There isn’t an eligible bar or restaurant. The lone potential suitor hasn’t yet committed. But the town of Andover still pushed ahead with a vote to authorize Keno Tuesday evening, joining nearly 200 communities across the state.
By a narrow 47-45 margin after an extended, sometimes tense town meeting, the town voted to allow licensed liquor facilities to host the game, operated by the state Lottery Commission.
Right now, the town doesn’t have one of those facilities. But a new restaurant intending to open next month – the Foundry – offered a glimmer of possibility, however uncertain, that the vote could get some use.
For Andy Guptill, no matter what happens the vote was a smart one, a way to ensure “free enterprise” and keep the decisions with businesses.
Toby Locke wasn’t so sure. As a trustee at the American Legion in Tilton, which has Keno, Locke said the profits also come with costs to each business. And he disagreed with allowing gambling into the town.
The decision came at the conclusion of three-hour procedure in which an $1.8 million budget passed with only minor adjustments.
That budget included a near-doubling of expenditures for emergency medical services, in order to fund a new contract with Franklin for full time coverage. That increase in the contract – from $53,741 to $98,700– would be offset by the fact that the town would not need to upgrade its ambulance, saving $25,000, the fire department argued.
And the budget included the hiring of a new full-time police officer for the town. For twenty years, Andover has paid just one officer full time, Police Chief Joe Mahoney, relying on part time employment from both working-aged and retired staff. But a series of changes to the state retirement system by the Legislature have made it less desirable for retired officers to return to work.
Those legal changes were made to reduce “double-dipping” – the practice of retired officers returning to work without having to pay into the retirement system – introducing a series of hourly caps on those officers. But Mahoney said the changes had driven away potential officers.
A full-time position in addition to the chief’s position, Mahoney said, would help attract candidates and lessen the workload of the present officers.
“They handle what they can, but what they can’t do comes back to the full timer,” he said of the part time officers.
“We’ve just reached that point” he added. “We’ve had 20 years of a full timer with one, now we need an additional one.”
The funding will bring the police force to two full time officers and two part time.
Residents also voted to overhaul the selection of the town’s road agent. That position, responsible for plowing the roads, is presently elected by voters, but the town moved to allow the select board to appoint someone themselves. Supporters said it would allow the select board to choose a candidate with expertise; critics said that would only cause the town to spend more money.
And the town opted to create a capital reserve fund with $10,000 to go towards a mobile unit for forrest services. With the occasional hiking incident on Mount Kearsage, the more nimble vehicle could help with rescues and ward against potential forrest fires. That vehicle would likely only be purchased after more installments were made to the fund in future years.
As for Keno, whether the Foundry is even interested in installing the machine remains unknown. Resident Doug Phelps said that was beside the point.
“It may never see the light of day in Andover, but it’s there if someone wants to implement it,” said one resident, Doug Phelps.