DIXFIELD — Several people at Thursday evening’s public hearing on town meeting warrant articles spoke about the reduction in the Public Works budget.
The hearing by the Board of Selectmen addressed 18 articles to be decided at the polls from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 14. Residents voted on the first nine articles at the April 28 town meeting.
The Public Works budget was reduced to $482,078 for the coming fiscal year.
Resident Peter Holman asked it it would go down more in the future since new equipment was purchased last year.
Selectman Dana Whittemore said he heard Public Works Director Randy Eastman say that he may be able to get the budget even lower next year.
Board of Selectmen Chairman Hart Daley said new equipment means maintenance costs will likely be lower in the future.
“They’re also taking better care of their equipment now, so that should keep costs down,” Daley said.
Holman asked Town Manager Carlo Puiia whether the town was going to move forward with a proposal to purchase a cold-storage shed using insurance money.
Puiia said the issue will be addressed at a future meeting.
Selectman Eugene Skibitsky said the Public Works budget is “dependent on how much their salt and sand pile is depleted in the winter months.”
“If we have a bad winter, it could effect how much money we spend the following year,” he said.
Later in the meeting, resident Dan McKay asked Puiia for clarification on the public safety and health budget.
Selectmen and the Finance Committee proposed raising and appropriating $198,027, with $136,920 for utilities and $61,107 for contracted services.
“For the utilities line item, $114,704 is dedicated to hydrants, while the remaining $22,216 is used to pay for streetlights,” Puiia said.
“As for the contracted services section of the budget, the $61,107 is used to pay for Med-Care Ambulance Services,” he said.
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