NORTH HAVERHILL — The Grafton County legislative delegation has approved a $57.7 million spending plan for the fiscal year that begins Tuesday.
In a 16-9 party line vote, Democrats unanimously supported the proposed budget while Republicans rejected it at a meeting on June 23.
“In today’s world, everything is partisan,” Grafton County Commission Chairwoman Martha McLeod, D-Franconia said in a phone interview Monday. “A good way to make a statement is a party-line vote.”
Before the roll call vote, state Rep. Donald McFarlane, R-Orange, urged delegates to “vote on whether they want to reduce the budget to achieve a lower tax rate,” according to the meeting minutes.
The budget is up 2.6% from last year, but there’s an 11.5% increase in the amount to be raised by taxes.
The bulk of the tax increase is the result of a significant reduction in the use of surplus funds to offset taxes, County Administrator Julie Libby said in an earlier interview with the Valley News.
For the current fiscal year, the delegation approved adding $2.48 million in revenue from the fund balance. The delegation’s executive committee cut the fund balance line item to $1.7 million, Libby said.
With expenses exceeding revenues for the past two fiscal years and the county using $5 million in surplus funds for the Broadband Middle Mile project, meant to provide broadband to Grafton County municipalities, there are fewer dollars available in the fund to bring down taxes, according to the notes that accompanied the proposed budget.
The state Department of Revenue Administration will set the actual tax rate for each community based on an equalization formula and property assessments in each municipality, Libby said.
Every delegate who voted in favor of the budget, except for State Rep. Terry Spahr, D-Hanover, opposed McFarlane’s motion to freeze some of the Grafton County Commission’s accounts until its three members add a remote participation option to their meetings.
“I wanted to make certain (remote participation) would happen,” Spahr said. “Grafton County is a massive county geographically and this is one more way to allow citizen participation.”
While candidates and officials have been able to participate in commissioner meetings remotely since the pandemic, the public hasn’t had the option, McLeod said in a phone interview Monday.
Last fall, a couple of candidates running for county commissioner seats requested to join meetings on Zoom, but there were technical difficulties, McLeod said.
“It was very disruptive and was not very useful because the audio was very poor,” McLeod said. “We were constantly being interrupted to find out who was speaking…People have always been able to come to our meetings in person. I realize it’s challenging for people who live far away, but it’s not helpful for anyone to have a meeting where they can’t hear.”
Audio recordings of the meetings are available to the public upon request and meeting minutes are posted within five business days of a meeting.
“Its not an issue of open governance,” McLeod said. “The transparency has been there all along.”
But at the June 23 budget vote, McFarlane disagreed.
“Commissioner McLeod has given the impression to many people that she is acting in a way that is deceptive and intended to reduce the transparency of Commissioner meetings,” McFarlane said according to the minutes.
McFarlane’s motion failed 15-10, but based on feedback from the public and delegates the commissioners plan to make remote participation at meetings possible at the end of July, with the help of a new IT director who started in June.
After the budget passed, State Rep. Calvin Beaulier, R-Littleton, brought forth a resolution for the delegation to shows its support and cooperation with U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
Two of the three commissioners, McLeod and Katie Hedberg, have spoken out against Grafton County Sheriff Jill Myers’ decision to sign a “memorandum of agreement” with ICE. Beaulier’s resolution states that the delegation supports Myers.
State Rep. Mary Hakken-Phillips, D-Hanover, made a motion to table the resolution. It passed, 17-8.
Emma Roth-Wells can be reached at erothwells@vnews.com or 603-727-3242.
