By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
NEWPORT, N.H. — The Newport Board of Selectmen and the Budget Advisory Committee are urging voters to support the operating budget and the police and public works union contracts, which were among 30 articles that move onto the warrant to be voted on May 13.
“Article 7, Article 8 and Article 9 talk about the town’s most valuable assets,” Selectboard Chair Jim Burroughs said at Tuesday’s first deliberative session of Town Meeting.
Burroughs was speaking at the brand new LaValley Family Community Center, and he joked to Recreation Director PJ Lovely that this wasn’t about the beautiful building, but all about the people who work there and use it. He said he can’t stress enough how important it is to support the articles, which garnered several members of the public to applaud as he walked away from the microphone.
“It’s the people,” Burroughs said. “It’s the people that run it, that operate it, that serve this community,” Burroughs said. “That’s the town’s most valuable asset.”
The proposed operating budget of $11,127,745 is in Article 7, and if this is defeated, the default budget of $10,610,792 will be adopted. This proposed budget is an increase of about 3.03%, or $327,745.
Burroughs introduced the budget, saying the department heads work with the selectboard going line by line to create a budget that is basically level funded.
“We have a very conservative budget and have had that for as many years as I can think of,” he said. “To speak to that effect, we have been pretty much level funded for the last three years. I don’t know about you, but in my life, my costs have gone up faster over these last three years.”
He said the fact that the town has been able to run a town with a flat budget like this is “quite extraordinary.” The big difference between the operating budget and default budget, Burroughs noted, is because of the Blueberry Ridge paving project bond.
The tax rate of the operating budget is anticipated to be $7.23 per $1,000 of assessed value, and the default budget, which is the same amount as last year, is anticipated to have a $6.91 tax rate.
Selectwoman Rachel Dilger pointed out that this year’s tax rate is $7.30, and they are actually asking for seven cents less.
“We’re technically asking for less,” she said. “The reason there seems to be a difference of 30 cents is because there is a bond that came off the default budget that we paid off this year. So realistically we are asking for less than this past year.”
Budget Advisory Committee Chair Ken Merrow said this “budget is bare bones” and “stripped down,” and urged everybody to support Article 7.
Article 8 is for a three-year collective bargaining agreement with the police union. The first year would be $96,336 and have a tax impact of $0.13. It would then be $45,307 in 2026-2027 and $49,144 for 2027-2028.
“It is a priority of this board, the town, the town manager to be able to retain and recruit good employees,” Burroughs said. “This contract goes a long way to ensure that we meet at least some of the cost associated with retaining these employees.”
He noted that there was a salary survey done to compare the pay rates of Newport to surrounding communities, and this contract gets the town closer.
Chief Stephen “Alex” Lee presented a survey that showed that patrol officers are making $10,000 less than their counterparts, and it is even less for sergeants who make an average of $15,000 less than surrounding departments. He also said surrounding communities are offering hiring bonuses with higher base wages, saying that Lebanon is an example with a $30,000 signing bonus.
Lee also discussed how it is far more costly to train and get an officer ready for work than having an experienced employee on the staff. The salary alone would be $52,478, and with retirement, health insurance and equipment it jumps to between $90,000 and $110,000.
Lee said it takes so much to get a police officer on the road, which includes a two to three month wait to even get into the academy. During this time the department needs to pay the officer for administrative tasks before his official role begins. The academy is 16 weeks, and the department needs to pay salary and overtime per week, and then this is followed by three months of field training.
“It takes a total of 12 months to recruit, hire and train a new officer before the officer gets added to our schedule,” Lee said.
Paul Beaudet, a police officer who is the former Newport Police Union president, stressed that the contract is vital for recruiting and training. He said for years the police department struggled with help and even had to move away from 24/7 coverage in the past. This contract, he said, goes a long way from preventing the town from slipping back into a hole they just crawled out of.
Article 9 pertains to the public works union collective bargaining agreement, with the first-year amount of $73,463 presenting a tax impact of $.07. Year two would be $37,356 and year three is $25,838.
Burroughs echoed his thoughts about the police union contract, saying it goes a long way in developing and retaining employees. He said continuity helps with more efficient operations with more tenured employees. This was all agreed upon by Public Works Director Chris Pelletier.
Town Manager Kyle Harris said that the goal is to keep employees for a longer tenured time period, and not only did they give raises across the board, there are also a “significant number of incentives” for things like getting their CDL license. Those with CDL licenses can significantly help the overall operation of the department.
“We want to reward those employees who put the time and effort into Newport and are here five to 10 years. Those are the employees who are going to be able to mentor our younger employees,” he said.
All but one of the warrant articles were moved to the warrant without amendments. Article 28 is a petition article to see if the town will accept Lucinda Circle Way, an amendment was made to add the words “as a town road.”
Harris said unlike last year, which was his first deliberative session as a town manager, there was plenty of discussion despite there being no controversy. He hopes that the information provided will lead voters to follow the town’s recommendations, specifically for the budget and union contracts.
“They are absolutely essential,” he said. “Police officers are in a really high demand right now. Supply and demand, and supply is low. We need to be competitive in recruiting and assisting officers. Same for public works. Being short on drivers makes it really difficult.”
