A bond to design and new municipal campus and fire and ambulance facility, the town’s $13.7 million operating budget proposal for fiscal 2023, the proposed Peterborough Community Power Plan and three contested races are among the highlights when Peterborough residents vote during ballot voting and Town Meeting, May 10 and 11.
The fire station vote will be during open session of Town Meeting Wednesday, May 11, at 7 p.m. at the Town House. According to Fire Chief Ed Walker, the substandard conditions of the current station on Summer Street make a new station a necessity, and the original proposal called for a $23 million facility on Elm Street. However, residents and Budget Committee members balked at the price tag and said the planned 30,000-square-foot facility was too large for a town of Peterborough’s size.
Ultimately, the town had to pull back on the proposal because the $23 million, combined with the town’s $6 million in outstanding debt, would have pushed Peterborough over the state maximum of $27 million in debt. Therefore, the town proposed asking for $2 million in design funds instead, although an amendment planned for Town Meeting would reduce the bond to $1.3 million due to the inclusion of $700,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Voting May 10 will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Peterborough Community Center, 25 Elm St. The three contested races include Budget Committee, where Leslie Lewis, River Marmorstein, Andrew Osterman and Mandy Sliver are running for three three-year seats. Sliver is an incumbent, and James Long and Rich Clark did not seek another term.
Current alternate Joshua Blair, incumbent Blair Weiss and Carl Staley are competing for two three-year seats on the Planning Board, as current Chair Rich Clark did not seek re-election.
Laura Norton and Katherine Sullivan are seeking the two-year position as supervisor of the checklist.
Uncontested races include Bill Taylor for Select Board, Sharon Monahan for Zoning Board of Adjustment and Mary Clark for the one-year Budget Committee seat.
Other unopposed races are Andrew Manns for the three-year trustee of the trust funds position, Linda Guyette for the three-year cemetery trustee position. John Lawlor and Peggy Van Valkenburgh for the two one-year library trustee spots, Tina Kriebel for the three-year library trustee seat, Roxanne Loudin and Andrew Osterman for the two three-year seats on the Recreation Committee, Zoe Wroten-Heinzmann for the two-year spot on the Recreation Committee and Denise Sweet for the six-year supervisor of the checklist position.
Residents will also vote on the proposed community power plan, in which the town would be authorized to buy energy in bulk for businesses and residents, who would be able to choose between tiers with varying prices and amounts of renewable energy. Residents could also choose to opt out of the plan. The town’s Community Power Task Force has been working on the plan since it was formed in September of 2021, following voters passing a warrant article at Town Meeting that May setting the goal for Peterborough to have 100% of its electricity in town be sourced from renewables by 2030.
The proposed operating budget is down $20,000 over the current town budget, which Town Administrator Nicole MacStay attributed to departments cutting spending. The budget also includes a 2.8% increase in health insurance costs, a combined 4.6% wages and cost-of-living increase and an expected increase of 30% in electricity costs. The budget is also on the warrant for the open Town Meeting session May 11, but the article will be skipped if voters approve at the ballot box.
The other items to be decided May 10 are:
— A series of zoning amendments that include amending the definitions of “dwelling or dwelling unit” and “manufactured housing,” allowing manufactured housing as a use in the Family District, removing minimum-size requirements for dwellings in the General Residence District, adding manufactured housing as a permitted use in the West Peterborough and Community Health Care districts, changing “mobile homes” to “manufactured homes” in the Floodplain District, clarifying the Planning Board’s powers in the Groundwater Protection Overlay Zone, rescinding the minimum size and increasing the maximum size for accessory dwelling units, amending rules for manufactured housing and allowing multifamily housing in the Monadnock Community Health Care District that is not restricted to students and staff at the hospital.
— $112,000 for the town’s pay-as-you-throw program, with funds to come from the town’s Pay-As-You-Throw Special Reserve Fund.
— A total of $353,100 for capital reserve and expendable trust funds: $15,000 for the GIS Capital Reserve Fund, $18,100 for the Police Department Fleet Management Capital Reserve Fund, $100,000 for the Fire Department Apparatus and Equipment Capital Reserve Fund, $5,000 for the Winter Operations Expendable Trust Fund, $150,000 for the Fleet Management Capital Reserve Fund and $65,000 for the Recreation Department Equipment Capital Reserve Fund.
— $400,000 for the Roadway System Upgrades Capital Reserve Fund.
— A $3,000 transfer to the Cemetery Expendable Trust Fund.
— Establishment of a Municipal Facilities Campus Expendable Trust Fund and transferring $350,082 from fund balance to the fund, using American Rescue Plan Act funds.
— $75,000 for the Sewer Capital Reserve Fund, with all the money from sewer fees.
— Discontinuing the Fire Department Fleet Management Capital Reserve Fund, with the balance of $31.25 transferred to the town’s general fund.
— $15,500 to support the Economic Development Authority’s efforts to promote business retention and development of new businesses.
In addition to the design bond and the operating budget – unless it is approved the day before – the May 11 warrant includes $328,738 for the Ambulance Service Revolving Fund, which represents Peter borough’s share of the 911 Emergency Response Ambulance Service for 2022.