They call him the mayor of Gorham Pond. Bob Leonard doesn’t call himself that. But some people do, he noted into the microphone.
And this year, the mayor had some good news.
“As of this writing,” he began, holding a letter, “all ponds in Dunbarton, including Gorham Pond, have tested clear of variable milfoil.” A crowd of more than 100 applauded before he finished.
The group in Dunbarton Community Center Tuesday night didn’t need to be told the stakes. Milfoil, the thick, invasive water plant, had plagued town waters for decades, and Leonard, whose official title is “milfoil coordinator” had played a big role in its apparent eradication.
It was only last year that the new two-year, $30,000 chemical treatment had been first tested on the waters. And it was last summer that the Department of Environmental Services conducted a test to determine the threat clear.
But Leonard wasn’t done. “Although this is an amazing accomplishment, it doesn’t mean our fight is over,” he added. “We must remain vigilant.”
And that meant a little bit more money – an expense of $2,250 to pay for the divers this year to check the progress of the ponds.
It’s the kind of request that town meetings are meant for, and this year the town of Dunbarton was happy to oblige.
After a year of strong savings and unanticipated revenue, the town’s select board not only secured a 14 cent decrease in taxes per $1000 of property valuation., they had paid down all the warrant articles with the remaining surplus money, a point repeated throughout the night by select board chairman Michael Kaminski.
Awash in surplus, voters appeared satisfied to agree with every measure.
The town approved spending for a $53,000 police cruiser, $40,000 of which was paid for via an existing special revolving fund. It approved $100,000 for additional paving projects, all of which came from the town’s surplus.
An additional $20,000 from the surplus went toward new computer software, a necessary upgrade in the face of an aging system that could be vulnerable, Kaminski said.
And then there was Patrick Bowne’s favored purchase: a $15,000 set-aside to buy a backhoe for the transfer station. The machine will help with trash compacting and make for efficient transportation, explained Bowne, the transfer station supervisor.
“We’re trying to kind of bring ourselves into the future a little bit,” Bowne said.
It was an easy year to make investments, Kaminski said. Some of the town’s luck came from unanticipated surplus revenues. More new properties and additional timber tax revenue came in higher than expected. Certain projects such as a library renovation were put off temporarily, saving money. And the Legislature passed a revenue-sharing measure in the budget that kicked in just under $50,000.
Altogether, the town had about $182,000 in leftover surplus from the year before, in addition to unexpected revenue.
That helped ease passage of the $2.66 million town budget, which included a 3% salary raise for all town employees. The vote to pass it was nearly unanimous.
Dunbarton voters also took some steps toward supporting veterans. A pair of warrant articles passed Tuesday added ordinances to waive car registration fees for both residents awarded the Purple Heart medal and honorably discharged and residents who survived Pearl Harbor and were honorably discharged.
And they sent a message to the Legislature, voting for a resolution urging the creation of an independent redistricting commission to redraw state voting lines after the 2020 election.