Lyndeborough voters unanimously passed the town’s $1,985,132 operating budget and approved all warrant articles during Saturday’s Town Meeting. Thought the budget saw an increase of around $221,000 from 2016 due to payment of the Mountain Road improvement bond, a decrease in capital reserve expenditures offset that, and the town’s total expenditures will be significantly down in 2017.
“I have been working in municipal government for over 20 years,” said Select Board chair Lee Mayhew, “and the fact that you have a flat budget – Jesus himself must be watching over our tax rate.”
The Mountain Road project – at $1.6 million, perhaps the most expensive in town history – was still met with support from the public a year later, even with the first bond payment in the budget.
“I want to start by extending my personal gratitude to every taxpayer in this town for approving the Mountain Road project,” said resident Leo Trudeau. “A year ago, within a few days, when I drove here to Town Meeting in my big truck … I probably couldn’t go over 15 miles an hour and that’s not a lie, because at this time of year, that backside, that last section, was so rough, it’s just insane. Today, I’ll bet I hit 30 miles an hour.”
Trudeau’s statement was met with laughter and a round of applause, as well as a raised eyebrow from police chief Rance DeWare, ever cognizent of the speed limit.
Voters also approved a $149,000 capital reserve expenditure for purchase of a new fire rescue vehicle, and okayed $123,000 in payments to various capital reserve funds.
The 50 or so voters in Citizen’s Hall also passed an article which changed the purpose of the Landfill Capital Reserve Fund – now virtually defunct due to changes at the Wilton dump – and established a new Fire Department Equipment Capital Reserve Fund with the just over $82,000 that was in the existing fund.
Editor Ben Conant can be reached at 924-7172, ext. 226, or bconant@ledgertranscript.com.