Carroll County Commission approves last-minute budget adjustments ahead of delegation meeting
March 21, 2026 | Carroll County, New Hampshire
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The Carroll County Commission voted March 20 to approve a package of last-minute budget adjustments ahead of the delegation meeting, including increased line items for IT, contracted services and a larger contingency for a water storage tank roof.
Melissa, a county staff member, told commissioners the IT software line should be raised from $245,000 to $288,189 to cover costs tied to moving dispatch software to the county’s new system (Central Square) and to include one jail-related software source that had been missed in the original budget. She also asked the commission to add a $2,000 overtime line for IT because the planned help-desk hire will be hourly and the existing budget contains no overtime allowance.
The staff member said a telephone line was inadvertently omitted from the county facilities budget and requested $550 to cover that cost. When a commissioner asked for clarification, Bob (a county staff member) said the amount would cover two staff cell phones for the year (his and Jeff’s).
Melissa said the sheriff had requested adjustments to a town coverage agreement after Albany’s town meeting reduced the hours of coverage it wants; she recommended reducing the Albany agreement revenue to $63,540 and the matching expense to $46,000.
On finance, Melissa recommended increasing the contracted services line from $50,000 to $100,000 to cover ongoing work under a consultant agreement with Barry Dunn and a contract with Blue Lion for department head evaluations. "It won't increase the budget," she said, explaining the request would be offset by reducing the proposed deposit to capital reserve funds.
A late quote for the water storage tank roof showed an estimated cost of about $800,000, up from the $500,000 currently in capital. Melissa asked the commission to increase the requested amount to $800,000 and to offset the change by reducing the capital reserve contribution; she noted the county would not expend funds until soliciting bids.
A motion to approve the bundled adjustments was made and seconded; the mover and seconder were not recorded in the transcript. The commission took a voice vote, which was recorded as in favor, and the chair closed the item. No members of the public spoke during a brief call for comment.
The chair adjourned the meeting at about 12:36 p.m. so commissioners could attend the delegation meeting.
Melissa, a county staff member, told commissioners the IT software line should be raised from $245,000 to $288,189 to cover costs tied to moving dispatch software to the county’s new system (Central Square) and to include one jail-related software source that had been missed in the original budget. She also asked the commission to add a $2,000 overtime line for IT because the planned help-desk hire will be hourly and the existing budget contains no overtime allowance.
The staff member said a telephone line was inadvertently omitted from the county facilities budget and requested $550 to cover that cost. When a commissioner asked for clarification, Bob (a county staff member) said the amount would cover two staff cell phones for the year (his and Jeff’s).
Melissa said the sheriff had requested adjustments to a town coverage agreement after Albany’s town meeting reduced the hours of coverage it wants; she recommended reducing the Albany agreement revenue to $63,540 and the matching expense to $46,000.
On finance, Melissa recommended increasing the contracted services line from $50,000 to $100,000 to cover ongoing work under a consultant agreement with Barry Dunn and a contract with Blue Lion for department head evaluations. "It won't increase the budget," she said, explaining the request would be offset by reducing the proposed deposit to capital reserve funds.
A late quote for the water storage tank roof showed an estimated cost of about $800,000, up from the $500,000 currently in capital. Melissa asked the commission to increase the requested amount to $800,000 and to offset the change by reducing the capital reserve contribution; she noted the county would not expend funds until soliciting bids.
A motion to approve the bundled adjustments was made and seconded; the mover and seconder were not recorded in the transcript. The commission took a voice vote, which was recorded as in favor, and the chair closed the item. No members of the public spoke during a brief call for comment.
The chair adjourned the meeting at about 12:36 p.m. so commissioners could attend the delegation meeting.
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