When Boscawen’s snow plow operators work the night shift, they nap in their trucks. When other public works employees take their breaks, they pull up chairs and crowd around the cramped office of their boss, director Dean Hollins. And when visitors come by the Woodbury Lane building, they enter through that same office into a building that is so low and crammed with stuff that many of the town’s vehicles can’t fit inside.

“You can’t walk in a straight line in that building,” said Tom Laliberte, a member of the building task force.

That’s all about to change.

Boscawen voters approved funding for a $750,000, 4,700 sq. ft. addition to the building on Saturday, which would nearly double its size. Town leaders are hoping the project will be done by the end of the year, Town Administrator Katie Phelps said.

In a town where the property tax rate is actually expected to go down slightly this coming year, the public works building project – which involves reallocating money that had been planned to go toward other capital reserve funds – was the most notable article on the town meeting warrant.

While other communities faced proposed tax hikes of as high as 29 percent, Boscawen was able to keep its $5 million operating budget in check by finding a new health insurance plan for retired employees that was 54% cheaper than the old plan, and by electing to implement a cost of living adjustment for employees that was about half as high as what the Social Security Administration recommended, according to Phelps.

“I think we were just looking to keep the taxpayers in mind,” Phelps said. “I mean everything else is increasing.”

Still, residents found some things to quibble about – particularly when it came to employee benefits.

Pam Malcolm said it “struck a little nerve” with her that the town’s police officers get to commute to and from work in their cruisers.

“Taxpayers are paying for them to drive our vehicles to and from home, so we’re paying the gas for them to get home,” she said. “I have to use my car every single day.”

Chief Jason Killary responded that the “take home” cars were a temporary perk while the department is understaffed and dealing with retention challenges.

Town office workers also caught some grief because certain offices are not open to the public on Friday.

“I would like to know why they should get a cost of living raise when they’re only working a 4-day week,” former town fire chief Ray Fisher asked.

Selectman Matthew Burdick responded that the employees were in fact working on Fridays, but that they needed a day to handle the ever-increasing stream of paperwork.

Residents approved 15 warrant articles in all, including a tax increment financing plan to spur development on Commercial Street and a $1.3 million bond for drainage improvements.