An attempt to cut the proposed budget in New Ipswich from an 11% to a 3% increase from last year’s $3.62 million budget failed in a narrow ballot vote during the town’s nearly five-hour deliberative session on Tuesday.
The proposed budget for the town this year is $4.03 million. If the budget fails, the default budget for the town would be $3.9 million.
“The Select Board does stand behind this number as a number that will continue to provide services,” said Select Board Chair Jason Somero. He said the budget included a new position for the Fire Department approved during Town Meeting last year and rebuilding town departments with better salaries.
“Today we’re at a fully staffed operation, almost,” said Somero.
Joe Woodworth, chair of the budget advisory committee, said there were several contracts outside of the town’s control that increased significantly, as well as salary increases and the new Fire Department position, resulting in an increase of about $345,000 from last year’s budget.
Jeff Carter, a New Ipswich resident, said he had concerns about how quickly the budget was increasing, saying, “Enough was enough.”
Carter moved to amend the budget to $3,728,374, which represents a 3% increase from last year’s budget, and was seconded by Cindy Carter. At the request of five members of the public, the amendment was held by secret ballot, but failed with 49 in favor and 53 against.
The initial vote on the amendment was invalidated, as more votes were cast than there were voters who had registered at the meeting.
After the second vote resulted in the amendment failing, the budget was passed unchanged on to the warrant
Amendments proposed, but not passed, to reduce road articles and capital reserves
The town is requesting $600,000, split between two articles, one for $350,000 and one for $250,000 for road reconstruction and maintenance.
Road Committee member Marcus Rautiola said the amount requested has been the same for about 15 years. He said the amount has been producing diminishing returns as costs have gone up, but held off on asking for an increase this year due to rising costs for the public.
Road Agent Peter Somero said the plan for the coming year was to work on Thayer, Green Farm, and Stone Bridge roads, put a topcoat on Old Wilton Road, and to reclaim and pave North Road.
Resident Philip Andrews moved to amend the $350,000 article to $1. He said the proposal was to give “taxpayers a bit of a break” for one year. “We can vote on it again next year.”
Selectman Shawn Talbot said reducing the article would take the decision out of the hands of the voting public. All three Select Board members noted they did not recommend the proposed amendment.
The amendment failed in a standing vote.
The town is requesting $391,000 for capital reserves and expendable trusts, as follows: $95,000 each for highway and fire department capital reserves, $65,000 for the police department capital reserve, $50,000 for the building maintenance expendable trust, $30,000 each for the revaluation and fire protection equipment reserves, $15,000 for the parks and recreation capital reserve, $6,000 for the pool maintenance reserve, and $5,000 for the fire department communication reserve.
Resident Becky Doyle spoke to the article, saying that the amounts requested were far below what was outlined in the capital improvement plan. She said some of the amounts needed to reach the plan’s goals would be out of reach. However, she said the current capital reserve for the police department had a sufficient amount to pay for four cruisers.
She first moved to amend the police department capital reserve from $65,000 to $0. It was seconded by Andrews.
Resident Brian Somero said he dislikes the concept of capital reserves, saying that it makes it easy to spend funds.
Planning Board Chair Dee Dailey said the board is behind in updating the capital improvement plan, but said costs are increasing quickly for town equipment. She added that some of the proposals in the capital improvement plan are going to be financed through capital reserves, but may be raised through grants, warrant articles, or other means.
The proposal was defeated by voice vote with only a handful of “ayes.”
Doyle also proposed reducing the fire protective equipment reserve from $30,000 to $0, with a second by Andrews.
Former fire chief Meredith Lund said the annual cost of replacing equipment is about $5,000 per person. She said that reserve also includes air packs, which have a 10-year shelf life. Those will need to be replaced in 2030, at a cost of about $10,000 per person, for a 33-member department.
This article was also defeated by voice vote, though more evenly.
Doyle also proposed increasing the Parks and Recreation capital reserve to $45,000 from $15,000, seconded by Andrews, because the reserve is underfunded to fulfill expected projects at the Memorial Park.
This was also defeated by voice vote, with only a handful in favor.
Voters passed articles for $165,000 for the ambulance service and $45,000 for the New Ipswich Library, and $4,000 for a historic building assessment of the old Town Hall to be placed on the warrant without comment.
A proposed change to the town’s Service Connected Total and Permanent Disability would increase the amount from $4,000 to $4,750. According to a new law, veterans can only claim one veteran’s tax credit. The town currently offers a $4,000 service-connected disability credit and a $750 veterans credit. Upping the disability credit allows those who were previously receiving both to continue receiving the same amount as they are now.
Talbot noted that the legislation allowed for a total tax credit of $5,000, and moved to amend the article to that amount, which passed in a voice vote with a single no.
Emergency communications and a seventh police officer
The town has proposed a $180,000 warrant to upgrade and relocate the emergency service communication systems. The new location would be on a cell tower on Old Rindge Road.
Police Chief Mike Abel said the town conducted a communications study in 2025 and found serious gaps. He said that’s borne out in his own experiences.
“We rely heavily on two-way communication. A lot of places in town, they don’t work. There are many situations where we’re called into dangerous situations, or unstable situations, and we don’t have the ability to communicate,” Abel said. “I’m not even talking half the time. More than half the time.”
Fire Chief Ben Hatcher agreed, saying in many situations the department has had to rely on cell phones because radios don’t work.
“Luckily, this hasn’t been a life or death situation yet, but it’s a matter of time,” Hatcher said.
Department of Public Works Director Peter Somero said this was a “very important article for all emergency services, including DPW,” adding that it was “an opportunity I’d like to see us not miss.”
A separate article requests funds for the addition of a seventh full-time police officer. The article would raise $74,814 for half a year’s salary and benefits, starting July 1. The total amount for an officer’s salary and benefits would be $149,628, and would be included in the town’s budget going forward, if approved.
Abel said the town struggles to meet demand with six full-time officers. For example, he said, officers spend the majority of their time on investigations, which limits patrols and community involvement.
He said in the last month, the police have been involved in investigating sexual assaults, a vehicle theft, a gun theft, and the arrest of a New Ipswich resident involved in a drive-by shooting in Jaffrey, all of which he said were high-intensity investigations, in addition to routine work.
Abel offered examples where the town had serious issues occur when only one officer was available, including the TD Bank robbery last summer.
“How do you handle a robbery with one officer? You don’t,” Abel said.
He said the town last added a full-time position to the police department in 2006, and since then, the number of calls the department responds to has more than doubled.
Resident Matt LaCoe proposed an amendment to double the amounts to provide for a total of eight officers, but the amendment failed in a voice vote with only a handful of ayes.
Some petition articles may be unenforceable, according to town counsel
There are several petition articles on the warrant this year, but four of the six submitted articles are either unlawful or unenforceable, according to a legal analysis conducted by the town.
One of the articles at issue is a petition that calls for a cap on the town’s operating budget. The article would limit the annual budget increase to no more than the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers for the average U.S. city for the previous calendar year.
While towns can adopt a tax cap, under RSA 32:5-b and RSA 32:5-c, the article references neither of these articles, according to the town’s legal review of the article, making it likely unenforceable and “advisory only.” To enact a tax cap, the town must first vote to adopt RSA 32:5-c, which it has not done, and the petition article does not do.
Andrews spoke as a petitioner and suggested an amendment to bring the language in line with state RSA 32:5-b, making the article lawful, but still kept the original intent to contain increases to the CPI-U.
Andrews said the goal was to keep the budget in line with inflation.
The amendment failed in a 17-14 standing vote, keeping the original language, which the town’s counsel advised would be advisory only.
Another potentially unlawful petition article would require the Select Board to comply with NH RSA 673:5, by appointing individuals to the Zoning Board for three years and reappointing members to a second term prior to the expiration of their first term.
A separate article calls for ZBA terms to be limited to two consecutive three-year terms or a total of six years at a time, and that any members who exceed that must resign within 90 days of passage of the warrant.
According to the town’s legal response, the statute states that a local land use board member’s term is three years, which complies with the article. Otherwise, it does not contain term limits, and outside of creating a three-year term is unlawful.
Resident Nancy Clark said the purpose of the first article was to comply with state law, saying that appointments have been indefinite, with no end date, which she said was inconsistent with state law. She said it was not a term limit.
The second article does not include the phrase “term limit” or provide any limitation on serving in future years, saying a person could serve an “unlimited” number of terms if they were not a consecutive third term.
LaCoe said the articles dealing with terms for the Zoning Board seemed targeted, asking why it would not apply to other appointed positions. Clark said it was an issue that was occurring at the Zoning Board that she was not aware was happening with other appointed positions.
Cindy Carter moved to have the written legal opinions included with the warrant articles on the ballot, for the petition articles that the legal opinion suggested were unlawful. Select Board Chair Jason Somero said he was not sure that would be lawful.
Carter then motioned, and was seconded by LaCoe, to amend article 18, which requires the board to reappoint Zoning Board members before the end of their three-year term, to “terms deemed appropriate by the Selectmen.”
Clark objected to the amendment, saying that it changed the subject and was out of line with the state RSA, which delineates terms for the Zoning Board, which requires a term of three years or until a replacement is made.
The amendment passed in a 26-8 standing vote.
Another article would make it unlawful for any person with a felony plea or conviction to hold positions as a Select Board member, town administrator, town clerk, or position with accounting responsibility, and that any person with a felony plea or conviction in any of those positions must resign or refuse election or appointment.
According to the town’s legal analysis, a Select Board member and town clerk are elected officials and are only required to meet the qualifications outlined by law, such as being a U.S. citizen and living in town. The Select Board has authority as employers to impose restrictions related to felony convictions on hired employees, such as the town administrator, and to conduct background checks.
Clark spoke to the article and said the town has a legal responsibility to protect against fraud and waste. She said no one who is convicted or pleads to a felony should have access to taxpayer money.
Other petition articles on the warrant
There are two other petition articles on the warrant this year, both of which were deemed legal and enforceable by the town’s attorney. The first is to increase the Select Board from three members to five.
Dailey spoke as a petitioner in support of the article to increase the board to five members. She said the change would take effect next year, with additions to the ballot.
“Many other towns are making this transition,” she said, adding that it allows for spreading the workload. The town has been operating from a position of “putting out fires,” she said.
Jason Somero said he sees the pros, but said that it may be hard to fill the positions on the ballot, leaving unfilled offices to be filled by appointment.
The other article is to spend a total of $9,970 for regional health services and nonprofits, including Meals on Wheels, the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, The River Center, and Monadnock Family Services, among others.
Resident Peggy Lee spoke to the article, saying it had been part of the town’s warrant since 2008, but had been left off last year. She said it had always passed by typically wide margins.
“I’m not sure why it’s no longer before us on the warrant,” Lee said. “I just think it deserves to go before the voters.”
The article was not recommended by the Select Board. Jason Somero spoke to it, saying that there was a “raging cultural battle” going on in the country, and he had looked to the organizations to see if they were “pushing a cultural agenda.”
“Some of them were,” he said, adding his belief that it was wrong to use tax funds to support specific charities.
Dailey said that some of the services on the list were “real meaningful” to town residents, and this was a way to support those types of services.
New Ipswich will hold a Candidate’s Night on March 3 at the Mascenic Regional High School auditorium. Voting will be held on March 10 in the Mascenic Regional High School gymnasium between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.