By Jodi Wolfe
Staff Writer

Epsom voters will consider a $2.5 million town town budget along with warrants asking for an additional police officer and increases in property tax exemptions at the deliberative session of Town Meeting on Saturday, Feb. 5, at 9 a.m., at Epsom Central School.

The deliberative session of the School District Meeting will take place Thursday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. at Epsom Central School. The Hooksett Banner will examine those warrants in the next issue.

While voters can discuss and change wording of the articles, voting will not take place until election day, March 10.

Operating budget
Voters will be asked to approved an operating budget of $2,493,975 for the coming year. Should this article be defeated, the default amount would be $2,272,292. The warrant article also allows a special meeting to be held if the operating budget is defeated, in order to discuss a revised budget.

The town budget last year was $2,162,280, so the proposed budget increases that amount by $331,695, a 15.3 percent increase.

New officer
A special warrant article is on the ballot asking voters for $20,000 to go toward seven months’ salary and benefits for an additional full-time police officer. The $20,000 would used with $4,000 from the part-time police budget line in police department’s budget.

Chief Wayne Preve said he would either like to move a part-time officer to a full-time or hire another full-time officer. With a new officer, Preve would be able to double up on the 4 p.m. to midnight shift and help cover Epsom’s 24-hour businesses. The new officer would also help with all the traffic around the Epsom Circle, especially in summer when tourists filter through Epsom to head to the Seacoast, the race track or up to the Lakes Region.

The national average is two officers per 1,000 residents. In the Epsom Police Department, five full-time officers and two part-time officers serve Epsom’s 4,200 residents. One hundred more houses are expected to be built over the next year, Preve said.

“The town is growing and I feel we need another officer to cover what we have now,” Preve said.

Garage needed
One warrant article will ask voters for $30,000 to build a three-bay garage behind the fire station to house fire vehicles and store equipment. Amajori-ty vote is required, but the article is not recommended by the selectmen.

Currently, the fire station does not have any additional space, said Fire Chief Stewart Yeaton. During the winter months, the fire department stores a truck used for fighting forest fires in the basement of the police station so it doesn’t freeze, Yeaton said. During the warmer months, the truck is stored outside at the fire station.

In the future, the department would like to purchase a new ambulance and keep the current ambulance for backup, he said. When the time comes there won’t be any room for another ambulance in the garage. “It’s mainly planning for the future,” Yeaton said.

Fire equipment
Another article will ask voters for $50,000 to go towards to the Fire Department Apparatus Fund, a capital reserve fund.

Yeaton said he would like to save money now to buy for a fire truck in the future and saving money now will decrease the “shock value.”

Elected or not?
Another warrant article will ask voters if the town should discontinue the position of elected welfare officer and authorize selectmen to hire someone for the position. This was not approved by voters last year.

New Orchard Road
There is a petitioned warrant article submitted by residents of New Orchard Road asking for voters to approve paving the dirt road section of their road. The petition did not include cost figures.

The article was submitted by Bobbie Aversa, a New Orchard Road resident. In the middle of her 3.5-mile road is an 1.25 miles of unpaved road containing 32 houses.

Aversa said she submitted the article for a number of reasons, including safety of road conditions, more adequate access from Route 4 to Route 28, reducing the town’s maintenance costs for the upkeep of the road.

A few years ago, an 18-wheeler flipped over at the Lee Traffic Circle backing up traffic at the Epsom Traffic Circle, so an additional paved road would help with traffic flow if there was an accident at the Epsom Traffic Circle.

Capital reserves
• One warrant article will ask voters for $15,000 to go into a capital reserve fund for bridge replacement and repair.

• Another warrant article will ask for $15,000 for a capital reserve fund that pays for motorized vehicles and equipment for the highway department.

• Another article will ask taxpayers for $10,000 to go into the fund to construct a salt and sand storage shed for the highway department.

• Another warrant article will ask for $150,000 to add to the capital reserve fund for the reconstruction and improvements to town roads.

• Another warrant article will ask voters to approve depositing 10 percent of the revenues collected from the land use change tax in the conservation fund. A separate warrant article will ask voters for $10,000 to go into the Land Conversation Fund.

Tax credits
One warrant article will ask voters if the town should increase the previously adopted property tax credit for service-connected total disability from $1,400 to $1,800.

Another warrant article will ask voters to increase amounts of the property tax exemption for the elderly. The proposed increase for ages 65 to 74 would go from $15,000 to $30,000. The proposed increase for ages 75 to 79 changes $30,000 to $60,000. The proposed increase for people 80 years old and older changes $60,000 to $120,000.

The eligibility requirements would not change. The income limit is $18,400 for single residents and $26,400 for married residents. Assets must not be in excess of $35,000.

A petitioned warrant article will ask voters for an optional veterans tax credit of $500 and to replace the standard veterans tax credit.