The Seabrook Town Warrant, as amended at the Deliberative Session, is posted below. There are some important changes to be aware of in this years warrant. The Board of Selectmen have fully moved the Water Department and the Sewer Department to full enterprise status, removing the taxpayer subsidy to the enterprise that had surpassed $2 million before the change. I will say more on that when I post the budget. For the warrant the water budget and the sewer budget will each have a separate article (articles 9 and 10) that will be fully supported by water and sewer rates and fees.

The Select Board, with unexpended fund balance exceeding $6 million, voted to utilize those monies to fund all capital spending requested through this warrant. That decision would fund, if approved by voters, $639,000 of spending on these projects. If all pass that amount would not need to be added to the calculation of the FY 2025 Tax Rate, saving taxpayers $639,000.

There are three requested bond issues, all associated with the water/sewer enterprise. If passed these bond issues would be fully funded by water/sewer rates. Article 5, for water, would allow the Town to connect existing water wells to our treatment plant. These wells would provide Seabrook with our first new sources of water in many years, and provide water security for the Town for at least twenty years. Article 7 seeks bond funding for renovation and upgrade of our wastewater facility, which has reached an age where such work is vitally necessary to protect this critically important Seabrook infrastructure.

There are three one year collective bargaining agreements with the Seabrook Employees Association, the Seabrook Supervisory Employees Association, and the Seabrook Police Association. Those three units are all out of contract, and these three agreements only contain Cost of Living Adjustments, with no additional provisions.

Article 36 is a community aggregation electricity program that would, if approved, bring lower electricity rates to Seabrook residents and businesses by seeking, through a contracted third party, to solicit bids for electricity that would be priced lower than the default price of Unitil. Residents could opt out at any time, and even opt back in if desired.

Article 38 is simply a matter of providing the Town of Seabrook with clear title to land that we currently possess but determined through legal research did not have clear title to. This article will not cost the Town but will provide the clear title necessary for Seabrook to continue to use the land without issue.

Article 39 would allow the leasing of a small tract of land for an electronic sign that would face Route 95 and bring the Town annual revenues of at least $140,000.

Town Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday March 11. Please get out and vote.