Advisory Committee to study '09 budget

Trying to clarify the history of how the School Board voted on an advisory budget committee, Selectman Betsey Patten gave a brief history of the Budget Study Committee's inception and work in the town. The idea, Patten said, sprang from the meeting of an ad hoc committee, which suggested the advisory committee as a "proactive" way to deal with teaching a new committee the ropes of determining the budget.

"So they said let's do an advisory committee to begin to understand what we do," said Patten. "We'll begin to give people the ability to understand what we do in town. Personally, I think running into it is a huge step. It changes our way of governing ourselves. Let's try this and see if it works well."

Deciding on a five-member board with a representative each from the Selectmen and School Boards, the board voted that the remaining three openings would be determined by the School, Selectmen, and Library Trustee Boards. Resident Jean Beadle had already completed and submitted a resume and letter of interest to the board, hoping to be appointed to the position.

Resident Rick Heath disagreed with this course of action, and told the board that he believed this motion bypassed the election system by setting up a board before the town had decided.

"This is suggestive of an ongoing appointment, bypassing the election system," said Heath. "Go to the voters. The true democratic process is that people vote for people, and the majority wins."

School Board member Bill Blackadar countered this, telling Heath that any resident in town could submit a petitioned warrant article to change the motion, making the board elected, increasing the number of members, or whatever they desired.

"Why do you feel the legislative process has been circumvented by creating this committee?" Blackadar asked. "You can change it. All you need to do is bring in a warrant article. They're just being proactive with the report."

Patten pointed out that if the town waited for the voters to decide on an elected board, the board wouldn't be elected until 2009, and would first begin work on the budget for 2010. She said that the board was attempting to be proactive, to determine how the process of working with a budget committee would run while still allowing people to run for election in 2009 to replace the appointed members.

Heath inquired about a letter written by the School Board in opposition to the formation of a budget committee. Blackadar responded that it was a "life lesson" to try not to oppose a committee's recommendation, indicating the recommendation of the Budget Study Committee. Instead of voting on a budget committee last year, voters amended a petitioned warrant article to ask for a study committee to look into how a budget committee would affect Moultonboro. The Board of Selectmen discussed their feelings on the Advisory Budget Committee, some admitting reservations about it but deciding to stand with their other selectmen. Selectmen Joel Mudgett, James Gray, and Patten spoke in favor of forming the committee as a way to ease the burden of the budget process on selectmen and town officials, a task made tougher this year without a town administrator. Charest voted in favor of the committee but with "reservations."

"If I had my druthers, I would say no," said Crawford. "But if the other members of the board think it's a good thing, then I'll vote with them."

The vote was unanimous.The town will be accepting more applications for appointments to the Advisory Budget Committee, which will begin on April 1.