Here’s a quick summary of voting at Town Meeting on March 12. More details will appear in the print edition of The Andover Beacon on March 29. In the meantime, you can read the Concord Monitor coverage (and see a very striking photo from Town Meeting) here.

Article 1: To choose all necessary Town Officers for the ensuing year. The ballot results are here. 

Article 2: To see if the Town will vote to authorize indefinitely, or until rescinded, the Selectmen to accept the provision of RSA 33:7, to issue tax anticipation notes. Passed.

Article 3: To see if the Town will vote to accept the provision of RSA 31:95-b providing that any town at an annual meeting may adopt an article authorizing indefinitely, until specific rescission of such authority, the Selectmen to apply for, accept and expend, without further action by the Town Meeting, unanticipated money from a State, Federal, or other Governmental unit or a private source which becomes available during the fiscal year. Passed.

Article 4: To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to accept gifts of personal property which may be offered to the Town for any public purpose, pursuant to RSA 31:95-e. The Selectmen must hold a Public Hearing before accepting such gift(s), and the acceptance shall not bind the Town to raise, appropriate, or expend any public funds for the operation, maintenance, repair, or replacement of any such personal property. Passed.

Article 5: To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Tax Collector to accept prepayment of taxes pursuant to RSA 80:52-a. Passed.

Article 6: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Million Three Hundred Nine Thousand Nine Hundred and Thirty-six Dollars ($1,309,936) which represents the operating budget. Amendments corrected an error in the “Police Benefits (Full Time)” line item, which was $14,903 too high, and added $8,000 to the Parks and Recreation line item for completion of the Blackwater Park building. The meeting passed a budget of $1,303,033.

Article 7: To see if the Town will vote to expand the purpose of the existing Bridge Rehabilitation Capital Reserve Fund to include funds for Town Bridge Improvement Projects and State Bridge Aid Improvement Projects, and to appoint the Selectmen as Agents to Expend. Passed.

Article 8: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $25,000 to add to the Bridge Rehabilitation Capital Reserve Fund. Passed.

Article 9: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000) for the completion of road improvement projects with $50,000 to come from the previously established Highway Projects Capital Reserve Fund established in 2012. Passed.

Article 10: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $13,440 to fund the third year of the town-wide revaluation. Passed.

Article 11: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $5,110 to add to the Revaluation Capital Reserve Fund previously established. Passed.

Article 12: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $10,000 to add to the Highway Equipment Capital Reserve Fund, previously established. Passed.

Article 13: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $10,000 to add to the Transfer Station Capital Reserve Fund. Passed.

Article 14: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $25,000 for the purpose of the purchase of a new police cruiser, with $18,000 to come from the previously established Police Cruiser Capital Reserve Fund. Passed.

Article 15: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate $25,000 to add to the Ambulance Capital Reserve Fund, previously established. Passed.

Article 16: To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate Four Thousand Dollars ($4,000) for the purpose of repairing damaged stones, grass seeding, and the completion of the survey work at the East Andover Cemetery and to repair two water line leaks in Proctor Cemetery. This will be a special non-lapsing appropriation per RSA 32.7, VI and will not lapse until the work is completed or December 31, 2018, whichever is sooner. Passed.

Article 17: To see if the Town will vote to establish a Recreation Revolving Fund pursuant to RSA 35-B:2 II. The money received from fees and charges for recreation programs and park services and facilities shall be allowed to accumulate from year to year, and shall not be considered to be part of the general fund unreserved fund balance. The treasurer shall have custody of all monies in the fund, and shall pay out the same only upon order of the Selectmen and the Recreation Director. These funds may be expended only for recreation purposes. Passed.

Article 18: To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Recreation Committee to expend $15,400 from the previously established Blackwater Park Fund for the purpose of completing the building at the Blackwater Park. Passed.

Article 19: To see if the Town will vote to designate the Selectmen as Agents to Expend from the Cilleyville Bog Bridge Fund , and further, to allow the Selectmen to expend funds for the purpose of maintenance and repair of the bridge without further action from Town Meeting. Passed.

Article 20: To see if the Town will vote to adopt the provisions of RSA 72:61 through 72: 68, which provide for an optional property tax exemption from the property’s assessed value for property tax purposes, for persons owning real property which is equipped with one or more solar energy systems and/or wind energy systems intended for use at the immediate site. Such property tax exemption shall be in the amount equal to 100% of the assessed value of qualifying equipment under these statutes. Passed.

Article 21: To see if the Town will vote to modify the elderly exemptions from property tax in the Town of Andover, based on assessed value, for qualified taxpayers, to be as follows: for a person 65 to 74 years of age, $40,000; for a person 75 to 79 years of age, $60,000; for a person 80 years of age or older, $70,000. To qualify, the person must have been a New Hampshire resident for at least 3 years, own the real estate individually or jointly, or if the real estate is owned by such person’s spouse, they must have been married for at least 5 years. In addition, the taxpayer must have a net income of no more than $30,000 if single, or if married, a combined income of no more than $40,000, and own net assets not in excess of $75,000, excluding the value of the person’s residence. The combined net asset amount for married persons shall apply to a surviving spouse until the sale or transfer of the property by the surviving spouse or until the remarriage of the surviving spouse. Passed.