By Rod Hansen
Staff Writer

Seeking to trim $2.5 million off next year’s town budget, Goffstown selectmen began by suggesting cuts in upcoming capital expenses.

Kicking off budget deliberations at their meeting on Monday, Oct. 16, selectmen advocated cuts in fire and police vehicle purchases along with other reductions to those departments’ proposed Capital Improvements Program spending for 2007.

Also, selectmen said they would likely advocate making the Department of Public Works’ $2.1 million road reclamation plan a special warrant article rather than a part of the operating budget.

The road program line item offers distinct risks both as a special warrant article and as part of the budget, selectmen said. The program faces rejection as a stand-alone article, but if included in the bottom line it could cause voter rejection and a return to the default budget.

Although selectmen discussed phasing the road plan into the budget, Town Administrator Sue Desruisseaux said the jump in the bottom line could alarm some voters.

“I thought there was a plan to phase (the road program in), but the fear is, with the kind of government we have, it wouldn’t pass and we’d go back to default budget,” Desruisseaux said.

The 20-year program has been approved as a special article four times before, Desruisseaux said.

Selectman Nick Campasano said this leaves enough projects remaining to ensure a likely passage.

“There is still enough people who have not had their road repaired that there is probably still support,” Campasano said. “I would recommend rather than taking the risk of going into default, (we should) keep the road program separate.”

The major projects in the road program for next year include repairs to Mountain Road and Snook Road, said Director of Public Works Director Carl Quiram.

Selectmen also considered including a warrant article asking voters whether the road plan should be made a part of the town’s operating budget in the future. This would serve only as an advisory vote, Desruisseaux said.

Selectmen took no formal vote on the issue at their meeting.

The board did vote on specific items in the CIP, recommending to remove $40,000 for a fire utility vehicle, $31,700 for a police cruiser, $225,000 that would have completed the purchase of a fire engine, $188,000 to replace the Department of Public Works’ 10-wheel dump truck and $50,000 for a fire department facilities study.

The $195,000 budgeted this year for the purchase of the fire engine would go into surplus, Desruisseaux said.

Neither Police Chief Michael French nor Fire Chief Frank Carpentino attended the budget discussions.

Selectmen recommended the cuts to keep the town’s tax rate consistent with the current budget, selectmen Chairman Barbara Griffin said.

The requested budget for 2007 is $20.3 million, Desruisseaux said.

The current town portion of the tax rate is $8.11 per $1,000 of assessed property, Desruisseaux said. The tax rate for 2006 is expected to be $8.26, less than the $8.35 originally anticipated because selectmen voted to use $500,000 of the fund balance to offset the tax rate.