March 19, 2013
New Hampshire

Wind plan prompts push for cover fees

By Tim Goodwin | Monadnock Ledger-Transcript | Monday, March 18, 2013 | (Published in print: Tuesday, March 19, 2013) | www.ledgertranscript.com

TEMPLE – Residents approved 10 of 11 warrant articles at Saturday’s Town Meeting, including an amended budget of $1,255,851.

The budget was increased by a total of $23,000 during the two and half hour meeting at the Temple Elementary School. The town is in the midst of a five-turbine wind proposal by Timbertop Wind that will span Temple and New Ipswich and the project is currently before the Site Evaluation Committee, which will decide jurisdiction. Select Board chairman John Kieley said the town wanted to be prepared to cover the costs of possible legal fees, which would be evenly split with New Ipswich.

Kieley said they had hoped the SEC would turn down Timbertop’s application for jurisdiction review right away, but that did not happen and now the SEC will hold a hearing to decide who will have jurisdiction.

“We would like to have the money to defend ourselves and keep the decision local,” said Kieley.

Kieley proposed adding $20,000 to the budget legal line that would increase the total for 2013 to $41,000. The town only spent $7, 207.70 in legal operations during 2012. The other $3,000 increase to the budget is to cover the costs of winter plowing.

Residents also approved three articles relating to the joint Police Department with Greenville. By a ballot vote of 100-29, the town agreed to a new three-year contract with Greenville.

“We believe the contract is in the best interest for the town of Temple,” said Kieley. “It’s about one-third cheaper for us to have this joint police department than if we were on our own.”

Temple also voted to cover $13,530 for the town’s 39 percent portion of a new cruiser and $2,941 to purchase 10 new handguns, two tasers and two bullet proof vests.

“The officers will tell you that a taser is the most important thing on their belt,” said Temple-Greenville Police Chief Jim McTague.

The article to raise $165,000 for a new highway department dump truck passed by a ballot vote of 123-18 and also authorized the selectmen to trade in or sell the existing 1998 International dump truck.

The town also approved a warrant article to raise $540,075 to complete the engineering and construction costs for the Converse Road bridge #1. Of the total cost, 80 percent, or $440,000, will be paid for by state bridge aid, $46,144 will come from the Bridge Capital Reserve Fund and $53,931 through taxation. The town had already spent $9,925 toward the engineering study.

“Those numbers are pretty scary, but it’s another example of how costs have gone up,” said Road Agent Tim Fiske.