Board of Selectmen — June 9, 2025

Amherst board split 4-1 on a 20,000-person event at Town Common, tabled a 20-year financial deal, and quietly approved flat nonprofit funding that hasn't kept pace with inflation in nearly a decade.

The meeting was largely routine with one notable split vote and board-level skepticism on a long-term financial proposal, but no public attendance, no community confrontations, and no heated exchanges elevated the overall tone beyond mild contentiousness.

Date Monday, June 9, 2025 Duration 2.2h Speakers 11 Decisions 10 Lively

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Summary AI-generated to surface controversy & community impact without bias — always verify against the actual meeting before relying on it.

Here's a recap of what the Amherst Board of Selectmen decided at their June 9, 2025 meeting — including a split vote on a major event, a long-term financial proposal that drew sharp skepticism, and a funding gap for nonprofits serving residents most in need.

GERMAN CHRISTMAS MARKET — 4-1 VOTE, CONDITIONS STILL UNMET: The board gave conditional approval for a German Christmas Market on the Town Common on December 13. The event is projected to draw as many as 20,000 visitors, though organizers are proposing a ticketed system to cap attendance at 8,000. One board member voted against even this conditional approval. Before final approval can happen, organizers must submit detailed bus routes, shuttle frequencies, parking locations, porta-potty placement, and a full site plan. The town also needs cost estimates from the police department and DPW — numbers that weren't available at the meeting. Residents near the Common and anyone commuting through town that day should follow this closely as those details come in.

NET METERING DEAL TABLED FOR SCRUTINY: A representative from Kearsarge Energy pitched a 20-year agreement that would pay Amherst roughly $13,600 per year through a state solar net metering program, with no upfront cost to the town. The board did not approve it. One member flatly called it a 'something for nothing scheme' and the board voted to gather more information first — including the enabling legislation, Public Utilities Commission details, a sample contract, a list of municipalities already in the program, and a legal opinion on whether this agreement requires a town meeting vote. That's the appropriate level of caution for a 20-year financial commitment.

NONPROFIT FUNDING HASN'T KEPT UP WITH INFLATION: The board unanimously approved distributing $55,000 to 15 nonprofits that serve Amherst's elderly, disabled, and low-income residents. That total has not increased in six to seven years. One board member explicitly noted that inflation has eroded the real value of that support — meaning these organizations are effectively getting less help each year while costs rise. The board approved the flat allocation with no formal commitment to address the gap. This is worth raising with your selectmen before next year's budget cycle.

The board also acknowledged it has never formally set goals for itself and scheduled a goal-setting session for August 2025. Official minutes for this meeting have not yet been published.

Jun 9, 2025 2.2h long 11 speakers 10 decisions Lively

❝ Notable statements ↔ Drag to browse

“We would make it a ticketed event with tickets for every Amherst resident that wanted to come, and pre-selling tickets to outsiders to guarantee crowd control”

— German Christmas Market organizer · Explaining crowd management strategy to reduce attendance from estimated 20,000 to maximum 8,000 people 10:29

“There's no investment or outlay from the town. There's no use of town land, property or services. There's no change to town's electric service supplier”

— Malcolm Bliss · Explaining the benefits and requirements of the Group Net Metering program 38:16

“It sounds remarkably like a something for nothing scheme. And those are usually not real.”

— Unidentified speaker · Responding to solar net metering proposal 1:01:40

“This amount has not increased in six or seven years. And we've had a fair amount of inflation across those six or seven years. So maybe it's time for us to look at increasing the amount.”

— Unidentified speaker · Regarding Health and Human Services nonprofit funding 1:17:55

“This board has been not very good about assigning itself goals. You can't fail if you never give yourself a goal.”

— Unidentified speaker · Discussion of board calendar and goal-setting 1:24:53

“Eric Swanson did an excellent job handling the garage fire, coordinating mutual aid and ensuring ambulances were available”

— Unidentified speaker · Recognition of fire department leadership during emergency response 2:06:04

“We're eventually going to have to put something across there if we want pedestrians to be able to cross that road without having to go on the traffic bridge”

— Unidentified speaker · Justifying the need for bridge engineering study despite previous lack of support 2:07:08

“I am headed to Washington, D.C. tomorrow for Don Potter's interment at Arlington Cemetery, a WWII veteran who lived here for over 50 years”

— Unidentified speaker · Explaining absence from next meeting to honor local veteran 2:09:11

This meeting — choose a section

Public ⁠impact

Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.

What was discussed

Event projected to draw up to 20,000 visitors to a small town center; town department cost estimates pending but potentially significant for a single-day event

What was discussed

$55,000 total allocation unchanged for 6-7 years; real-dollar value has eroded substantially due to inflation, effectively reducing support to agencies serving residents in need

What was discussed

Proposed 20-year agreement generating ~$13,600/year to town; legal and financial obligations not yet fully disclosed or reviewed by town counsel