By Ryan O'Connor
Staff Writer

Goffstown Town Meeting is Wednesday, Feb. 8, 7 p.m., at Goffstown High School.

Town Meeting may be one of the few examples of true democracy left in the United States today. While this form of open government may provide a person or group the opportunity to influence the town as a whole, it also brings with it the inevitable reality of debate.

Goffstown should be no exception when the community convenes for the deliberative session of Town Meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

Front and center is the issue of consolidating the police, fire, emergency medical services and code enforcement into one unified public safety department to be led by one public safety director. The article, as proposed by the board of selectmen and budget committee, says the town would shave $77,016 from the operating budget if accepted by voters.

“The cost of delivering safety services will go up over the years, there is no doubt about it,” said Selectmen Chairman Gossett McRae. “The question is how rapidly will it go up. As selectmen, that is something we need to help to determine.”

The issue has been a point of contention since the selectmen relieved Fire Chief Frank Carpentino of his duties, effective at the beginning of 2006, in a preemptive move to initiate the consolidation of departments.

On Jan. 12, Judge Philip P. Mangones of the Hillsborough County Superior Court issued a temporary injunction allowing Carpentino to return to work, ruling that New Hampshire statute dictates the community must vote on reorganizing any of its town departments.

Goffstown residents will have an opportunity to debate the change at the deliberative session of Town Meeting. A public vote will determine the wording of an article to be voted on March 14.

Six of the 37 articles on this year's warrant are directly related to the consolidation of departments. Five of those have been submitted by citizen's petition, and one by recommendation of the selectmen and budget committee.

Also included on the warrant is the town's annual operating budget, proposed at $16,316,220.

The number represents a minimal increase from last year's basic budget of $16,302,486.

It is in the special articles, outside of the basic operating budget, that significant increases in the town's tax rate may occur, according to McRae, who added that last year's tax rate represented approximately a 9 percent increase.

“We're taxpayers too, and we don't want to see another increase like that. We feel the absolute burden to provide people with the best services that we can,” he said. “But we need to do so without making it so burdensome that people don't even realize that benefit because they have to move out.”

In addition, the town will vote on $1,821,000 for the current phase of the road improvement plan, which began in 2002, and the collective bargaining agreements for the police and public works departments.

An article proposing a town charter, which was presented by the 2004 Charter Commission but voted down on the 2005 warrant, is back on the ballot this year as well, only this time by citizen's petition.

Under the proposed reorganization, the board of selectmen would be eliminated in favor of a seven-member town council, and the town administrator would be replaced by a town manager. The budget committee would be reduced from 12 elected members to nine, and the default budget would be set by the budget committee rather than the board of selectmen.

Even if the article is approved, said Town Administrator Sue Desruisseaux, the charter would not be valid.

“My understanding is they thought that it was a close enough vote last time that they should bring it before the town for vote again,” she said. “But the state standards for creating a charter are very specific, and as I understand it, the requirements would not be met based on this petition.”

Should those who created the petition desire to legally implement the charter, Desruisseaux said they would have to follow state mandate and go through the proper channels and try again next year, as the charter commission did in 2004.