Dunbarton residents will weigh in on an addition to the town hall library building, a new police cruiser and a proposal to oppose the retail sale of cats and dogs among other issues at the annual town meeting Tuesday. Voters will also be determining a town operating budget and electing town officials.
Polls will be open for ballot voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the Dunbarton Community Center on Robert Rogers Road. The town meeting will begin in the same place at 7 p.m.
At the town meeting, residents will be voting on the proposed $2,783,151 operating budget, which is a 2.6% increase from last year’s proposed budget of $2,713,248. About 11% of the budget, $306,000, will come from a surplus in the unassigned fund balance. The estimated 2022 tax rate impact of the operating budget is $3.40, or $1,020 for a $300,000 home.
Town meeting attendees will also vote on whether to build an addition and make renovations to the Dunbarton Town Hall and Public Library building at a cost of $697,485. The project would focus on making the second floor of the 1909 building ADA compliant, with the addition of a LULA lift, stairway, two accessible bathrooms, heat and an air exchange system. The project has an estimated tax impact of $0.15.
Voters will also decide whether the town of Dunbarton should publicly oppose the retail sale of dogs and cats in pet stores in town. The proposal, which came to be on the warrant via a resident petition, argues that the majority of dogs and cats sold in pet stores are sourced from inhumane “puppy mills,” commercial breeding facilities.
Several other items require voter approval, including the purchase of a new police cruiser for $56,000. If the cruiser is approved, Dunbarton Police Department would rotate one of its 2017 Ford Police Interceptor SUV’s out of primary use to be used as a backup vehicle, according to the department’s 2021 report.
There is also a proposal to improve the Cremains Garden area of Pages Corner Cemetery for $10,575, which includes adding cobblestone borders, hardpack walkways and granite benches. As of 2020, 75% of burials in Dunbarton are cremations, according to the Cemetery Trustees 2021 report.
In another proposal, residents will vote whether to allocate $2,020 to controlling milfoil (invasive aquatic plants) at Gorham Pond. All ponds in Dunbarton have tested clear of Variable Milfoil for the last three years after a 2018 Procellacor herbicide treatment, according to the town’s 2021 variable milfoil report.
In the polls Tuesday, Dunbarton residents will be voting to elect a selectman, a Board of Assessors member, an Ethics Committee member, two library trustees, a cemetery trustee, a trustee of the trust funds, a supervisor of the checklist, a tax collector and a town moderator.
The Board of Selectmen position is the only race that is contested – Justin Nault and Raymond Plante are vying for the open seat, which has a three-year term.
Incumbent Bryan Clark is running unopposed for the three-year Board of Assessors seat. Incumbent David Allen is running unopposed for the three-year Ethics Committee seat. David Petersen is running unopposed for a three-year library trustee position and incumbent Karen Lessard is running unopposed for a one-year library trustee position. Incumbent Donald Larsen is running unopposed for cemetery trustee. Incumbent Roger Rice is running unopposed for trustee of the trust funds. Incumbent Judy van Kalken is running unopposed for tax collector. Incumbent Janet Casey is running unopposed for supervisor of the checklist, and incumbent John Trottier is running unopposed for town moderator.