Facing a tight job market, New Ipswich Selectmen are proposing pay increases for town office staff. These employees are underpaid in comparison to their counterparts in other towns in the region, they said at the Monday night budget hearing.
Selectmen have put forth a $2.5 million proposed budget, which is a 1.26 percent, or $170,000, increase from the previous year’s approved budget.
Almost $30,000 of that increase is attributed to the budget for the town office, most of which is accounted for in proposed increases to the office salaries and benefits and for the town’s clerical assistants.
Selectman John Veeser said the funds were partially to cover salary increases, and partially to allow the land use clerk and planning clerk to expand their hours, by adding an additional eight hours a week between them.
Veeser said a study of pay in surrounding towns showed New Ipswich wasn’t in line with what other, similar positions pay.
“People could leave here today, go to another town, and make $5, $6, $7 more, easily,” Veeser said. “We’re in a lean employment position. Unemployment is very low.”
Selectman Bert Hamill said New Ipswich needs to invest in its employees, if it wants to keep them.
“Over the next two years, we need to look hard at bringing people up to par, or we’re going to have a migration of employees,” he said.
“It’s a lot of money to me,” Jay Hopkins of New Ipswich, who attended Monday’s hearing said. He asked how many employees the office had, and Veeser replied there were four.
“You can do the average, right?” Hopkins said to Veeser. “That’s substantial.”
In other warrant articles proposed this year, the fire department is requesting $250,000 to purchase 23 self-contained breathing packs for its fire crew.
Fire Chief Meredith Lund said Monday she will be applying for an Assistance to Firefighters grant, which has the potential to cover up to 95 percent of the cost of the units. But with or without the grant, she said, the packs need to be replaced, as they have reached the end of their 15-year lifespan and can no longer be services.
The fire department will also be requesting $20,000 to be added to its protective equipment expendable trust, in anticipation of the next time the packs need to be replaced, in 2035.
The town is asking for other contributions to its capital reserve and expendable trusts, including $75,000 for highway equipment, $50,000 for a new fire truck, $6,000 for the pool, $2,500 for recreation facilities, $40,000 for a new police cruiser, $15,000 for property revaluation, and $35,000 for town building maintenance.
As usual, the town is also proposing funding for the ambulance and library, both of which are not run by the town, but serve New Ipswich residents.
The Souhegan Valley Ambulance contract is $98,065 this year, which is an increase of about $13,000 over last year’s contract. Veeser explained that the ambulance is responding to approximately the same number of calls, but has been receiving fewer customers who are able to pay their bills, resulting in higher operating costs.
The New Ipswich Library is requesting $40,000 for its operation this year. Last year, when the library initially requested $40,000, the Select Board voted not to support the article, advocating for the library to use more of the interest from its trust. Veeser said this year, he was satisfied the trust fund interest had been spent to maintain the facilities, and the town request was strictly operational costs.
The town will also be continuing its road maintenance program with two articles asking for a total of $600,000 for road paving and upkeep. In addition, the town is receiving $150,000 from the state in the form of a Highway Block Grant, which voters must accept before the town can spend.
Two articles turned down last year are on the ballot again this year. The first is a vote to dissolve an expendable trust fund which was used to fund the town’s 250th anniversary celebration. The fund has about $8,000 in it, which will be returned to the town’s general fund when the trust fund is dissolved.
A petition article which failed last year is on the ballot again, asking for the town to amend its tax credit for veterans who are totally disabled by a injury connected to their service. New Ipswich currently offers a $2,000 tax credit to these veterans, and the article proposes to increase that amount to $4,000. New Ipswich currently has 14 residents who receive this tax credit, according to Veeser.
New Ipswich will hold its deliberative session at 7 p.m. on Feb. 4 at the Mascenic Regional School. During the deliberative session registered voters can discuss all warrant articles and take votes to amend them. Voting on all final articles is planned to be held on March 10 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Mascenic Regional School gymnasium.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.