Board of Selectmen — April 29, 2024
Amherst awarded a $257K snow plowing contract with only one bidder — and the town's own DPW Director says insurance rules may be the reason no one else showed up.
The meeting had genuine community engagement on the trucking ordinance with divided public opinion, internal board deliberation on weight limits and stormwater equity, and a chair abstention on a contested abatement denial — but these tensions were resolved procedurally without open conflict or significant unresolved community-board friction.
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📋 Amherst Board of Selectmen — Meeting Recap & Accountability Notes (April 29, 2024)
The board covered a full agenda on Monday, and most items moved through without controversy. But a few decisions deserve a closer look from residents.
💰 SINGLE-BIDDER SNOW PLOWING CONTRACT: The town put out a bid for a three-year snow plowing contract and received exactly one response — Knox Land Care, at $83,500 for year one and $256,815.89 over the full term. The DPW Director acknowledged that insurance requirements are making it hard for contractors to participate. The board approved the contract 5-0. That may be the right call given the circumstances, but when there's no competition on a quarter-million-dollar contract, residents have no benchmark for whether the price is reasonable. This is worth watching — if the procurement structure keeps driving bidders away, it's a problem that will repeat.
🌧️ STORMWATER UTILITY FEES — WHO PAYS? The board was asked to authorize $9,890 for a consultant study to develop a stormwater utility rate structure — essentially a new fee that would be charged based on how much impervious surface (rooftops, driveways, parking lots) a property has. A board member pushed back before approving, asking staff to first bring back data showing how the impervious surface burden breaks down across residential, commercial, and industrial zones. That's an important equity question: stormwater utilities can shift costs significantly depending on how rates are structured. The board deferred action until that data is available. Residents — especially business owners and large property owners — should follow this process.
🚛 TRUCKING ORDINANCE HEADS TO PUBLIC HEARING: After six residents spoke — divided between supporting a truck restriction and asking for better speed enforcement on all vehicles — the board voted unanimously to advance a no-through-trucking ordinance to public hearing. The ordinance would ban vehicles over 68,000 pounds from using Boston Post Road, Mount Vernon Road, and New Boston Road as through-routes. Christian Hill Road and Limber Road were excluded from the final draft. The public hearing date has not yet been set. If you live on or near these roads, or if your business depends on truck access, this is the time to get involved.
⚠️ NOTE ON SPEED ENFORCEMENT: Multiple residents specifically asked for broader traffic and speed enforcement beyond the trucking ordinance — including school-zone safety and construction vehicle speeds. The board acknowledged the comments but gave no direction to the police chief and assigned no follow-up action. If this is a concern in your neighborhood, consider raising it again at the next meeting.
Public impact
Restricts vehicles over 68,000 pounds from using three named roads for through travel; would formally redirect commercial truck traffic away from residential village routes
Early-stage study ($9,890 phase) to design a new utility fee structure; eventual fees could be levied town-wide based on impervious surface area — scale of final charges not yet determined
New streamlined fee schedule effective Q4 FY2024; loan obligations drop off in FY2026, suggesting phase-based cost variation for affected households
$256,815.89 three-year commitment awarded without competitive bidding; first-year cost of $83,500 with no alternative bids received
Topics discussed
Will Loop requested the town consider relocating a replacement telephone pole away from the iconic Hillsborough Bank building on School Street due to removal of a 150-180 year old maple tree.
Multiple residents spoke about the proposed no through trucking ordinance, with some supporting it for safety reasons and others advocating for increased speed enforcement instead of truck restrictions.
Michael Lane was appointed to the Recreation Commission for a term expiring in 2027. Lane has experience coaching baseball and basketball and has four children who use recreation programs.
The board dissolved the Citizen Stormwater Committee as it had no active members and MS4 compliance functions are now handled by staff and consultants.
Eric Slosik presented completed GIS data from NRPC for impervious surface mapping and requested authorization for the next phase with Weston Sampson to develop stormwater utility rate structures at a cost not to exceed $9,890.
The board discussed the draft ordinance, debating weight limits (80,000 vs 68,000 pounds) and which roads to include. They decided to exclude Christian Hill Road and Limber Road and set the weight limit at 68,000 pounds for the public hearing.
The board approved an updated health trust retiree billing agreement, which was originally signed in 2008 and needed updating due to Medicare language requirements.
The board approved offering voluntary employee-funded eye insurance coverage through Emeritus, requiring a minimum of three employees to enroll.
Discussion of answering DES with three choices from previous meeting, timeline for July/August response. ARPA annual report completed after extensive work with multiple videos and processes.
Update on incorporating feedback from Primex and legal counsel. Only received feedback from one board member, additional research needed on costs.
Revised town common policy ready for discussion, to be placed on future agenda in two weeks.
Previous vehicle of interest no longer available, taken by another community. Chief will return with reports from two companies and committee input.
Hiring Lisa Eastland for senior citizen program coordinator position at grade 5, step 5. Position paid from revolving fund with no tax implications.
Appointing Alexander Berry, NHTI student on dean's list, to replace Christine Fowler as communications specialist.
Hiring Thomas Hanlon (fourth generation firefighter family) and Alyssa Davis as probationary firefighters at $12.24/hour.
Approval of two truck purchases: International HD 507 SFA truck with body for $229,450 (FY25 replacement) and Ford F350 pickup for $67,305.
New streamlined fee structure for septic system users, with public meeting held April 10. Rates vary by phase, loans drop off in FY26.
Three-year contract awarded to Knox Land Care for $83,500 first year after only one bidder responded. Insurance issues affecting contractor participation.
Hiring Michael Flynn as regular part-time transfer station attendant at grade 3, step 5 ($21.35/hour).
Board reviewed multiple abatement requests and elderly/disabled exemption denials, including concerns about verification processes.
Controversy & dissent
Potentially controversial issues
No Through Trucking Ordinance – Weight Limit and Road Scope
Stormwater Utility Rate Structure Study – Equity and Cost Implications
Snow Plowing Contract – Single Bidder and Insurance Market Concerns
Property Tax Abatement Denial – Trailer Property Verification Failure
Split votes
Community vs. board tension
Public comment
Decisions logged
Action items
Accountability flags
Agenda items not discussed
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