Newport’s deliberative session will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Newport Town Hall.
Newport
The budget represents an increase of about $484,000, or 5 percent, from the current year’s; however, because of additional non-tax revenues, the amount to be raised by taxes is up just $129,000.
“There are increases in health insurance and retirement across the budget and raises for non-union employees,” said Newport Finance Director Paul Brown, explaining part of the increase.
Hardware and software maintenance for the town also contributed to the increase, as did a lease agreement for breathing masks for the fire department.
Voters also will discuss a $550,000 appropriation for the engineering, land acquisition and construction of the Coon Brook Road Bridge project. The state will pay for 80 percent of the project.
The proposed four-year contract for police includes a step increase and raises, but some of the cost is being offset by savings in health insurance because police will be paying more of the premium cost, Brown said. The first-year cost of the police contract is $2,377.
The four-year public works contract also includes savings for the town in health insurance, along with raises.
The town is proposing to contribute $10,000 to the public transportation bus service run by Southwestern Community Service in Keene, N.H.
That is double the amount from the last several years, when the bus was operated by the Community Alliance of Human Services and is based on a request from SCS.
The last article asks voters to approve $1,500 for town Christmas lights and decorations.
For years the town funded the decorations, which have been put up and maintained by the fire department for the last decade, Newport Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ella Casey said.
That money was been cut from the town budget in 2016, so the Chamber paid for the lights last year.
Casey said the chamber is not able to pay for the lights every year, so she came up with the petition article to see if residents want to continue the annual display.
Neither the Selectboard nor the Budget Advisory Committee supports the article.
According to Brown, if all requested appropriations pass, the municipal tax rate would increase about 25 cents to $11.51 per $1,000 of assessed valuation and add $38 in town taxes on a property assessed at $150,000.
The final vote on the warrant is May 9.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
