- Rye residents will vote on town and school budgets, a new fire engine, and town and school employee salary increases.
- Two citizen petitions, one regarding the addition of a tennis and pickleball court and another to expand the Select Board, will also be voted on.
- Voters will also decide whether to change the rules regarding dogs on town beaches during peak season.
RYE — Questions about dogs on town beaches, hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs to the Harbor Road Bridge and the potential construction of a tennis and pickleball court on town-owned land will go before Rye voters this winter.
Warrant articles crafted and certified by Rye officials will be debated at the town’s deliberative session Saturday, Feb. 1, when they can be amended prior to voters casting their ballots in the March 11 election. This includes the town’s fiscal year 2026 operating budget proposal of just over $13.3 million, though if the article is defeated, a default budget of just under $13 million would be implemented.
A separate deliberative session for the Rye school department will include the question of whether the town schools’ proposed FY 2026 operating budget of about $18.6 million should pass. If the article is defeated, a default budget of nearly $18.1 million would take effect.
The deliberative session for the town warrant will be held Saturday at Rye Junior High School starting at 9 a.m. The deliberative session for the town’s school warrant will occur next Tuesday, Feb. 4 at Rye Junior High School beginning at 5:30 p.m., though a snow day postponement would push the deliberative session until Thursday, Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the same location, per SAU 50.
Both the town and school warrant deliberative sessions pave the way for voters prior to the March 11 election. Held at Rye Elementary School, the polls will be open from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Here’s what Rye voters need to know before the upcoming deliberative sessions:
What is on Rye’s town warrant?
One three-year term for the Rye Select Board is on the ballot, as are two Planning Board positions with three-year terms alongside other town board and committee positions. All are listed under Article 1, while Article 2 calls for the election of Rye school district officers.
Amendments to the town’s zoning ordinance are proposed in Article 3 and the town’s building code in Article 4.
The town is seeking approval in Article 5 to “raise and appropriate” $975,000 for the design of repairs and renovations to the Harbor Road Bridge battered by coastal storms last winter. Article 6 calls for voters to weigh in on purchasing a new town fire engine for $789,000, while Article 7 asks for approval of the proposed FY 2026 town operating budget of over $13.3 million.
Article 8 details bargaining agreement adjustments between the town and the Professional Firefighters Association of Rye. Members would see an increase of $89,595.78 in salaries and benefits between the present fiscal year and FY 2027, if approved.
A citizens’ petition requests the town construct a tennis court with pickleball “adaptability” in Article 11, a $120,000 question that aligns with the town recreation department’s master plan.
Article 17 asks voters to approve having the Select Board enter into a three-year, $45,000 contract for a Harley Davidson motorcycle to be used by town police.
Allowing dogs at town beaches on Saturdays during peak season is the focus of Article 27. The question asks whether the town should amend its beach rules to prohibit dogs on all town beaches on Saturdays, beginning the Saturday before Memorial Day and ending the Saturday following Labor Day each year. If the voters defeat the measure, Article 28 asks whether dogs should be allowed on town beaches on Saturdays from the Saturday before Memorial Day to the Saturday after Labor Day, but only before 9 a.m. and after 7 p.m. on those days.
The second citizens’ petition filed with the town proposed expanding the three-person Select Board to five members, as described in Article 31. Existing selectmen are unanimously not recommending the article to pass.
More:Rye to vote on increasing Select Board to 5 members; building tennis/pickleball court
What is on the Rye school warrant?
Article 1 of the school warrant covers the school system’s FY 2026 proposed budget north of $18.6 million. If voters don’t approve the article, the default budget would be just shy of $18.1 million next fiscal year.
Salary and benefit increases for Rye teachers worth $286,202 next fiscal year are the subject of Article 2. In the 2026-27 academic year, union members would see another $241,570 increase, then another $226,217 in salaries and benefits the school year following.
If Article 2 is defeated, Article 3 would authorize the town School Board to call a special meeting to approve the salary and benefits increase.
Article 4 of the school warrant seeks approval for $75,000 to be placed in the town school system’s Special Education Expendable Trust Fund. A citizens’ petition, Article 5 calls on the School Board to study the possibility of offering advanced placement curriculum, typically reserved for high school students, to Rye students before they graduate to Portsmouth High School.
Information on the town warrant and Rye school system warrant and upcoming deliberative sessions can be found here.
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