Lynn Hartnett has had enough of rising property taxes in Dunbarton.

Year after year, she’s watched them climb, and with the cost of living squeezing household budgets and businesses tightening their belts, she believes it’s time for the town to do the same.

“We gotta do something because it is not sustainable every year to go up and up and up,” said Hartnett at the budget public hearing on Thursday. “People are getting priced out.”

Dunbarton’s proposed operating budget for the coming fiscal year is up 12.5% to $3.7 million.

The biggest-ticket warrant article is a $245,000 proposal to buy 16 acres of land for future town use, possibly to expand the town hall as Dunbarton grows. That purchase alone would add $0.39 to the tax rate. Other warrant articles would buy a new dump truck and a new police cruiser.

If voters approve the budget and all warrant articles at town meeting, the town tax rate would rise by $1.14 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, raising the annual tax bill on a $400,000 house by $456. The estimated total tax rate would be $5.66.

Dave Nault, select board chair, said department heads typically present bare-bones budgets because they know the board won’t approve anything beyond the essentials.

At the meeting, select board members and residents agreed that increases in the school budget largely drove rising taxes and not the town’s.

“I’m not saying they don’t do a great job,” said Nault. “I think if we get more people going to the school budget meeting maybe they would understand.”

Unlike many surrounding towns, Dunbarton doesn’t have much in the way of businesses to help shoulder the tax burden.

“This community is so frustrating in the sense that we have homes. Where’s our industry?” asked Michael Kaminski, a select board member. “That was a mistake years ago.”

One concern raised during the meeting was the influx of new residents moving to Dunbarton, attracted by its low taxes. While this has benefits, it also brings challenges, with some residents feeling the negative effects of this growing population.

“We just came up from Long Island. We came from Rhode Island. We came from Connecticut. We came from New Jersey,” said Chase Addison, a long-time Dunbarton resident. “What does it do to us? It increases everything we want – ambulances, schools. Everything jumps right up in the air.”

SruthiGopalakrishnan can be reached at sgopalakrishnan@cmonitor.com