Some area New Hampshire towns will hold their town meetings in the next few weeks, while others have delayed proceedings for a couple of months.
Bath
Town meeting has been delayed until Saturday, June 5 at 1 p.m. Bath votes on its officers from the floor.
The selectboard members have finalized a meeting warrant and will ask voters to approve a $1.3 million operating budget, a $103,000 backhoe for the highway department, and a $73,000 Dodge Road Bridge replacement. Most—$98,0000—of the highway equipment’s purchase price will be borrowed, but the bridge replacement would be paid entirely through capital reserve funds as proposed.
Benton
Benton will delay its annual town meeting until June 8. Benton has not signed its warning as of yet, according to selectboard chair William Darcy.
The annual school district meeting is usually held in conjunction with town meeting.

THETFORD—Police funding is the key issue in Thetford’s proposed budget for 2021.
The budget shows an 18.8 percent increase in police funding yet a line item shows a reduction in payroll which could mean a reduction in hours and pay of department personnel.
Besides Chief Michael Evans, the police department consists of two other full-time officers: Stuart Rogers Jr. and Michael Scruggs, and one part-time administrative assistant, Judy Powell.
“Although numerous lines within the police budget were reduced without conferring with department staff, the most concerning is the line for Police Officer Salaries,” Evans wrote on the town listserve

NEWBURY—Newbury residents seized on a meeting with state officials last week to voice their fears over a proposed juvenile detention facility in a former bed and breakfast. Chief among those concerns: What happens if there’s an escape or another emergency in a town without its own police or emergency responders?
“This proposed detention facility threatens my perception of Newbury as being a safe place to live and run my business,” said Joanne O’Meara, who was among the residents who turned out for a Zoom meeting on Feb. 11.

TOPSHAM—The location for the town’s new garage is once again the top issue for voters.
Topsham has been looking to build a new town garage for over a decade. The current building, located along Tabor Branch in East Topsham, is cramped and underequipped. Several initial proposals were rejected by voters or vetoed by state regulators.
Then, at a special town meeting in January 2017, voters approved $43,000 for an 11-acre lot on Peterson Road near the intersection of Ben Dexter Road and Willey Hill Road. The site is centrally located between East Topsham and West Topsham. Residents approved the purchase in a 30-16 vote.

BRADFORD—It’s a town meeting season unlike any other in the past. With COVID-19 upending traditional practices, municipalities have been given some flexibility on how to conduct their annual town business meeting.
But Zoom meetings and Australian ballots are not the only features for town meeting this year. In several area towns, there will be competitive races with multiple candidates standing for selectboard seats.
In Bradford, there are five candidates in all seeking a spot on the board. Incumbent Carole Taylor is the only registered candidate for a seat with a two-year term.