Ossipee budget committee approves operating budgets, debates outside audits and funding for new food pantry

Ossipee Town’s budget committee voted to approve the town and precinct operating budgets and a slate of warrant articles after a meeting that focused as much on process as on dollars.

Speaker 2, who presented the year‑end financials, told members the town was “projected we have $4,045 left out of our budget at the end of the year,” and walked the committee through both operating figures and three warrant articles tied to capital needs and a potential $300,000 grant that would require a $15,000 local match.

Why it matters: members debated whether the town’s current auditing approach — a mix of an elected local auditor, an in‑house bookkeeper and an outside CPA with QuickBooks access — remains sufficient as precinct and town budgets grow toward seven figures. Speaker 10 urged a legal change, saying, “I think the law needs to be changed,” arguing larger budgets should receive formal third‑party CPA audits. Speaker 1 and others said the town already relies on a CPA, a bookkeeper and elected officials to maintain multiple internal checks.

Major votes and allocations: the committee approved a series of departmental and warrant items, including elections ($18,500), voter registration ($3,300), treasurer services ($838,395), town paving ($600,000 CRF), highway equipment ($200,000 CRF), a police station parking lot ($80,000), technology ETF ($20,000) and a revaluation ETF ($50,000). The committee also approved funding for outside agencies, among them OCC elderly nutrition ($35,000), Life Ministry Food Pantry ($8,000), White Mountain Community Health ($7,400) and Northern Humane/Human Services ($4,425).

Food pantry debate: the committee voted to give $10,000 to a new local food pantry after members weighed concerns about awarding a substantial first‑year appropriation to a new organization. Speaker 11 said she was “uncomfortable” starting at $10,000 in the first year; others, including Speaker 6 and Speaker 8, argued the demand for food assistance is high and the community needs immediate support.

Procedural correction and transparency item: Speaker 9 identified an accounting presentation error in the town clerk/tax collector budget, noting a carried encumbrance had inflated a record‑restoration line to $80,000. He recommended reducing that line by $40,000 to $371,005.75; the committee voted to accept the correction. "You can reduce that by 40,000," Speaker 9 said while pointing to the encumbered funds that had not been removed from the line item.

Contracts and operations: members discussed a three‑year fixed snow‑removal contract with a single bidder that runs November–April and noted the ambulance line ($464,423) is a contract item outside the committee’s discretion. Speaker 2 explained the snow contract requires heavy equipment and that only one firm bid for the work.

Next steps: the committee set petition and calendar deadlines for finalizing warrant wording and discussed a potential follow‑up meeting before the public hearing if petition articles arrive. Members also outlined steps to cure procedural defects for a precinct (West Ossipee) that had previously uploaded unsigned warrant articles to the state DRA portal.

The committee closed after approving the remaining departmental totals and capital articles; members emphasized continuing to improve procedures and succession planning for administrative tasks.