Sometimes, annual deliberative sessions for both town and school budgets offer fireworks, five months shy of the 4th of July.
Other times, like last Saturday in Epsom, warrant articles are greeted with rapid-fire approval, creating the final warrants that, as an SB 2 town, voters will study before casting their secret ballots on voting day, March 9.
With little debate, the town okayed the proposed operating budget of $3.6 million, placing it on the warrant. If that number passes, the town’s tax rate would be 12 cents less than last year’s rate.
“No surprises that day at all,” said Hugh Curley, the chair of the Epsom Select Board. “It went very smoothly for both town and school. For controversy, there was nothing. Mostly it was all for clarification.”
The meeting, which lasted about 70 minutes, including a 10-minute break, drew about 50 people to the Epsom Central School and four more online.
Only residents who attended were eligible to modify or amend articles and no changes were made.
One of the biggest ticket items was $150,000 to be earmarked for a Capital Reserve Fund, which would eventually be used for “reconstruction and improvements to town roads.” That would mean an estimated tax impact of 30 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.
Article 14 sought $125,000 for a forestry truck for the fire department, replacing the one that’s 25 years old, with money coming from the Fire and Rescue Apparatus Fund.
The same fund will finance a heart monitor and defibrillator for $25,000 for the Epsom Fire Department if residents deem it worthy.
Other $25,000 expenditures, to be deposited into capital reserve funds, included money for the construction of a future town office, and funding for bridge replacement and repair.
In addition, town officials had an insurance policy in mind when creating a $20,000 contingency fund “for unanticipated expenses that may arise.”
“I think it was a very fair budget,” Curley said. “I think it was a modest budget.”
On the school side, the proposed budget was $12.3 million and was one of three articles reviewed in the Epsom school meeting, none of which faced much opposition.
An additional $80,000 – half to be put into a Special Education Trust Fund, half for a Building Maintenance and Repair Trust Fund – will be appropriated if a surplus remains at the end of the fiscal year, on June 30.
“The budget passed after 25 minutes,” said School Board Vice Chair Dave Cummings. “The record is 12. There just wasn’t a lot to say.”