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The following links take you to the full text of each warrant article, including voting results (when known), and a commentary to get you thinking about how to vote.

• Article 1 – Choose Town Officers
• Article 2 – Approve Town Budget
• Article 3 – Lease A New Fire Truck
• Article 4 – Put Tax Impact in Warrants
• Article 5 – Establish Recreation Fund
• Article 6 – Establish Recycling Fund
• Article 7 – Modify Elderly Tax Exemption
• Article 8 – Unanticipated Library Funds
• Article 9 – Incidental Library Income
• Article 10 – Funds for Bus to Pembroke Academy

Note: For warrant articles that do not involve monetary issues, the Budget Committee does not offer a recommendation.

Article 1 – Choose Town Officers

To choose all necessary Town Officers for the ensuing year as follows:
Town Clerk, for a term of one (1) year;
Town Treasurer, for a term of one (1) year;
Select Board Member, for a term of three (3) years;
Sewer Commissioner, for a term of three (3) years;
Sewer Commissioner, for a term of one (1) year;
Trustee of Trust Funds, for a term of three (3) years;
Library Trustee, for a term of three (3) years;
Trustee of Cemeteries Fund, for a term of three (3) years;
Road Agent, for a term of three (3) years;
Budget Committee Member, for a term of three (3) years;
Budget Committee Member, for a term of three (3) years;
Budget Committee Member, for a term of three (3) years;
Budget Committee Member, for a term of three (3) years;
Budget Committee Member, for a term of two (2) years;
Budget Committee Member, for a term of one (1) year;

Commentary: This actually happens on Election Day.

Recommendation: Yes, go vote on March 12.

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Article 2 – Approve Town Budget

Shall the Town of Allenstown raise and appropriate as an operating budget, not including appropriations by special warrant articles and other appropriations voted separately, the amounts set forth on the budget posted with the warrant or as amended by vote of the first session, for the purposes set forth therein, totaling Five Million Four Hundred Sixty-nine Thousand and One Dollar ($5,469,001.00)? Should this article be defeated, the default budget shall be Five Million Four Hundred Ninety-three Thousand Nine Hundred Nineteen Dollars ($5,493,919.00) which is the same as last year, with certain adjustments required by previous action of the Town of Allenstown or by law, or the governing body may hold one special meeting, in accordance with RSA 40:13 X and XVI, to take up the issue of a revised operations budget only.

NOTE: This warrant article (operating budget) does not include appropriations in ANY other warrant article.

The Select Board supports this article. The Budget Committee does not support this Article.

Commentary:
Vote Yes for the proposed budget of $5,469,001.00.
Vote No for the default budget of $5,493,919.00, which is $25,000 higher than the proposed one (not a wise choice).

In 2012, voters approved the proposed budget of $5,439,616, which was not quite $30,000 less than this year's proposed budget. The town departments worked hard holding the line on spending in response to the selectmens' request to keep budgets at or below default. You should commend them for that effort.

Recommendation: Yes

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Article 3 – Lease a New Fire Truck

To see if the Town of Allenstown will vote to authorize the Select Board to enter into a long-term five (5) year lease purchase agreement for Four Hundred Twenty Thousand Seven Hundred Two and 70/100ths Dollars ($420,702.70) for the purpose of acquiring a new Fire Truck Pumper (this will replace a 1976 fire truck pumper and a 1981 fire truck pumper), and to raise and appropriate the sum of Eighty-Four Thousand One Hundred Forty and 54/100ths Dollars ($84,140.54) for the first year's payment for that purpose. This lease agreement contains an escape clause. (Majority vote required).

The Select Board supports this article. The Budget Committee does not support this Article.

Commentary: Back in 2010, the Fire Dept. submitted two warrant articles: one to buy a fire truck with a federal grant and the other to lease a truck. The former article passed but for some reason, the grant didn't come through.

So now the old fire trucks are three years older and the current article asks us to take out a five-year lease on a new one and sell the 1976 (37 years old) and 1981 (32 years old) trucks. The Fire Dept. has been nursing these relics for years and parts are getting more scarce by the day.

The flier prepared by the Fire Dept. stated that the new truck has many features lacking on the old trucks, features that offer better ways to put out fires, better safety for fire fighters, and more durable onboard systems. It may be time to bite the bullet.

Recommendation: Yes

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Article 4 – Put Tax Impact in Warrants

The Select Board supports this article.

Commentary: This is a no brainer. For years some fool regulation has prevented the town from telling taxpayers the tax impact of any budget or spending article. While it may be true that a precise tax impact may not be possible, voters deserve to know if something is going to raise their taxes by a dollar per thousand or only a nickel.

Recommendation: Yes

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Article 5 – Establish Recreation Fund

To see if the Town of Allenstown will vote to establish a Recreation Revolving Fund pursuant to RSA 35-B:2 II. The money received from fees and charges for recreation park services and facilities shall be allowed to accumulate from year to year, and shall not be considered to be part of the general fund unassigned fund balance. The treasurer shall have custody of all monies in the fund, and shall pay out the same only upon order of the Recreation Commission (no further legislative body approval required). These funds may be expended only for recreation purposes as stated in RSA 35-B, and no expenditure shall be made in such a way as to require the expenditure of other funds that have not been appropriated for that purpose.

The Select Board supports this article.

Commentary: The fees here add up to a small amount and they are to be used solely for funding recreational programs for children.

Recommendation: Yes

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Article 6 – Establish Recycling Fund

To see if the Town of Allenstown will vote to establish a Recycling Revolving Fund pursuant to RSA 31:95-h for the purpose of facilitating recycling as defined in RSA 149-M. The money received from all fees, charges or other income derived from the operation of the recycling program established by the Allenstown Solid Waste Ordinance, adopted on October 24, 2011, and paid to the Town shall be allowed to accumulate from year to year, and shall not be considered to be part of the general fund unassigned fund balance. The Treasurer shall have custody of all monies in the fund, and shall pay out the same only upon order of the governing body (the Select Board) and no further legislative body approval will be required. These funds shall be expended only for the purpose for which the fund was created.

The Select Board supports this article.

Commentary: The Highway Dept. has always seemed like the poor relative living on the wrong side of town. When the recycling program was initiated, the question was asked: do you get to keep the funds you collect from recycling? The answer was no. Most of these fees come from recycling appliances, furniture, electronics, and scrap metal.

Consider these funds as a voluntary tax, like the lottery, but the town gets to keep all the money and it doesn't get wasted by a state-run bureaucracy. A better idea (as stated in this article) is to let the Highway Dept. keep the funds and use them for maintaining the recycling program (for example, special dumpsters and other equipment) rather than letting the funds be gobbled up by the other departments.

Recommendation: Yes

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Article 7 – Modify Elderly Tax Exemption

Shall we vote to modify the elderly exemption from property tax in the Town of Allenstown, based on assessed value, for qualified tax payers, to be as follows: for a person 65 years of age up to 75 years, $10,000; for a person 76 years of age up to 80 years, $15,000; for a person 81 years of age or older, $25,000. To qualify, the tax payer must have been a New Hampshire resident for at least three (3) years, own the real estate individually or jointly, or if the real estate is owned by such person's spouse, they must have been married for at least five (5) years. In addition, the tax payer must have net income of less than $40,000 or if married, a combined net income of less than $52,000; and own assets not in excess of $85,000 excluding the value of the tax payer's residence.

The Select Board supports this article.

Commentary: This is a commendable improvement for our elderly residents who are retired and living on Social Security and maybe a small pension. Even the lowest bracket ($10,000), at a tax rate of $30/thousand (let's hope it's lower), gives a tax break of $300.00.

Recommendation: Yes

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Article 8 – Unanticipated Library Funds

Shall the Town accept the provisions of RSA 202-A:4-c providing that any town at an annual meeting may adopt an article authorizing indefinitely until specific rescission of such authority, the public library Trustees to apply for, accept and expend, without further action by the town meeting, unanticipated money from the state, federal or other governmental unit or a private source which becomes available during the fiscal year?

The Select Board supports this article.

Commentary: The wording of this article is so dense that it sounds like it came from the law offices of Dewey, Cheetham, and Howe with the intent of preventing the average voter from understanding it. That makes one suspicious. Receipt of unanticipated funds should require the Library to return an equal amount to the taxpayers.

Recommendation: No, unless some concrete explanation is offered.

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Article 9 – Incidental Library Income

Shall we permit the public library to retain all money it receives from its income-generating equipment to be used for general repairs and upgrading and for the purchase of books, supplies and income generating equipment? This is a non-lapsing article.

The Select Board supports this article.

Commentary: This article covers minimal income from overdue book fines and fees.

Recommendation: Yes

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Article 10 – Funds for Bus to Pembroke Academy

Shall the Town of Allenstown raise and appropriate the sum of Forty-three Thousand Six Hundred Ten Dollars ($43,610) for the 2013-14 school years for the purpose of providing bus transportation for 143 Allenstown resident students attending Pembroke Academy? That sum is equal to Eight Hundred Thirty-eight and 65/100ths Dollars ($838.65) per week for all 143 Allenstown students. That is Five and 86/100ths Dollars ($5.86) per student per week to have morning and afternoon transportation.

The Select Board does not support this article. The Budget Committee does not support this Article.

Commentary: Carpooling doesn't cost the taxpayer anything. It's been the common practice for years. Please stop trying to solve problems by spending taxpayer money.

Recommendation: No.

CAUTION: This same article is number 5 on the school warrant. Vote No on that one too.

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