North Haverhill
Combined those expenditures resulted in the County Commission proposing a $49.9 million budget for the 2018 fiscal year, an increase of nearly $2 million over the county’s current spending plan.
Taxes are expected to go up if the proposal is approved. The commissioners are requesting a $1.3 million, or 5.7 percent, increase in revenue raised through property taxes.
County taxes are traditionally the smallest portion of New Hampshire property taxes, however.
For instance, Lebanon residents in 2016 paid $1.86 per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value to fund county operations. That’s $465 on a $250,000 home.
By comparison, the school portion of the same home’s property tax bill would be about $3,350.
Commissioners said they didn’t set out to increase spending but found themselves contending with rising fixed costs and repairs needed at the county complex.
“I think all of those things added up to a tough year. They really did,” said Linda Lauer, D-Bath, the commission’s chairwoman. “I think we did the best balance we could between the taxpayers and the needs of the county. It’s a balance every year.”
The commissioners were presented with a large increase in health insurance costs this year, County Administrator Julie Libby said in an interview last week.
Initially, the county was told its health insurance renewal rates would amount to a 15.7 percent increase, or $438,500. By adjusting co-pays and deductibles on the health plans available to county employees, she said, the county were able to reduce that increase down to $319,340.
The county’s contributions to the New Hampshire Retirement System will also go up in the coming year, Libby said. As of July 1, Grafton County will be called upon to pay an additional $154,000 annually to the state pension system.
A new sewer line at the county complex will also cost $105,000 next year, Libby said.
The existing line that runs from the county’s pump station, under the parking lot and to town-owned system was first constructed in 1980. In November, it experienced a break and engineers warned officials it could happen again.
So, the commissioners decided to replace the line, Libby said. The new line will run alongside the parking lot and cost an estimated $210,000, which is being broken down into payments over two years.
While work is ongoing, officials hope to begin re-paving the parking lot.
It is estimated that will cost $348,000 but payments will be broken out over three years.
The commissioners’ proposed budget includes staffing increases at the County Attorney’s Office, where prosecutors have asked for more resources as a result of the felonies first program.
In the past, felony cases had to go through two courts — a distrct one and then superior — but as of April, cases to go straight to Grafton County Superior Court.
Libby said the county is requesting an additional legal assistant and assistant county attorney to help manage the workload. It’s also calling for an existing part-time attorney position to become full time.
The Register of Deeds is asking for a full-time staffer, too, Libby said. All together, those staffing changes will amount to an increase of about $285,493.
In the nursing home, county officials have said an ongoing nursing shortage will impact the budget.
In order to meet staffing levels, Grafton County had contracted nursing services, resulting in a $400,000 over-expenditure in the current nursing home budget. Libby said the county continues to expect contracting nurses and included an additional $400,000 in the proposed budget.
“It’s an unbelievable burden that we’re caught in,” Commissioner Wendy Piper, D-Enfield, said of the shortage.
Piper called the proposed budget “unavoidable” and said it was heavily reviewed by both department heads and the commissioners before being decided upon.
Piper and Lauer both voted for the budget, while Commissioner Omer Ahern Jr., R-Plymouth, opposed it.
“I felt that there was some other things that could have been responsibility cut from the budget.” Ahern said.
He contended that the felonies first program was too new, and questioned why commissioners should fund additional staff at the County Attorney’s Office less than a year into the initiative.
Ahern also was critical of equipment purchases for the county farm, and said more could be done to derive revenue from work there.
Since a significant portion of Grafton County’s residents are elderly, Ahern said he didn’t feel comfortable asking them to foot the increase.
“The burden keeps falling back onto the Grafton County taxpayers,” he said.
However, Lauer said if commissioners just focused on the needs of taxpayers, operations at the county complex could suffer. The county is charged with providing corrections, nursing home and court services.
“We certainly recognize the need to keep county taxes low,” Lauer said. “I think we did everything possible to do that, and maintain effective county operations and treat our staff fairly.”
The Grafton County delegation is tasked with reviewing the commissioners’ budget next, and will likely work throughout June to craft it’s own budget. Lauer said it is rare for the delegation to make drastic changes to the commission’s proposal, and she hopes lawmakers will take up the county’s recommendations.
The commissioners will also hold a public hearing on the proposed budget at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 22 at the Grafton County Administration Building, 3855 Dartmouth College Highway, North Haverhill.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.