Shawn Cote wants Epsom employees to have the right equipment to do their jobs, including good trucks to plow the roads and enough money to keep the roads in top shape.
On Tuesday, voters agreed and approved almost every warrant article, including the proposed town budget of $3.6 million.
“The important things were the roads for the town and stuff like that. They need new vehicles, they’re kind of driving around with some garbage right now. All our municipal people, they need good vehicles that are reliable,” Cote, a town resident said after voting Tuesday afternoon. “It costs a lot to maintain them, so give them something new or give them the equipment that they need so they can their job.”
Two big-ticket items that were approved were spending $82,000 to buy a new dump truck with a plow and another $150,000 for the improvement of town roads. Some smaller dollar items included $35,000 to replace the roof on the library, $25,000 for the maintenance of town buildings and $12,800 for new radios for the fire department.
Residents Betty and Rob Bouchard were squarely behind the request for the new truck and road improvements.
Betty Bouchard said Scott Elliott the road agent reached out to residents to let them know why the money was needed and how it was going to be used.
“They have trucks that are breaking down on a regular basis that are in the shop for 10 days at a time and they’re leasing as a result. This doesn’t make any financial sense,” Bouchard said. “So he reached out and said ‘if we get that kind of money, we can purchase trucks and fix the bridges and roads like we’re supposed to.’ ”
Rob Bouchard said the open communication helped them understand and support the requests
“Anybody that communicates what they’re looking for helps a lot. I’m not gonna vote for something I don’t know about,” he said. “It’s important that these people running for office to communicate in any way possible. It’s powerful.”
Together the two items equaled a tax impact of $126 a year for a home worth $300,000. The town budget, on the other hand, is expected to yield a tax impact that’s 1 cent less than last year’s rate.
The only warrant article to fail was an attempt to upgrade the current town office, a request that’s surfaced for several years. This time voters were asked to raise $25,000 and deposit it in a capital reserve fund.