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Meeting report · Board of Selectmen
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Board of Selectmen — October 21, 2024

The meeting was largely procedural and collegial, but the announcement of three staff resignations — including two in a single department, flagged by a citizen as a 'revolving door' with no public explanation offered by the board — introduced notable underlying tension that kept the meeting above routine.

Date Monday, October 21, 2024 Duration 1.4h Speakers 13 Public comments 1 Decisions 11 Lively

Public ⁠impact

Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01

Community Development Office Leadership Vacuum

Loss of Director and Executive Assistant simultaneously creates a significant service gap in a department handling major land use decisions; interim coverage is uncertain Affected: Residents and applicants with pending or upcoming land use applications; the broader community relying on planning and development services
service reduction
02

3% COLA for Town Employees Affecting FY26 Budget

3% wage increase applied across town workforce will increase personnel costs in the FY26 budget, contributing to potential property tax rate increases Affected: All Amherst taxpayers who fund municipal employee compensation
tax increase
03

Trackless Machine Replacement Warrant Article

$152,000 warrant article or capital reserve draw for equipment replacement; deferral risks continued service disruptions and ongoing repair costs Affected: All residents who depend on sidewalk clearing and roadside mowing services; all taxpayers if funded via warrant article
other high impact
04

Multiple Senior Staff Vacancies Requiring Hiring (Finance Director, Town Administrator, Community Development Director)

Simultaneous vacancies in three senior leadership roles creates broad administrative risk across finance, planning, and executive functions Affected: All town residents dependent on effective municipal administration and financial management
other high impact

Decisions ⁠logged

Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Amendment to no-through trucking ordinance removing Merrimack Road
Motion to amend existing ordinance so it makes no reference to no-through trucking on Merrimack Road
5-0 (unanimous approval)
10:28
Set 3% COLA for budget planning
Board agreed on 3% cost of living adjustment as starting point for budget discussions
Consensus (no formal vote)
19:48
Accepted resignation of Craig Fraley as Recreation Director
Board accepted resignation with regret and thanked Fraley for his service
5-0 (unanimous approval)
34:14
Accepted resignation of Executive Assistant in Community Development
Formal acceptance of resignation
5-0 (unanimous approval)
34:37
Approved computer system capital reserve fund use
Approved $29,520.79 for police department server replacement through Microtime Computers
5-0 (unanimous approval)
39:46
Waived purchasing policy for vegetation management plan
Waived requirement for three quotes for DPW/ACC to proceed with $15,000 Davy Resource Group proposal
5-0 (unanimous approval)
1:02:35
Approved consent agenda
Unanimous approval of consent agenda items
5-0
1:16:08
Approved minutes from September 30th meeting
Minutes approved as submitted
5-0
1:16:33
Approved minutes from October 7th meeting
Minutes approved as submitted
5-0
1:16:49
Approved Boy Scout Halloween booth use of town common
Annual hot dog and chili booth on October 31, 2024 at 5pm on School Street Park
5-0
1:17:15
Motion to enter non-public session
Two purposes: pending litigation (RSA 91-A:3(e)) and personnel matters (RSA 91-A:3(a))
Approved by roll call
1:23:51

Topics ⁠discussed

Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
01:22 Citizens Forum - Community Development Office Resignations

Kelly Mullen raised concerns about the Executive Assistant resignation in the Community Development Office and potential impacts on upcoming land use applications. She expressed worry about a 'revolving door' in that office and requested the selectmen investigate underlying issues.

Speakers: Kelly Mullen
04:03 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Presentation

Jason White presented the FY26 CIP recommendations, prioritizing all Capital Reserve Fund (CRF) projects as top priority. Notable projects included DPW fuel tank safety upgrade and community center improvements.

Speakers: Jason White
09:46 Trucking Ordinance Amendment

Board voted to remove Merrimack Road from the no-through trucking ordinance following a previous public hearing.

Speakers: Board Members
11:13 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) Discussion

Board reviewed inflation data and decided on a 3% COLA for budget planning purposes. Data showed Social Security increase of 2.5%, CPI urban Northeast of 3.4%, with state/local worker wages data pending.

Speakers: Bill, Board Members
32:31 Staff Resignations Announced

Town Administrator announced three resignations: Greg Fraley (Parks & Recreation Director), Executive Assistant in Community Development, and Nick Strong (Community Development Director).

Speakers: Dean Shank, Board Members
39:44 Police Department Server Replacement

Board approved using computer system capital reserve funds ($29,520.79) to replace the police department's primary server through Microtime Computers.

Speakers: Board Members
43:58 Fire Truck Discussion

Fire Chief discussed options for replacing aging fire truck, including examining a potential donated truck and considering new truck purchase with 3-year build time.

Speakers: Fire Chief, Board Members
1:00:39 DPW Equipment Purchases

Board approved waiver for purchasing policy to contract with Davy Resource Group for $15,000 vegetation management plan and discussed trackless machine replacement warrant article for $152,000.

Speakers: Eric, Board Members
1:03:47 Trackless Machine Replacement Warrant Article

DPW Director Eric requested support for a warrant article to replace the town's 9-year-old trackless machine used for sidewalk clearing and roadside mowing. The machine has required $35,000 in repairs over two years and continues having mechanical issues, with 24-year-old attachments also needing replacement.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
1:08:18 Capital Reserve Fund and Equipment Funding Discussion

Board discussed alternative funding sources for the trackless machine replacement, including capital reserve funds. DPW revised their FY26 funding request to maintain budget at $180,000 and increase CRF request to $135,000 (up $5,000).

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
1:18:12 IT System Review Initiative

Board member Bill reported meeting with Dick Spencer (trust fund trustee and former Fidelity IT executive) to explore getting independent IT consultation for the town's systems, security, and cost-effectiveness.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
1:21:25 Staffing and Hiring Priorities

Discussion of need to begin hiring processes for finance director and town administrator positions, plus interim community development director coverage following recent resignation.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker

Controversy & ⁠dissent

Where the board, the community, or the agenda diverged.

Potentially controversial issues

01

Community Development Office Resignations ('Revolving Door')

Two resignations in the Community Development Office — the Director (Nick Strong) and Executive Assistant — plus the separate resignation of Recreation Director Craig Fraley, raised public concern about staffing stability. Resident Kelly Mullen explicitly warned of a 'revolving door' in the Community Development Office and flagged that significant pending land use applications could be jeopardized. The board accepted the resignations unanimously without publicly investigating or addressing the underlying causes of the Community Development departures.
Board position: Accepted all resignations unanimously and thanked departing staff, but offered no public explanation of causes or remediation plan beyond pursuing interim coverage through Southern NH Planning Commission.
high concern
02

3% COLA for Town Employees

The board settled on a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for budget planning, a decision with direct fiscal implications for taxpayers. Ways and Means member Steve Hodgkin cautioned that private sector wages grew only ~2.5% even when CPI hit 5%, arguing town employee raises should not outpace taxpayers' ability to pay. This reflects a values tension between fair compensation for employees and fiscal restraint for taxpayers.
Board position: Reached consensus on 3% COLA as a starting point for budget discussions, balancing employee fairness, hiring competitiveness, and taxpayer burden.
medium concern
03

Trackless Machine Replacement Warrant Article ($152,000)

The DPW Director made a compelling case for replacing a heavily used, chronically failing machine ($35,000 in repairs over two years), but the board deferred any vote, with the Chairman citing the need to examine alternative funding sources. While not hostile, the deferral signals unresolved questions about how to finance the replacement and whether it belongs in the operating budget or capital reserve — a tension relevant to taxpayers facing warrant article decisions.
Board position: Deferred decision; Chairman stated he needed more time to review funding sources before voting. Board leaned supportive of the need but was not ready to commit.
low concern

Community vs. board tension

Action ⁠items

Who owes what, by when.
Obtain detailed schedule from Sanborn Head for fire station remediation project with contract award date well before December 31st
Assigned: Town Administrator · Due: Next meeting
Inspect potential donated fire truck and report back on condition and suitability
Assigned: Fire Chief · Due: November 4th meeting (after November 1st inspection)
Schedule special budget meeting and circulate draft budget materials
Assigned: Town Administrator · Due: October 28th meeting (materials by Friday October 25th)
Email preliminary tax rate information to board members before Thursday 8:10am meeting
Assigned: Finance Director · Due: Before October 24th
Request additional insured status on Davy Resource Group contract and coordinate signage installation with Police Chief
Assigned: DPW Director · Due: Next meeting
Contact Southern NH Planning Commission for interim community development assistance
Assigned: Tom · Due: Next couple of weeks
Connect board with IT consultants for system review
Assigned: Dick Spencer · Due: Next week
Schedule warrant article discussions and voting
Assigned: Board · Due: Second meeting in November

Notable ⁠statements

I'm incredibly concerned about this. There are a number of significant land use applications coming up, and this office plays a critical role... I'm concerned about the revolving door in that office — Kelly Mullen · Citizen expressing concern about Community Development Office resignations and impact on pending applications 01:22
There's three factors that go into this. One factor is we have to be fair to our employees. The second factor is we have to be competitive when we're trying to hire. And the third factor is we have to be respectful of the people that pay the bill, our taxpayers — Bill · Board member explaining philosophy behind COLA decisions 19:48
If we have 5% inflation, private sector salaries go up only 2 and a half percent... So we don't want to get ourselves into a situation where we are giving a CPI raise to our town employees that is not commensurate with the ability of our taxpayers to pay — Steve Hodgkin (Ways and Means) · Ways and Means member cautioning about COLA increases relative to private sector wage growth 25:38
I just want to publicly thank Craig Fraley for the work that you've done here over a number of years. You brought us into the 21st century in terms of recreation and accomplished a great deal in a short period of time — Peter Hodgkin · Board member thanking departing Recreation Director 33:50
This machine's a workhorse... It maybe works more than just about any other machine we have... We've spent a tremendous amount of money over the last two years to the tune of $35,000 in repairs — Speaker L (DPW Director Eric) · Justifying need for trackless machine replacement due to heavy use and mounting repair costs 1:03:47
I don't want to vote on this tonight because I think I need to look further into some of the funding sources — Speaker A (Chairman) · Deferring decision on trackless machine warrant article pending funding analysis 1:10:36
I don't think we vote on warrant articles tonight... We'll be in a much better position to make those decisions two weeks from now than we are tonight — Unidentified speaker · Supporting delay of warrant article decisions until after budget information is available 1:13:09

Public ⁠comment

What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
1
Total speakers
0
Addressed
1
Partial
0
Not addressed
Unknown
Not addressed
Board response
The board acknowledged the concern. Later in the meeting, the board accepted the resignations and discussed seeking interim coverage through Southern NH Planning Commission, but did not announce any investigation into root causes.
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Report composed by claude-sonnet-4-20250514, claude-sonnet-4-6, claude-opus-4-6 · analyzed 2026-06-01.