Town officials agreed to go back to the drawing board regarding a proposed sidewalk plan to include a raised sidewalk leading to the town beach, after a long discussion and proposed amendment at Town Meeting on Saturday.

While the amendment failed before ultimate passage of the warrant article, the Select Board and Town Manager Jon Frederick agreed to review the proposal and bring the issue back to Town Meeting next year.

The article to create a capital reserve for sidewalks, and to start the fund with $100,000, was the only one to have an amendment offered. The money will fund a 10-year plan to update the town’s sidewalks. Resident John McCarthy offered an amendment to increase the amount to be added to the fund by a further $150,000, with the purpose of keeping a raised sidewalk on Squantum Road.

The current plan calls for the sidewalk to be brought down to road level, essentially creating a wide shoulder or breakdown lane that would also serve as a walking and biking space.

McCarthy said that area is highly trafficked by people walking to the town beach, and that it was an “important cultural artifact” for the town. During the discussion, resident Bernie Hampsey saying he’d like to see such a significant addition to the sidewalk plan go through the budget process. Selectman Frank Sterling spoke against the article, noting that it essentially doubled the increase proposed in the entirety of the town budget.

After discussion, Frederick said that hearing a consensus that the voters supported continuing to have a raised sidewalk on Squantum, if the amendment failed, the town would revisit the sidewalk plan in the coming year.

“We hear you,” Frederick assured voters.

All other articles passed unamended during the nearly three-hour meeting, including the town’s budget and two bond articles related to water main replacement and wastewater lagoon closures.

The budget this year is set at $7.3 million, which is about a $147,000, or 2%, increase from the current budget, though that does not include increases for the town’s unionized employees in the police or highway departments, which were approved in separate warrant articles. Non-union employees received a 3% cost-of-living adjustment, and merit raises where they qualified.

Public Works employee increases were a total of $18,112 for the 2024 fiscal year, which represented a 3% step increase in pay, a $15 call pay increase and an additional $100 in employees clothing budget.

For police, the two-year agreement included $36,651 for 2024 and $42,677 for 2025. That represents a 4% salary increase and a cost-of-living adjustment, and 1% bonuses in 2025.

Resident Thomas Ahlborn-Hsu spoke in favor of the union agreements, saying the cost-of-living adjustment was below the actual inflation rate and that it was “keeping pace” with the current costs.

All three articles were approved unanimously. Also approved was the warrant for the water and sewer department funds, which are funded through user fees and not taxes.

The town also approved, in a unanimous ballot vote, a $2.575 million article to design and construct the replacement of water main on sections of Squantum Road and Prescott Road. The town intends to use funding from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which could provide principal forgiveness of up to 70% of the funds – $1.802 million – with the remainder to come from water fees.

In another ballot vote, the town also agreed to apply for a loan – also through the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services – for $100,000, with the possibility of 100% principal forgiveness, to create a plan close the three wastewater lagoons located at 2 Old Sharon Road. Selectman Kevin Chamberlain said the lagoons are qualified by the state as dams and have to go through a decommissioning process. This would provide plans for the closure, which he said is estimated to cost closer to $2 million, though the town will also be pursuing grants or principal-forgiveness loans for that process. The article passed in a 107-4 vote.

The amendment failed with only a few in favor, and then voters approved the original article unanimously.

The town also approved a total of $1.185 million to be added to existing capital reserve funds in a single article, including $575,000 for road paving, $200,000 for highway equipment, $25,000 for the town office reserve, $60,000 for fire equipment, $5,000 for land acquisition, $150,000 for municipal building maintenance, $120,000 for bridge rehabilitation, $40,000 for police cruiser replacement and $10,000 for the Recreation Department.

Frederick said these accounts are the “lifeblood” of keeping the town running without major spikes in the tax rate when a large capital cost comes up. He said the accounts cover the town department’s plans for replacement of major vehicles, repairs or other major expenses. He noted that the town can expect to see the Fire Department vehicle account increase in coming years, as it is currently underfunded to be able to keep up with the department’s 20-year vehicle replacement plan, and that any vehicles bought now would likely include incurring some debt, such as a lease. It is currently funded at $60,000 per year, and to fully fund the replacement plan, it would have to be $180,000 annually.

In a separate article, voters also approved additions to the expendable trust funds, including $5,000 for the cemetery trees fund, $1,000 for gravestone restoration, $5,525 for the Meetinghouse and $15,000 for the retirement buyout fund.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.