Accountability posts
Drafts ready to share. Click to copy, then post. Board of Selectmen · Amherst · April 7, 2025.
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Unplanned $170,000 budget shortfall from insurance contract breach and risk of service impacts
Amherst's health insurer raised rates from 9.5% to 27.5% — breaching its contract. That's a $170K hole in the town budget. BOS 4/7/25: staff directed to find the money by next meeting. Watch your budget closely, Amherst. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/amherst/board-of-selectmen/2...
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Public safety risk from alleged hydrant maintenance failure despite significant monthly payments
Amherst pays Pennichuck Water $26K/month for hydrant maintenance. At the 4/7/25 BOS meeting, a board member raised the alarm: hydrants may not be getting flushed. That could mean no water in an emergency. No enforcement action w... https://meetingwatch.org/nh/amherst/board-of-...
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Payroll oversight failure and unplanned retroactive costs
Amherst BOS 4/7/25: EMS Grade 3 workers were paid only 6–7 cents more per hour than Grade 2 — a wage scale error now being corrected with retroactive pay. Board voted 5-0 to fix it. Retroactive cost still being calculated. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/amherst/board-of-selectmen...
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Open government process concern — government decisions initiated outside public view
At the 4/7/25 Amherst BOS meeting, a board member reminded colleagues: you cannot reassign committee liaisons through informal conversations outside public meetings. The Babousic Lake Septic Committee liaison change was ratified... https://meetingwatch.org/nh/amherst/board-of-...
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🧵 AMHERST BOARD OF SELECTMEN — April 7, 2025: Four issues residents need to know about. A contract breach, a fire safety concern, a payroll error, and a transparency process issue. Thread 👇 #MeetingWatch
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1/ INSURANCE CONTRACT BREACH: NH Interlocal Trust raised Amherst's health insurance rates from the contracted 9.5% to 27.5% — a move the Town Administrator called an outright breach. That's $170,000 in unplanned costs. Board mem...
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2/ No resolution was reached at the meeting. Staff were directed to find $170,000 within existing budget lines and explore alternative insurers by the next meeting. That money has to come from somewhere — departments, staffing,...
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3/ FIRE HYDRANT SAFETY: Amherst pays Pennichuck Water $26,000/month for system maintenance. Board member Cynthia raised a serious concern: hydrants may not be flushed on a regular schedule. Unflushed hydrants can produce no pres...
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4/ The board's response: asked Cynthia and Eric to contact Pennichuck's local rep. No formal notice, no contractual enforcement, no timeline. For a public safety issue, residents should monitor whether follow-up happens.
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5/ EMS WAGE ERROR: Grade 3 EMS staff were being paid only 6–7 cents per hour more than Grade 2. The board voted 5-0 on 4/7 to correct the scale for FY26 and pay retroactive compensation. The exact retroactive cost is still being...
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6/ This correction comes at the same time as the $170,000 insurance gap. The retroactive cost is unknown. Residents deserve to know the final number and how it will be funded.
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7/ PROCESS ISSUE: A board member had to publicly remind colleagues at the 4/7 meeting that committee liaison reassignments cannot happen through informal conversations outside public meetings. The Babousic Lake Septic Committee... https://meetingwatch.org/nh/amherst/board-of-selectmen/2025-04-07/ #AmherstNH
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Longer-form draft.
📋 AMHERST BOARD OF SELECTMEN — April 7, 2025 | What happened and why it matters Four issues from Monday's meeting deserve your attention: 🔴 $170,000 BUDGET SHORTFALL FROM INSURANCE CONTRACT BREACH NH Interlocal Trust — the town's health insurer — raised rates from the contracted 9.5% cap to 27.5%, a move Town Administrator Debbie Bender called a breach of contract. That's an unbudgeted $170,000 shortfall. Board member John noted the town is technically not required to pay the higher rate, but no legal action was announced. Staff were directed to find the money within existing budget lines and explore alternative insurers by the next meeting. That gap will require cuts, deferrals, or reallocation elsewhere in the budget. 🔴 FIRE HYDRANT MAINTENANCE CONCERNS Amherst pays Pennichuck Water $26,000 per month for system maintenance, which includes hydrant flushing. At the April 7 meeting, board member Cynthia raised a concern that hydrants may not be getting flushed on schedule. Hydrants that haven't been flushed can deliver reduced water pressure or rust-laden water when firefighters need them. The board directed Cynthia and Eric to reach out to Pennichuck's local representative. No formal enforcement action or deadline was announced. 🟡 EMS PAYROLL ERROR REQUIRES RETROACTIVE PAY Grade 3 EMS employees — a higher classification — were being paid just 6 to 7 cents per hour more than Grade 2. The board voted unanimously on April 7 to correct the wage scale for FY26 and pay affected employees retroactively. The total retroactive cost is still being calculated. 🟡 COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS WERE BEING CHANGED OUTSIDE PUBLIC MEETINGS A board member had to explicitly remind colleagues at the April 7 meeting that committee liaison assignments cannot be changed through informal conversations — they must be discussed and decided in public. The reassignment of the Babousic Lake Septic Committee liaison from John to Cynthia was ultimately ratified in public session. The reminder underscores the importance of maintaining open government practices. Official minutes for this meeting have not yet been published. When they are, they will provide full vote roll calls and member-by-member positions. We'll follow up. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/amherst/board-of-selectmen/2025-04-07/ #MeetingWatch #AmherstNH