“Be it resolved that Francestown has the best road crew in the State of New Hampshire.”
That was the opening remark of Town Moderator Paul Lawrence at the 2023 Francestown Town Meeting. With the meeting only a few days after more than two feet of snow fell, causing major road hazards and days of power outages, Road Agent Gary Paige and his crew were the stars of the day.
Attendees settled in to a near-capacity hall with coffee and doughnuts supplied by the FFD Auxiliary, and the annual business of the town was dispatched in less than two hours. After a presentation by Town Administrator Jamie Pike, voters unanimously approved an annual budget of more than $2 million and funding for reserves of over $460,000 with no discussion.
For the second year in a row, Town Meeting attendees approved all the articles on the Town Warrant unanimously. Five articles were for expenditures of funds from reserves: $345,000 to reconstruct Red House Road, $305,000 for a 10-wheel dump truck, $100,000 for bridge repair, $50,000 for town building repairs and $12,900 for new computers for police cruisers.
Voters reauthorized the Select Board to convey property acquired by tax collector’s deed and readopted the Veterans’ Tax Credit. Voters also approved an increase in the elderly tax exemption, almost doubling the amount set in 1997.
The camaraderie of the day was capped by remarks from outgoing Selectman Marsh Dixon.
“Everybody told me that this would be a thankless job, but I have to say, nothing could be further from the truth,” Dixon said.
Dixon relayed how she had been on ride-alongs with the road crew and often visited the Police Department to better understand the workings of the town. She spoke of the professionalism of all town departments, thanked “the terrific” town employees, especially Pike, and all the dedicated volunteers who work on town boards and committees, saying, “I am really thankful to be a part of this extraordinary community.”
As in all ConVal towns, the ballot vote portion of Francestown’s Town Meeting, consisting of town elections and the vote on the school district warrant, was postponed until March 28. Polls are open at the Francestown Town Hall from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.