Town Warrant 101

We vote in less than a week and there are a few warrant articles I'd like to point out. In total, there are 16 warrant articles on the Town ballot. That can be a little overwhelming to review when you're standing in the voting booth. I'll do my best to provide some explanation.

Article T-2 is a proposed amendment to the Town charter. The town's explanation of this warrant article is: 

Since 1991, Town has included contributions to Capital Reserve Funds as an appropriation in the Annual Budget. The NH Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) stated that contributions must be on ballot as separate warrant articles since our charter did not specify another way. This amendment would go back to previous practice.

This comes down to personal preference. In the past, the Town budget included all the contributions to our capital reserve funds (think of those as our savings accounts) within the operating budget. When we go to the polls to approve the budget, those items are already included. The Town would like to continue to operate this way – hence the proposed warrant article. If it's not approved, each contribution to the capital reserves will be broken out individually - as they are in this year's warrant. That means a longer ballot each year, but also the opportunity for voters to express opinions about the individual contributions. 

We vote on March 10. Polls will be open at Town Hall from 7am-7pm.