Accountability posts

📋 AMHERST BOARD OF SELECTMEN — October 20, 2025 Meeting Summary

FY27 budget season is underway in Amherst, and residents should be paying close attention. At Monday's meeting, the board worked through a second draft of the FY27 budget and heard from multiple department heads seeking new staff. Six position requests totaling roughly $207,000 are on the table — including a part-time fire department administrative assistant ($45K), a police clerical position ($45K), a full-time transfer station attendant, and others. That's before accounting for a potential health insurance cost spike: the town budgeted a 10% increase, but the actual figure may come in around 17.5%. Final numbers won't be known until late November, which leaves very little time before the budget must be finalized.

On top of staffing and benefits, two fire department warrant articles — each for $200,000 — are being prepared for Town Meeting. One addresses radio equipment that is 20 years old; the other would standardize PPE gear across different generations of firefighters. These are legitimate public safety needs that have been deferred, and voters will be asked to fund them. Meanwhile, the town's trash hauling contract through the Souhegan Regional Landfill District drew only one bid, and a new $3.50/ton state surcharge adds further uncertainty. One selectman raised the question of whether Amherst should remain in the district at all if costs keep rising — a significant policy question that hasn't been formally addressed.

A Ways & Means Committee member also publicly questioned the library's staffing levels — 7 full-time and 17 part-time employees on a $760,000 budget — while critical departments struggle to get single positions approved. No formal response was given, but in a constrained budget year, that kind of scrutiny tends to have consequences. The board chair acknowledged the difficult position plainly, noting 'it's not my money, it's taxpayer money,' and one board member observed that years of holding the line on hiring means 'the chickens are coming home to roost this year.'

The board approved a $2.1 million federal Safe Streets grant for the Village Streets intersection project (local match: $528,960 from road construction funds), accepted the town treasurer's resignation, and appointed the same person as both Finance Department Consultant ($59.20/hr) and new Town Treasurer — an unusual dual-role arrangement during what will be a critical audit period. The next budget review will incorporate all warrant articles. Residents who care about the tax rate and town services should show up — or at least follow along. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/amherst/board-of-selectmen/2025-10-20/ #MeetingWatch #AmherstNH