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Meeting report · Board of Selectmen
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Board of Selectmen — August 11, 2025

The meeting was largely collegial and procedural, but was elevated above routine by a significant off-agenda budget work session touching millions in potential commitments, explicit board-level warnings about tax impacts, environmental liability concerns over lake treatment, and a pattern of failed past initiatives — all without any public notice or community input.

Date Monday, August 11, 2025 Duration 1.2h Speakers 10 Decisions 3 Lively
📄 Agenda

Public ⁠impact

Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01

FY27 Preliminary Budget — 5% Increase with Risk of Exceeding 3% Tax Target

Preliminary budget of $18.74 million represents a 5% ($445,000) increase over FY26; Town Administrator warned that new initiatives and capital reserve funds will push well above a 3% budget growth target Affected: All Amherst property taxpayers
tax increase
02

Conservation Commission Open Space Warrant Article — Potential $5–10 Million Bond

Potential $5–10 million bond with no offsetting debt expiry, described by a board member as likely to raise taxes by a 'fairly substantial amount' Affected: All Amherst property taxpayers, with particular interest from conservation advocates and fiscal conservatives
tax increase
03

Building Inspector and Code Enforcement Officer Hired

Fills a previously identified vacancy; restores full-time code enforcement capacity at $84,884/year Affected: Residents seeking building permits, contractors, and anyone affected by code enforcement
safety change
04

Police Department Staffing Expansion — Clerical, Communications, and Radio Requests

Proposed additions include $45,000 part-time paralegal, $30,000 part-time communications officer (20 hrs/week), and $60,000 portable radio replacement — totaling $135,000 in new police budget requests Affected: All Amherst residents relying on public safety services
safety change
05

Lake Chemical Treatment — Potential $250,000 Town Financial Commitment

Potential town contribution toward a ~$250,000 alum treatment project with unresolved permit status, denied application history, and disputed long-term safety profile Affected: All taxpayers (financial exposure) and residents near affected lake (environmental/health impact)
other high impact

Decisions ⁠logged

Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Approved hiring of Jamie Ramsey as building inspector and code enforcement officer
Full-time position at grade 15, step 5 ($40.81/hour, $84,884 annually), contingent on background check and driving record. After probationary period, increases to step 6 ($41.62/hour, $86,569.60 annually).
Unanimous (4-0)
03:47
Approved videographer contract rate increase for Cummings Media LLC
Increased hourly rate from $20 to $28.50 for ACTV management services, with annual contract renewal terms. Town Administrator authorized to execute contract.
Unanimous (4-0)
06:46
Motion to enter non-public session under RSA 91-A:3(II)(b) for hiring of public employee
Board Chair made motion to go into non-public session to discuss personnel hiring matters
Motion made, awaiting roll call vote
1:11:39

Topics ⁠discussed

Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
00:36 Hiring of Building Inspector and Code Enforcement Officer

Community Development Director requested approval to hire Jamie Ramsey as a full-time building inspector and code enforcement officer at grade 15, step 5, starting at $40.81/hour ($84,884 annually). Ramsey is an Amherst resident with experience in both private and public sectors.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
04:07 Videographer Contract Rate Increase

Town Administrator requested approval to increase Joe Cummings' hourly rate from $20 to $28.50 for managing Amherst Community Television (ACTV). Cummings has provided services since 2017 and was described as 'woefully underpaid' for several years.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
07:08 FY27 Budget Overview Discussion

Initial budget work session presenting a preliminary 5% increase over FY26 adopted budget ($445,000 increase to $18.74 million). Discussion included the benefit of paying off road bond debt ($400,000), providing opportunity for new initiatives.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
13:50 Community Development Department Initiatives

Three requests: $25,000 for document retention/digitization system, $10,000 for large format plotter replacement (13-year-old unit no longer has parts available), and funds for part-time/on-call building inspector coverage.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
24:44 Recreation Department Budget Requests

Three initiatives: $5,000 for temporary pickleball courts at Davis Lane, $50,000 for water quality improvements at Baboosic Lake beach, and $42,000 to convert administrative position from part-time (29.5 hours) to full-time (40 hours) with 75/25 funding split.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
32:22 Police and Public Works Department Requests

Police requests: $45,000 for part-time clerical/paralegal position, $30,000 for part-time communications position (20 hours/week), $60,000 for portable radio replacement. Public Works requests: $97,000 for full-time transfer attendant, $100,000 increase for road work (to reach $1.7M total), $32,350 for part-time DPW laborer.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
37:21 Conservation Commission Open Space Warrant Article

Conservation Commission proposed another open space acquisition warrant article, potentially $5-10 million, following success of previous $6 million bond (passed with nearly 70% approval). Seeking board temperature check before proceeding with specific amount.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
54:27 Capital Reserve Fund Review

Review of existing capital reserve funds totaling approximately $1.7 million impact, including computer systems ($15,000), fire equipment ($257,000), bridge repair ($300,000), DPW facility ($55,000), and others. Some funds are new requests, others are level-funded from previous year.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
1:05:33 Lake Treatment Project Budget Discussion

Board discussed potential town financial involvement in a lake treatment project currently being pursued by a lake association. The project involves chemical treatment costing approximately $250,000, with the association's application previously denied and requiring additional studies.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
1:09:49 Project Coordination and Oversight Concerns

Discussion about the need for a designated person to coordinate and track various aspects of the lake project including grants, permits, and solutions.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
1:11:03 Strategic Planning Process Scheduling

Board confirmed upcoming strategic planning sessions scheduled for September 8 and 9, with department head presentations to determine budget priorities.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker

Controversy & ⁠dissent

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

Potentially controversial issues

01

FY27 Budget Exceeding 3% Target — Tax Impact Warning

The Town Administrator explicitly warned that proposed initiatives and capital reserve funds will push the budget well above a 3% increase target, raising concern about property tax burdens. This was discussed in a budget work session not listed on the public agenda, meaning residents had no opportunity to attend and engage on proposals totaling hundreds of thousands in new spending.
Board position: Board acknowledged the challenge but continued reviewing requests without cutting any; no firm commitment to hold to 3% was made.
medium concern
02

Conservation Commission Open Space Bond — Potential $5–10 Million Tax Impact

A new $5–10 million open space bond would impose a significant new tax burden with no offsetting debt expiring, unlike the prior $6 million bond. a speaker specifically flagged this as a 'fairly substantial' tax increase for residents. The scale of the ask and its direct tax impact make it a high-stakes decision for all Amherst property taxpayers.
Board position: Board gave a cautious temperature check — supportive in principle of open space acquisition but signaling concern about the tax impact and requesting financial projections before proceeding.
Internal dissent
a speaker raised a pointed objection about the tax impact of a new bond without a debt offset, distinguishing it unfavorably from the prior bond, effectively urging restraint on the amount.
medium concern
03

Chemical Lake Treatment — Town Financial Exposure and Environmental Risk

The board discussed whether the town should contribute to a ~$250,000 chemical treatment project for a lake currently pursued by a private lake association. a speaker explicitly raised long-term environmental and public health concerns ('I don't want to be on a hook for something… we find out this is not a good chemical, it's polluting lakes and making people sick'). Committing public funds to a project with unresolved permit status and uncertain science is both a financial and safety issue.
Board position: Board deferred any financial commitment, directing the Town Administrator to first meet with the lake association and gather information on the application's status.
Internal dissent
a speaker voiced clear reluctance based on long-term liability and environmental risk, distinguishing their position from others more open to participation.
medium concern
04

Extensive Off-Agenda Budget Work Session — Transparency Concern

The majority of the meeting consisted of a detailed FY27 budget work session covering Community Development, Recreation, Police, Public Works, capital reserve funds, a conservation bond, and a lake treatment project — none of which appeared on the published public agenda. Residents had no notice these significant fiscal matters would be discussed or decided. This represents a meaningful transparency gap for a meeting that touched on millions of dollars in potential commitments.
Board position: Board proceeded through all budget topics without apparent acknowledgment that they were not publicly noticed.
medium concern
05

Document Digitization — Repeated Failure to Execute

a speaker noted that the town has attempted a document retention and digitization initiative at least three times without success, calling out the risk of a fourth failed attempt. This signals a governance and execution problem within the Community Development Department and erodes confidence in administrative follow-through.
Board position: Board approved moving forward with planning but conditioned it on a proper specification and cost estimate process before any commitment.
Internal dissent
a speaker expressed clear skepticism and frustration, pushing back on a straightforward approval and demanding a more structured approach before funds are allocated.
low concern

Community vs. board tension

Action ⁠items

Who owes what, by when.
Develop comprehensive document retention/digitization plan with specifications and cost estimates
Assigned: Community Development Director (a speaker) · Due: Before strategic planning presentations
Meet with Baboosic Lake Association to determine status of alum application and potential town collaboration
Assigned: Town Administrator (Lincoln Daly) · Due: Soon
Research field construction costs from other communities and work with Town Administrator on Buck Meadow cost estimates
Assigned: Recreation Director (Arena) · Due: During budget process
Develop financial impact projections for potential open space warrant article amounts
Assigned: Conservation Commission · Due: Before strategic planning presentation
Obtain more information from lake association on status of their application before making financial commitment decisions
Assigned: Board/Town · Due: Before budget discussions
Attend strategic planning sessions with department head presentations
Assigned: Board · Due: September 8 and 9, 2025 (September 8 at 3:00 PM)

Notable ⁠statements

We are fortunate to have had him for that price for so long. He's been probably woefully underpaid for several years. — Speaker B (Board Chair) · Supporting the videographer contract rate increase for Joe Cummings 05:28
We have attempted to do this three different times since I was on the board... I just don't want to start a fourth time and fail again. — Speaker E (Board Member) · Expressing concern about previous failed document digitization attempts and need for proper planning 16:39
If we go with a brand new $10 million bond, there is no offsetting bonds expiring. So we're going to end up raising people's taxes by a fairly substantial amount. — Speaker E (Board Member) · Cautioning about tax impact of potential conservation bond without debt offset like previous bond had 43:36
If we include again the initiatives and this CRFs alone will be well above that 3% increase... This will be a challenge for us to meet that 3% goal. — Speaker D (Town Administrator) · Warning that proposed budget initiatives and capital reserve funds will exceed target 3% budget increase 59:53
I don't want to allocate money if a solution's already be in the works — Unidentified speaker · Expressing caution about committing town funds without full information about the lake association's project status 1:06:53
The money we're talking about is on the order of a quarter million dollars — Unidentified speaker · Discussing the cost of the lake treatment project 1:08:07
I just don't want to be a hook for something... in 20 years, you know, all of a sudden we find out that this is not a good chemical. It's polluting lakes and making people sick — Unidentified speaker · Expressing concerns about potential long-term environmental and health risks of chemical lake treatment 1:09:35

Public ⁠comment

What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
No public comments were identified in this meeting.

Accountability ⁠flags

Documented procedural gaps. Each item links to its source.

Agenda items not discussed

Topics discussed — not on agenda

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Report composed by claude-sonnet-4-20250514, claude-sonnet-4-6, claude-opus-4-6 · analyzed 2026-06-01.