Article 12
Shall the Town vote to 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 herein, totaling $9,916,234? Should this article be defeated, the default budget shall be $9,567,713, which is the same as last year, with certain adjustments required by previous action of the Town 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 operating budget only. ($9,992,620 approved by the Selectmen) (Majority Vote Required)
Status
- Originator Board of Selectmen
- Board of Selectmen 5-0-0 Recommended
- Budget Committee 11-0-0 Recommended
Voter's Guide Explanation
This Warrant provides the Board of Selectmen and the Budget Committee's recommended town operating budget for 2007. Also included in compliance with state regulations is the compliant default budget, which would be in effect should the electorate reject the recommended budget. Review of the recommended 2007 budget versus the 2006 operating budget shows a net increase of 5.7%.
Included in this growth are approximately 2.0% of contractual obligations resulting from existing contracts.
Continuing with the budget preparation initiatives implemented last year, the Board of Selectmen required that all departments prepare their 2007 budgets using "Zero-Based "budgeting. This approach required a completely new generation of budgets, rather than using the previous year's budget as a starting point. Also, this year, unlike previous years, where departments were allowed to establish their budgets based upon perceived needs, the Board of Selectmen challenged each town department to become more efficient by establishing a 5% growth objective. To their credit, each department embraced the concept and provided budgets that not only resulted in meeting the objective but also withstood BOS and Budget Committee scrutiny with minimal reductions. Any growth beyond the 5% objective is attributed to inclusion in the budget of life and safety items and compensated absence contingencies previously addressed through separate warrant articles.
It is now intended to require "Zero-Based" budgeting every 3 to 4 years to eliminate the inherent growth that occurs when budgets are developed using the past year's budget as a baseline.
As the review shows, the Board of Selectmen affected $69,247 in reductions from the requested budgets, while the Budget Committee reduced the budget further by $76,387, all of which represents a total of $145,634, or a reduction of 1.5% from departmental requests.
Voter approval of the recommended budget will enable the town to provide services and supplies consistent with voter expectations, as well as satisfy public safety considerations.
Backup Budget Data - 2007
| Department | 2006 Operating Budget | 2007 Default Budget | Requested Budget | 2007 BOS Recommended | BOS Reduction | BUDCOM Recommend | BUDCOM Reduction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessor | $91,157 | $92,649 | $94,052 | $94,052 | $0 | $94,052 | $0 |
| Budget Committee | $2,520 | $2,520 | $2,469 | $2,469 | $0 | $2,469 | $0 |
| Cable Department | $60,467 | $66,709 | $84,816 | $78,460 | ($6,356) | $78,460 | $0 |
| Cemetary | $119,113 | $120,625 | $118,939 | $119,224 | $285 | $118,939 | ($285) |
| Conservation Committee | $7,670 | $7,670 | $8,298 | $9,698 | $1,400 | $8,298 | ($1,400) |
| Debt Service Interest | $302,240 | $243,734 | $238,735 | $238,735 | $0 | $238,735 | $0 |
| Debt Service Principal | $433,294 | $440,746 | $440,746 | $440,746 | $0 | $440,746 | $0 |
| Elections | $21,459 | $20,200 | $14,112 | $14,112 | $0 | $14,112 | $0 |
| Emergency Management | $952 | $952 | $184,177 | $72,165 | ($112,012) | $72,165 | $0 |
| Fire Department | $1,256,278 | $1,210,789 | $1,314,173 | $1,376,673 | $62,500 | $1,335,088 | ($41,585) |
| Health Officer | $4,250 | $4,250 | $4,250 | $4,250 | $0 | $4,250 | $0 |
| Health Services | $44,965 | $44,965 | $50,050 | $50,050 | $0 | $50,050 | $0 |
| Highway Maintenance | $840,310 | $847,381 | $877,670 | $879,125 | $1,455 | $877,670 | ($1,455) |
| Human Services | $40,025 | $40,025 | $80,905 | $80,905 | $0 | $80,905 | $0 |
| Insurance | $1,231,706 | $1,253,285 | $1,248,075 | $1,248,075 | $0 | $1,248,075 | $0 |
| Legal | $85,000 | $85,000 | $90,000 | $90,000 | $0 | $90,000 | $0 |
| Library | $225,223 | $225,223 | $228,756 | $228,812 | $56 | $228,756 | ($56) |
| Parks & Recreation | $364,406 | $372,569 | $232,296 | $232,071 | ($225) | $197,071 | ($35,000) |
| Planning Dept | $228,083 | $239,470 | $265,372 | $267,872 | $2,500 | $265,372 | ($2,500) |
| Police Department | $2,089,038 | $1,976,482 | $2,076,149 | $2,082,424 | $6,275 | $2,084,390 | $1,966 |
| Retirement | $415,878 | $609,898 | $644,619 | $644,619 | $0 | $644,619 | $0 |
| Selectmen Expenses | $323,193 | $447,578 | $469,550 | $469,750 | $200 | $469,550 | ($200) |
| Senior Center | $65,924 | $71,717 | $69,757 | $68,932 | ($825) | $68,060 | ($872) |
| Town Buildings | $384,588 | $394,403 | $480,473 | $460,973 | ($19,500) | $460,973 | $0 |
| Town Celebrations | $8,500 | $8,500 | $9,550 | $9,550 | $0 | $9,550 | $0 |
| Town Clerk | $179,938 | $180,137 | $189,829 | $184,829 | ($5,000) | $189,829 | $5,000 |
| Transfer | $548,639 | $552,771 | $536,169 | $536,169 | $0 | $536,169 | $0 |
| Treasurer | $7,415 | $7,415 | $7,830 | $7,830 | $0 | $7,830 | $0 |
| Trust Funds | $50 | $50 | $50 | $50 | $0 | $50 | $0 |
| Totals | $9,382,281 | $9,567,713 | $10,061,865 | $9,992,620 | $69,247 | $9,916,234 | $76,387 |
| Percent Change | N/A | 2% | 7.2% | 6.5% | N/A | 5.7% | Negative .76% |
Additional Information
Copyright 2007 Town of Pelham, 6 Village Green, Pelham, NH 03076. Selectmen's Office 603-635-8233
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