing grabbed the crowd in the school’s cafeteria like the gravely voice and persistence of the 84-year-old Girard, who used a walker to approach the microphone, and who stimulated spirited back-and-forths with town moderator, Tom Petit, and other town officials.
Known as the town character by some, Girard sparked conversation during discussion on Article 5, shortly after $466,000 had been approved for reserve funds, banked for future spending on town, fire and police equipment.
Article 5 sought $21,000 from a capital reserve fund to spruce up the Evergreen and Old North Pembroke cemeteries. Girard had several unrelated questions and concerns, stating that erosion had made the town boat ramp near Memorial Field look like a “war zone,” wondering why nine telephone poles had not been removed from Main Street to widen it, and wondering about progress on a new access road that could lead to additional commercial development.
Eventually, Jim Garvin, secretary of the cemetery commission, brought the focus back to Article 5, stating that monuments had been damaged by falling trees, which is why they had been cut down and why shrubs would replace them.
The passage of Article 7 meant the town will withdraw $127,000 from a reserve fund to buy a new trackless machine, which will clear sidewalks and mow grass.
“Why don’t they buy a Bobcat?” Girard asked.
Explained Jim Boisvert, head of the town’s department of public works, “We cannot use anything wider than 50 inches, and a Bobcat is 60 inches. This is the only thing available. Or we can move the telephone poles.”
Elsewhere, $93,000 was allotted to switch current town lighting to LED lighting, with $10,000 coming from a capital reserve fund and $24,500 potentially coming from grants.
Dan Crean, head of the energy committee, said the debt would be paid off in three years, “and we’d save more than 50 percent on street lighting.”
Near the end of the 70-minute meeting, police salaries and retirement savings took center stage as Mark LePage, chairman of the budget committee, explained the inner workings of creating a budget.
“Every year it’s a challenge to keep budgets under control,” LePage said.
LePage pointed out that the retirement system had estimated a 7.25 percent rate of return, a figure slightly below the 25-year national average, but received only 1 percent.
“We have to make up that shortfall,” LePage said.
He added that health insurance costs rose 6.7 percent. The town portion of the tax rate went up 83 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, an increase of 11.7 percent. The total tax rate increase to $30.65 marks an estimated 5.7 percent hike.
All of which has had an impact on police salaries in town, which, officials said, lags behind other departments, including nearby Allenstown. “We’re losing (officers) to higher paying towns,” LePage said.
At that point, Girard regained the spotlight, asking “Are we going to get to some of the questions I asked, or were you just blowing smoke?”
Girard redirected the conversation to the sandy boat ramp. “You can’t even get a kayak down there,” he said.
“Are you going to yank a kayak there?” Petit asked.
When Girard said yes, Petit said, “I’d like to see that.”