Accountability posts
Drafts ready to share. Click to copy, then post. Board of Selectmen · Amherst, NH · November 21, 2025.
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Tax rate increase and how the board chose to manage it
Amherst BOS (11/21): Town property tax rate rising from $4.71 → $4.92/thousand — a ~4.5% increase. Total combined rate: ~$24.10, up from $22.93. Board voted 4-0 to use $300K from reserves + $200K from overlay to soften the blow.
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Structural fiscal risk from repeated fund balance drawdowns below policy minimum
Amherst's fund balance policy requires 8–10% of budget in reserves. It's currently at 7.73% — already below that floor. The 11/21 BOS vote draws down another $300K. The finance director's warning: don't go below 7%. Watch this number.
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Healthcare provider switch affecting town and school employees
Amherst BOS (11/21) approved switching employee health coverage from School Care to Health Trust — partly because they missed the School Care deadline. Projected savings: ~$200K/year. Affected employees weren't in the room.
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Unresolved funding gap on a multi-million dollar capital purchase
Amherst needs a new ladder truck. $1.9M is already appropriated, but an accelerated manufacturing slot requires more — exact amount unknown. No vote yet. Real numbers due at the Dec. 8 BOS meeting.
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🧵 Amherst Board of Selectmen met 11/21 and made decisions affecting your taxes, your town employees' healthcare, and a multi-million dollar fire truck purchase. Here's what happened — and what to watch. 1/6
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💰 TAX RATE: The town portion of your property tax is rising from $4.71 → $4.92 per $1,000 assessed value (~4.5% increase). The combined rate across all taxing entities goes from $22.93 → ~$24.10. Board voted 4-0 to use $300K in reserves + $200K from overlay to reduce the rate. 2/6
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⚠️ RESERVES WARNING: Amherst policy requires keeping 8–10% of budget in fund balance. The town is already at 7.73% — below the floor — after using nearly $2M last year. This $300K draw pushes it further down. The finance director flagged 7% as the hard minimum. 3/6
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🏥 HEALTHCARE SWITCH: The board approved moving town employees from School Care to Health Trust — in part because they missed the School Care enrollment deadline. Projected savings: ~$200K/year. Health Trust is described as comparable with better benefits in some areas. 4/6
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🚒 FIRE TRUCK: The town has $1.9M appropriated for a new ladder truck, but a manufacturing slot opened up that requires additional funding — amount not yet specified. No vote was taken. Lincoln (a speaker) will bring concrete numbers to the Dec. 8 BOS meeting. 5/6
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Bottom line: Real fiscal tradeoffs were made on 11/21 with zero public comment. Tax rates are up, reserves are below policy, a healthcare contract was switched after a missed deadline, and a capital funding gap is unresolved. Dec. 8 meeting is next. Show up or tune in. 6/6
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📌 One more thing: A board member noted the town used ~$1.3M in fund balance for warrant articles last year after years of resisting that practice. That's a significant shift in fiscal philosophy — and it's happening while reserves sit below the town's own policy minimum.
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Longer-form draft.
📋 AMHERST BOARD OF SELECTMEN — November 21, 2025 Meeting Recap If you own property in Amherst, your tax bill is going up. At the November 21st Board of Selectmen meeting, the board voted unanimously (4-0) to set the town tax rate at $4.92 per $1,000 of assessed value — up from $4.71 last year, a roughly 4.5% increase in the town portion. The total combined rate across all taxing entities rises from $22.93 to approximately $24.10. To cushion the increase, the board voted to draw $300,000 from the town's fund balance (rainy-day reserves) and $200,000 from overlay. One member pushed for using $500,000 from fund balance to provide more relief; the board settled at $300K as a compromise. That caution has limits, though. Amherst's own fund balance policy requires keeping 8–10% of the budget in reserves. The town is currently at 7.73% — already below that threshold — after drawing down nearly $2 million last year. The finance director explicitly warned the board not to let the balance fall below 7%. This latest $300K draw pushes the town further from its own policy floor. One board member noted that the town used roughly $1.3 million in fund balance for warrant articles last year, after years of resisting that practice — a meaningful shift in fiscal philosophy worth tracking. The board also approved switching town and school employees from School Care to Health Trust for healthcare coverage — partly because the town missed the School Care enrollment deadline. Projected savings are approximately $200,000 per year, and the Health Trust coverage is described as comparable with better benefits in some areas. Affected employees were not present at the meeting. Finally, the board discussed a potential accelerated purchase of a new ladder truck for the fire department. The town has $1.9 million already appropriated, but a manufacturing slot with Pierce Manufacturing requires additional funding — the exact amount is not yet known. No vote was taken. Lincoln (a speaker) was directed to return with specific figures and a timeline at the December 8th Board of Selectmen meeting. 📅 Next meeting: December 8th. Fire truck funding gap will be on the agenda.