March 11, 2016
New Hampshire

Orange voters pass all measures in short order

By Tim Camerato, Valley News Staff Writer | Thursday, March 10, 2016 | (Published in print: Friday, March 11, 2016) | www.vnews.com

Orange – Voters passed all proposed warrant articles and ended Town Meeting in 28 minutes on Wednesday night in what Selectboard member Dorothy Heinrichs described as “a very pleasant evening with a potluck dinner before.”

In his 28 years as town moderator, Daniel Hazelton said, he’s rarely seen a Town Meeting finish so quickly or go as smoothly.

Residents approved a $225,500 operating budget and an additional $16,000 for reserve funds and other spending articles, according to Budget Committee Chairman David Stacy. Total spending will be set at $241,500, only about $350 more than last year.

Orange hopes to raise about $130,000 of that through taxes, an 8 percent decrease from last year. Stacy said the town doesn’t estimate a tax rate in advance. The municipal property tax was set at $4.45 per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value in 2015, about $1,112 in taxes for a home valued at $250,000, unless an owner paid taxes early.

For decades residents voted in a 3 percent early-payment discount for Orange taxpayers, but the discount wasn’t included on this year’s warrant in an effort to improve the town’s finances.

A town-wide reassessment completed last year will be used to determine this year’s rate. It increased the overall value of taxable property by about 10 percent.

Voters also passed a warrant article disbanding the town’s elected auditors and replacing them with a Selectboard-hired outside auditor. The Orange Selectboard plans to hire accountant Matthew Angell for future audits after a tumultuous year in which the entire board resigned and was replaced with an appointed one.

Beginning last April, the town’s creditors began reporting that bills weren’t being properly paid and checks were being bounced, according to the Town Report. Both the state and Internal Revenue Service also announced they were considering fining the town for missing payments and financial statements.

A month later, Selectboard member Robert Ells and secretary Sandi Pierson resigned, followed the next month by the remaining members and town treasurer.

The Grafton County Superior Court then appointed Ells and former Selectboard member Lyell “Skip” Smith to the board, and they then appointed Heinrichs to the last seat. Since then, town officials have worked to bring Orange’s finances back in order.

Heinrichs, Ells and Smith all were elected back to the board in uncontested races on Tuesday.

Voters also approved a wind power ordinance on the ballot. Passing by a vote of 89-15, the ordinance covers projects generating more than 100 kilowatts and less than 30 megawatts. It regulates the height of towers, setbacks and mandates a $50,000 application deposit.