Hancock voters approved all of the town’s warrant articles, including the $2.8 million operating budget.
According to Select Board Chair Kurtis Grassett, this figure represented a 1.77% increase over last year’s budget, a significant portion of which was allocated toward increasing wages to offset cost-of-living expenses for town employees.
“It really doesn’t matter how much money we add to the budget if we don’t have a great team to spend it,” he said. “We want to take care of our team. We want to keep who we have because they’re doing a fantastic job for us.”
Grassett also noted that the budget was formulated in the fall, before a large portion of current inflation was fully realized. As such, he said the budget might have to be “tweaked” to cover necessary costs as expenses continue to increase – notably fuel prices, he said.
“Excellent work in a very difficult environment,” said resident Dave Carney, before he asked the board whether new money would have to be raised to offset costs as prices rise.
Grassett said that the budget would be “massaged” to move money to where it’s needed as it becomes necessary.
“Nobody anticipated where we are today,” he said, but he added the town saw similar circumstances during the 2008 recession. “We’ve been here before. We’ll keep massaging.”
Another large budget item was a measure for a paved roads project, $535,000 which will be raised through bonds. It was approved. Grassett explained that the town did two types of road repair – one for maintenance, to extend the life of the roads, and one to rehabilitate them and restart that life cycle. This project would do the latter, he said.
Director of Public Works Tyler Howe said that the original plan was to do 17 miles of road, but due to more impacts from inflation, it would likely be closer to 14 of the town’s 25 miles of road.
“We’re stretching the dollar,” he said.
Grassett noted this issue, as well, and pointed out that the situation would likely get worse if the town waited.
“The longer we wait, the more backed up it gets,” he said.
The final vote on the bond measure was 106-1.
Some articles were amended, including the amount to be added to the town’s meetinghouse capital reserve, which was amended from $8,000 to $10,000 by Carney on the reasoning that the Capital Reserve Committee intended to increase its request each year and the town should try to meet its needs sooner rather than later. Similarly, an article to provide funds to the Grapevine Community Resource Center and Avenue A in Antrim was increased from $6,000 to $7,000 on an amendment from Harriet DiCicco.
The final amended warrant article was the police special revenue fund, which was changed from $2,456 to $2,698. The fund provides money for repairs and replacement of police equipment, and according to Moderator Richard Haskins, the town can only expend from the fund as approved at Town Meeting.
“What was found was, at the end of the year, there was more than what was originally written in the warrant article,” he said. “This just brings it in line.”
All other articles were approved without change, including $118,000 to lease a new dump truck with a plow, $12,900 for parking lot maintenance and $50,000 for the town’s bridge capital reserve fund. Another two articles were to establish new capital reserve funds, with $10,000 for a building capital reserve fund and $7,000 for a revaluation capital reserve fund.
Haskins also took a moment to thank Grassett for his service to the town, as he did not run for re-election and will not rejoin the Select Board.
“I want to thank him for his ongoing generous contribution, and his attention to the betterment of the community,” Haskins said.