It’s for voters to decide on budget

Friday, March 5, 2010

Photo By Kelly McGrath The entrance of Edinburgh Drive off of Meetinghouse Road is damaged with several deep pot holes.

Enlarge

BEDFORD – Election Day is almost here.

After two public hearings, a budgetary town meeting and lots of discussion, residents will finally cast their votes on the proposed 2010 municipal town operating budget.

“There’s been plenty of opportunities and plenty of debate, and at the end of the day the voters decide what they want and how they want the town to be,” Town Councilor Michael Scanlon said at the Jan. 27 public hearing.

Along with the proposed $24.37 million budget, the town will vote on three warrant articles involving zoning laws, a $30 million road bond and a petitioned article that asks for a statewide vote on gay marriage.

The proposed 2010 municipal budget stands at $24.37 million. A budgetary town meeting took place Wednesday evening, after the deadline for this week’s Journal.

One of the three warrant articles, is on zoning amendments proposed by the planning board. Amendment No. 1 would give the Town Council the ability to make zoning changes, and eliminate the need to wait until Election Day each year. Council members referred to the other six zoning amendments as general housekeeping items.

Proposed zoning amendment no. 1 reads: “this Ordinance shall be adopted and amended by a majority vote of the Town Council when such amendment has received at least one public hearing notice of which has been duly given at least ten calendar days before said hearing.”

Town Councilor Paul Roy said means that if there is a problem with a particular zoning ordnance, for example, it could be addressed more quickly instead of waiting until next March, he said.

But Scanlon believes this amendment could negatively change the town of Bedford because it allows zoning to be changed by the council instead of Town Meeting.

“Five people could make this entire town commercial,” Scanlon said. “I just don’t believe that’s a power I’m willing to put in my hands or five other people’s hands.”

Another warrant article involves an initiative petition, which 50 Bedford residents signed. It reads: “The citizens of New Hampshire should be allowed to vote on an amendment to the New Hampshire Constitution that defines ‘marriage.’ ”

The statewide petitions were launched by state Rep. David Bates, R-Windham, after a law making same-sex marriage legal was passed by the Legislature and governor last year and went into effect Jan. 1.

“This does not require people to take a position on same-sex marriage,” Bates said. “This serves to show how important it is for citizens to (be able to) vote.”

A third warrant article involving a $30 million road bond, is listed as a high-priority item according to the town manager, Town Council and Jim Stanford, director of Public Works.

If approved, the bond authorization of $30 million would allow the road program to be planned and completed over a 10-year period.

An anticipation of approximately $10 million in 2010, 2013 and 2016 will take place in order to help mitigate the effects on the town’s portion of the tax rate.

If passed, these would involved a roughly 5 percent tax increase in 2011, and a 3 percent increase in 2014.

With low-interest rates and construction costs, and with 29 percent of Bedford’s roads in full need of repair, town councilors said the approval of this road bond is crucial.

“If we go down the wrong path, we might be sending (major) debt to our future residents that they can’t pay,” Town Councilor Bob Young said.

The backlog of current road work is estimated at $29.4 million; $15.5 million for collector roads and $13.9 million for local roads. Bedford consists of 190 miles of roadway with 55 miles of them considered in need of full repair, according to Stanford.

“The roads were allowed to deteriorate to a certain level,” he said. “They’re at a level of failure at this point.”

Some of the roads in the worst condition across town include Edinburgh Drive, Wallace Road, a portion of Liberty Hill Road, Joppa Hill Road and Donald Street, which is a major feeder road.

“If passed, this is it – we won’t have to go back to the voters again,” Mike Izbicki, chairman of the Town Council, said. “We want to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

For information about the proposed budget, visit the town Web site at www. bedfordnh.org.

Kelly McGrath can be reached at 673-3100, ext. 27, or kmcgrath@cabinet.com.