Budget Watch

WARRANT PRIMER: Contracts

Here's a look in advance of Saturday's deliberative session.

North Hampton residents will decide the fate of many warrant articles' bottom line come Saturday during the annual town meeting deliberative session, which starts at 8:30 a.m. at Town Hall. For the next few days, we'll have a Warrant Primer post at 9 a.m. breaking down some of the 25 articles on the warrant. Today's post focuses on the proposed agreements for the firefighter and police unions. Article 6 is a proposed three-year agreement with the North Hampton Professional Firefighters Local 3211, while Article 7 is a four-year deal for New England Police Benevolent Association Local 211, which also covers the town's highway employees. Selectmen have praised the contracts, both of which feature a 3-percent salary raise in each of the years…

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'Surprising' Town Meeting Outcomes a 'Turning Point'

Some said it was "inspiring" nearly all of the articles passed.

As little as two months ago, if you were to ask Hampton Fire Chief Chris Silver for the odds of voters passing a $5.7 million fire stations project, he would've given it "less than a 50-50 chance." It's not that he didn't think there was community support behind a full replacement of the beach substation and a major overhaul of the Winnacunnet Road station. Rather, his doubt came because there were already many other "big ticket" items on a packed, 41-article warrant, like a $4.85 million pumping station project and five union contracts. Much to the surprise of Silver and many other Hampton officials, though, Hampton voters cast their ballots in a historic way Tuesday. Every single money article on the warrant passed along with nearly all …

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Budget Watch

POLL: Will You Vote for the Town Union Contracts?

Tell us why you do or don't support Articles 12-16!

Come Tuesday, Hampton voters will decide the fate of 41 warrant articles, including a $24.39 million budget and several "big ticket" items. Among those major items are five proposed collective bargaining agreements for the town's police, fire and Teamsters unions. Read the following excerpts from our Warrant Breakdown series for more information about the articles and for arguments for and against them, then vote in the poll below and explain your vote in the comments (especially if you're still undecided):   POLICE CONTRACTS Articles 13 (police officers) and 14 (police sergeants) FIREFIGHTERS CONTRACTS Articles 15 (firefighters) and 16 (department supervisors and secretaries) TEAMSTERS CONTRACT Article 12

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