Current Issues for the Grafton County Board of Commissioners
Click on above image to get to the Grafton County website for more informationFinal Budget to be approved by the Grafton Count Delegation on June 22
Budget
This is the proposed Commissioners’ budget. The Executive Committee of the Grafton County Delegation modified this proposal and it will go to a vote by the entire delegation on June 22.
The budget process for the county is that the Commissioners meet with all department heads at least twice and develop a budget based on the needs of each department balanced with the impact on the property tax rate. This budget then goes to the Executive Committee of the County Delegation who also meet with the department heads and may amend the budget. The final budget is voted on by the County Delegation which is comprised of all the NH House Representatives from Grafton County. The “Delegation” is the legislative body for the county.
The fiscal year 2027 department budget requests were $63,658,776 or a 10.28% increase with $36,358,678 of that to be raised by county taxes which would have been a 19.25% increase
With hard work and cooperation from all departments, the final budget proposed by the Grafton County Commissioners is $60,536,966 with $33,164,290 or 8.78% to be raised by taxes.
Our budget increases at the county, like my budget at home, were driven by increases in health insurance, general inflation and utility costs.
The budget information can be found here.
Graph courtesy of Grafton County
Graph Courtesy of Grafton CountyCOURTHOUSE
The current Grafton County Courthouse was built in the early 1970’s. Although this does not seem old for a building, due to the way it was constructed and materials used, it is at the end of its life span. If you visit the county complex in North Haverhill, you will see a building with many odd angles and lots of plate glass. If you tour the building, you will see much unusable space, feel the very porous building envelope and note that it is not accessible for some. The mechanicals are all past their expected lifespans. Our maintenance department has done amazing work to keep things in good working order. Unfortunately, it is very hard to get parts for many of the systems.
In 2021, EH Danson Architects was hired to evaluate the building to see what updates were needed and the expected cost. This report concluded that it would be more cost effective to construct a new building instead of renovating. Some issues included asbestos throughout the heating system, so the building would need to be vacated during renovations, and huge plate glass windows that cannot be replaced with safer, tempered glass. In addition, much of the building does not meet current building codes but is “grandfathered” in. Once renovations reached a certain amount, it would trigger that all codes would need to be met. You can read the EH Danson Report for the details.
The Board of Commissioners hired LaVallee Brensinger Architects, a New Hampshire firm who specializes in municipal buildings. We have a conceptual design and they are proceeding with a schematic design to help determine actual costs for the building.
I have served on the Building Committee since the beginning of my term.
Asbestos wrapped pipes. Photo courtesy of Grafton County Maintenance.
Broken plate glass (left) from temperature variation. Retrofitting internet wiring in small closet. Photos courtesy of Grafton County Maintenance.
Hanging wand to allow person in wheelchair to reach buttons. Photo courtesy of Grafton County Maintenance.
Thermal imaging of heat loss. Photo courtesy of Grafton County Maintenance. County Farm
Grafton County is the last NH County with a working dairy farm. We have an award winning herd that produces about 1.6 million pounds of milk each year. The revenue realized by the sale of this high quality milk is about $300,000 per year. The Holstein Association highlighted our farm with a lovely video.
The farm gives back to to community by donating food to local food pantries and senior centers, offers a “pumpkin day” for local school children, and works with local farmers on new techniques, like a recent demonstration on using drones for application of herbicides and pesticides.
Although the farm is a small and “old school”, it is working with the University of New Hampshire on a technique to monitor a cow by the use of a bolus. The cow swallows the bolus and it remains in one of the stomachs and is able to alert our herdsmen if there is a problem with the cow, usually before they are able to recognize it. The UNH Extension has an informative article about the program.
Finally, the farm gives back to the county by providing food for our Department of Corrections and giving our Department of Corrections inmates a place to work and learn new skills.
View looking west over one of the County's hay fields.
Madison, the "matriarch" of the herd. The oldest cow at age 9.This cow, Katie, was the first to greet me on my tour of the farm.
Not a bad view from the pasture! Mikeala and Crunch are enjoying a beautiful day.
On the left is Tamara, born the day of my visit. Tinisha has a heart on her forehead.
One of the county's piglets