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16 School St.
Allenstown, NH
485-4276
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Voters will face a shopping list of warrant articles, some of which dealt with big ticket items. Here is what you need to evaluate.
The following links take you to the full text of each warrant article, including voting results, and a commentary to get you thinking.
Article 1 – Choose Town Officers
To choose all necessary Town Officers for the ensuing year.
Commentary: This actually happens on Election Day.
Recommendation: Yes, go vote on March 11, but first check out the
list of candidates.
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Article 2 – Zoning Ordinances Amendment #1
| Votes: |
YES: |
604 |
NO: |
220 |
PASSED |
Are you in favor of the adoption of Amendment No. 1 as proposed by the Allenstown Planning Board for the Town of Allenstown Zoning Ordinance as follows:
To amend Article 4, Sections 401, 402 and 403 to reflect current terminology and reference to State Law, and add, "as amended"; and, to clarify section 404 by stating that administrative decisions, not just decisions of the Building Inspector, may be appealed to the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
The Planning Board recommends this Article.
Commentary: These zoning article are always added to the warrant just before the deliberative session with no explanation as to why they are needed. At the Feb. 1 meeting, no one asked any questions about them, meaning no one understood what they meant. They may have been finalized months ago at a Planning Board Hearing, but you need an explanation now. Without that public explanation, you need to vote No until a timely explanation is provided.
Recommendation: No. Don't approve anything without a full explanation.
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Article 3 – Zoning Ordinances Amendment #2
| Votes: |
YES: |
543 |
NO: |
269 |
PASSED |
Are you in favor of the adoption of Amendment No. 2 as proposed by the Allenstown Planning Board for the Town of Allenstown Zoning Ordinance as follows:
To amend Article 4, Section 401.c of the Allenstown Zoning Ordinance to remove restrictions on Zoning Board of Adjustment membership for the Board of Selectmen, Fire Chief, Fire Prevention Officer or Sewer Commission. Additionally, to remove a reference to the outdated RSA 31:67-a and replace with the currently relevant RSA 669:75, as amended.
The Planning Board recommends this Article.
Commentary: This amendment seems to ask you to allow leading town officials to also be members of the planning board. You need to encourage more residents to fill these positions and prevent them from being filled by people who already hold other town positions. It does not make for good government to have the same people hold multiple positions.
Recommendation: No. Don't approve anything without a full explanation.
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Article 4 – Zoning Ordinances Amendment #3
| Votes: |
YES: |
615 |
NO: |
204 |
PASSED |
Are you in favor of the adoption of Amendment No. 3 as proposed by the Allenstown Planning Board for the Town of Allenstown Zoning Ordinance as follows:
To amend Article II to create a definition for "Accessory Agricultural Use" for single family homes. Such a use is to be customary, incidental, and accessory to the home and for the purpose of providing food and/or other agricultural products to the residents of that home.
The Planning Board recommends this Article.
Commentary: See Article 2.
Recommendation: No. Don't approve anything without a full explanation.
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Article 5 – Zoning Ordinances Amendment #4
| Votes: |
YES: |
565 |
NO: |
257 |
PASSED |
Are you in favor of the adoption of Amendment No. 4 as proposed by the Allenstown Planning Board for the Town of Allenstown Zoning Ordinance as follows:
To amend Article XI to provide guidance when Article XI is in conflict with other provisions of the Allenstown Zoning Ordinance; to specify requirements for Accessory Agricultural Uses; and, to establish provisions for the keeping of chickens under that, including, that chickens must remain on their owner's lot, that the keeping of 17 or more chickens shall require site plan review and compliance with any relevant requirements of the Agricultural Conservation District, that chickens on lots 1.5 acres or less must be housed in an enclosure that provides at least 2.5 square feet of living space for each bird, and that roosters are only permitted in the Open Space and Farming (OSF) Zone.
The Planning Board recommends this Article.
Commentary: No. Don't approve anything without a full explanation.
Recommendation: No, eggs-actly
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Article 6 – Approve Town Budget
| Votes: |
YES: |
382 |
NO: |
457 |
FAILED |
Proposed 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 Three Million Six Hundred Seventy-Seven Thousand One Hundred Forty-One Dollars ($3,677,141.00).
Default budget: Should this article be defeated, the default budget shall be Three Million Eight Hundred Thirty-Seven Thousand Six Hundred Thirty-Nine Dollars ($3,837,639.00) 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. Passage of this article has an estimated tax rate impact of approximately $0.54 per thousand dollars of assessed value.
NOTE: This warrant article (operating budget) does not include appropriations in ANY other warrant article.
The Select Board does not recommend this Article (One said it was too low, another said it was too high.). The Budget Committee recommends this Article.
Commentary: The Budget Committee worked long and hard to get this budget under the default amount. It was hard keeping department heads focussed on budget amounts that taxpayers could afford, rather than amounts that they said they needed. The town population has shrunk in the past 10 years from 5,000 to about 4,300 with virtually no new businesses to help defray taxes. How can fewer people bear the burden of higher taxes? Who would want to move into a town with a dwindling population and an increasing tax bill?
Recommendation: Yes, vote for the lower budget, the proposed one.
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Article 7 – Approve Sewer Dept. Budget
| Votes: |
YES: |
603 |
NO: |
267 |
PASSED |
Proposed budget: Shall the Town of Allenstown raise and appropriate as an operating budget for the Allenstown Sewer Commission, 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 Two Million Forty-four Thousand Eight Hundred and ninety-two Dollars ($2,044,892.00) said sum to come from sewer rents.
Default budget: Should this article be defeated, the default budget shall be Two Million Eighty-eight Thousand Two Hundred and Fifty-nine Dollars ($2,088,259.00), also to come from sewer rents, 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. Passage of this article has no impact on the tax rate.
NOTE: This warrant article (operating budget) does not include appropriations in ANY other warrant article.
The Select Board recommends this Article. The Budget Committee recommends this Article.
Commentary: The Sewer Commission has done a commendable job keeping the sewer rates low. The current rate is $7.59/1000 gal, which is a penny less than last year. And they are the only department that makes money due to fees from an increase in septage haulers. That's what keeps your rates low.
Recommendation: Yes
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Article 8 – Lease/purchase a new dump truck
| Votes: |
YES: |
532 |
NO: |
355 |
PASSED |
Shall the Town of Allenstown vote to authorize the Select Board to enter into a long-term five (5) year lease purchase agreement for One Hundred Sixty Four Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($164,500) for the purpose of acquiring a new dump truck with plows and sander for the Highway Department, and to raise and appropriate the sum of $36,000 for the first year's payment for that purpose. This lease agreement contains a non-appropriation clause. This vehicle will replace a 1990 Dump truck. Passage of this article has an estimated tax rate impact of approximately $0.15 per thousand dollars of assessed value.
The Select Board recommends this Article. The Budget Committee recommends this Article.
Commentary: Well, the old dump truck may be 24 years old but this is not a good year to be making big purchases. The economy is still sputtering along, the job participation rate is shrinking, more people giving up looking for work, there are a lot of home foreclosures in town, and the tax rate is cresting $30/thousand.
Instead, a small amount of funds might keep that truck serviceable until next year when we might be more financially capable of such a large expenditure.
Recommendation: No
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Article 9 – Landfill Capital Reserve Fund
| Votes: |
YES: |
438 |
NO: |
432 |
PASSED |
Shall the Town of Allenstown raise and appropriate the sum Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000) to be placed in the Landfill Capital Reserve Fund. Passage of this article has an estimated tax rate impact of approximately $0.04 per thousand dollars of assessed value.
The Select Board recommends this Article. The Budget Committee recommends this Article.
Commentary: The state requires Allenstown to test the landfill yearly. All that trash that had been buried for years is still there, slowly decomposing, so the state makes us spend tax dollars to test it to see if it meets their standards.
Recommendation: Yes
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Article 10 – Establish an Accrued Benefits Fund
| Votes: |
YES: |
498 |
NO: |
369 |
PASSED |
Shall the town vote to establish an Accrued Benefits Liability Expendable Trust Fund, for the purpose of funding the costs of accrued employee vacation leave that is payable at the time of the employee separation or retirement and to raise and appropriate the sum of $10,000 to be added to said fund, to be funded from fund balance and to name the Select Board as agents to expend from the fund. Passage of this article has no impact on the tax rate.
The Select Board recommends this Article. The Budget Committee recommends this Article.
Commentary: This article creates a fund to deal with the need to pay a departing employee for the hours of unused vacation time. This is payment for a benefit that the employee earned but did not fully use while employed by the town.
Recommendation: Yes
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Article 11 – Allow Selectmen to buy/sell property
| Votes: |
YES: |
411 |
NO: |
447 |
FAILED |
Shall the Town of Allenstown vote to adopt the provisions of RSA 41:14-a authorizing the selectmen to have the authority to acquire or sell land, buildings, or both; provided however, that prior to such acquisition or sale, that the Select Board comply with all procedural requirements of RSA 41:14-a as it may be amended, including but not limited to Planning Board and Conservation Commission review and recommendation and public hearings. In accordance with the provisions of RSA 41:14-c, once adopted these provisions shall remain in effect until specifically rescinded by the town at any duly warned meeting.
The Select Board recommends this Article.
Commentary: First of all, we don't have to accept the provisions of RSA 41:14-a. It's an option. Secondly, the selectmen may already have authority to sell property taken over for tax liens and one assumes that the proceeds go into the general fund to offset taxes rather than be spent without taxpayer input. Thirdly, without this change, the voters have the final say in buying or selling property (such as donations) via a warrant article, which would force the selectmen to present all the facts so that the voters could decide what they want to do.
Recommendation: Probably no.
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Article 12 – Modify the elderly tax exemption
| Votes: |
YES: |
635 |
NO: |
212 |
PASSED |
Shall the Town of Allenstown 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 74 years, $20,000; for a person 75 years of age up to 79 years, $30,000; for a person 8o years of age or older, $50,000. 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 recommends this Article.
Commentary: This article increases dollar amount of the exemption for all age categories, but keeps the income restrictions at the same level as last year's article. The big disqualiier is if you own a home or have a retirement fund or savings over $85,000. Those under 65 essentially pick up the price tag for these exemptions. It would be interesting to learn how many residents actually qualify for this exemption.
Recommendation: Yes
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Article 13 – Lengthen term of Town Clerk
| Votes: |
YES: |
608 |
NO: |
251 |
PASSED |
Are you in favor of changing the term of the town clerk from one year to 3 years, beginning with the term of the town clerk to be elected at next year's regular town meeting.
The Select Board recommends this Article.
Commentary: Many other nearby towns offer three-year terms to their town clerks. This alleviates the need for the clerk to have to run for office every year and it also eliminates the need to train a new clerk every year if there is a changeover.
Recommendation: Yes
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Article 14 – EPA storm water regulations
| Votes: |
YES: |
648 |
NO: |
191 |
PASSED |
Shall the Town of Allenstown vote to regulate discharges into the storm water drainage system in order to comply with the requirements of the MS4 permit issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, enforcement of such regulations shall be done by the Town of Allenstown. A complete copy of the proposed ordinance CO 217 is on file with the Town Clerk.
The Select Board recommends this Article.
Commentary: The Environmental Gestapo has once again found a way to make us spend more of our hard-earned money to comply with their ill-conceived policies. You could vote No, but they wold probably hit us with a fine.
Recommendation: No, but you'll have to approve this one.
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Article 15 – Change Road Agent to appointed position
| Votes: |
YES: |
339 |
NO: |
513 |
FAILED |
Shall the Town of Allenstown vote to change the position of road agent from an elected position to an appointed position and to authorize the Selectmen to appoint a road agent pursuant to RSA 231:62. If passed, this warrant article will become effective in 2016 at the end of the term of the current elected road agent.
The Select Board recommends this Article.
Commentary: The pros and cons are as follows.
For an appointed position, this article allows the selectmen to interview candidates and pick the best one. If the appointee does not perform well, the selectmen can hopefully replace that person with another appointee.
On the other hand, an appointment takes the decision out of the hands of the taxpayers, who then still have to pay the salary and benefits of the appointee. An elected candidate must demonstrate qualifications to the voters, although this is not as stringent as with an interview for an appointment. For an appointee, privacy regulations prevent you from requesting the details of the interviews to see if the best appointment was actually made.
There is also the potential for favoritism and cronyism and the difficulty of removing a poorly performing but politically-connected appointee. With an election, you can vote them out of office.
Recommendation: No
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Article 16 – Specify Road Agent's duties
| Votes: |
YES: |
707 |
NO: |
142 |
PASSED |
Shall the Town of Allenstown vote to require the Road Agent, pursuant to RSA 231:63 shall be responsible for the garbage collection, care, and maintenance of the Town Dump.
The Select Board recommends this Article.
Commentary: As a selectman once explained, the Road Agent's duties are not actually defined anywhere, so this article describes the duties currently performed.
Recommendation: Yes
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Article 17 – Change Treasurer to appointed position
| Votes: |
YES: |
331 |
NO: |
510 |
FAILED |
Shall the Town of Allenstown vote to change the office of Town Treasurer from an elected position to an appointed position pursuant to the authority under RSA 41:26-e. Such appointment shall be made by the Select Board. If approved, the current elected Treasurer will continue to serve until the March 2015 annual town meeting, at which time the Treasurer shall be appointed.
The Select Board recommends this Article.
Commentary: You should read the commentary from article 15 above since it applies here also.
Recommendation: No
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Article 18 – Support funds for Child and Family Service – PETITION
| Votes: |
YES: |
370 |
NO: |
486 |
FAILED |
Shall the town of Allenstown vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $3,500 for the purpose of supporting the services provided to residents to access counseling and family support services, without regard to income from Child and Family Services.
Child and Family Services provides accessible and affordable programs to children, youth, and their families leading to stronger family connections, improved school performance, and better citizenship. From July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013, 98 Allenstown residents received over $94,000 of free or reduced services from Child and Family Services, including mental health counseling, adoption planning, child abuse prevention and treatment, foster care, residential summer camping and elder care/independent living.
Passage of this article has an estimated tax rate impact of approximately $0.01 per thousand dollars of assessed value.
The Select Board does not recommend this Article. The Budget Committee does not recommend this Article.
Commentary: This article was amended at the deliberative session to put it into proper warrant article "legalese." The Select Board and the Budget Committtee still felt that it had been submitted too late in the town budget process (all budgets had been submitted, reviewed, amended, and approved) and there was no time to figure out how to fund it and in what department budget to add it.
Since it is a minimal amount, it should meet with approval during next year's budget cycle.
Recommendation: No
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