Accountability posts
Drafts ready to share. Click to copy, then post. Board of Selectmen · Amherst, NH · November 24, 2025.
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Split vote on $200,000 personnel expansion; board overriding fiscal caution from both a dissenting member and the Ways & Means committee
At the 11/24 Amherst BOS meeting, the board voted 3-1 to add 4 new staff positions (~$200K/year) to the FY27 budget. One selectman said voters should decide. Ways & Means urged staggering the hires. The majority disagreed. Your tax bill reflects that choice.
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Decade-long public safety gap from uninstalled communications equipment finally being addressed
At Amherst's 11/24 BOS meeting: Police Chief disclosed officers have worked around radio dead zones for years — using grant equipment purchased a DECADE ago that was never installed. Board unanimously approved $54K fix. The delay itself is worth asking about.
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Conservation land bond tax impact and limited board scrutiny of fiscal burden
Amherst BOS (11/24): A $10M conservation land bond — adding $110–$184/year to the avg. homeowner's tax bill — was added to the warrant articles with minimal debate on the cost burden. Voters will decide, but the board didn't linger on the price tag.
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Public health risk from documented E. coli contamination in local waterways
Water quality alert: At the 11/24 Amherst BOS meeting, a rep said E. coli levels in Beaver Brook and Caesar's Brook have historically been 'well in excess of any recreational acceptable level.' A grant application for source testing was authorized. Are you using these waterways?
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🧵 Amherst Board of Selectmen — 11/24/25 meeting recap. Several decisions with real tax and safety implications were made. Here's what residents should know. (1/7)
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💰 The board voted 3-1 to add 4 new positions to the FY27 budget: recreation admin, transfer station attendant, fire admin assistant, and police admin assistant. Combined cost: ~$200,000/year — on top of a baseline budget increase of $600K (3.2%). (2/7)
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The lone dissent came from Selectman Tom Grella, who argued voters — not the board — should make that call. The Ways & Means committee also urged the board to stagger the hires rather than add all four at once. The 3-member majority disagreed. (3/7)
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Separately: a selectman proposed raising employee cost-of-living adjustments from 3% to 3.5% (+$38,000). The motion got zero seconds and died without a vote. The board is not fully aligned on how to handle employee compensation. (4/7)
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🚨 The Police Chief revealed officers have operated in radio dead zones for years — using communications equipment bought via grant roughly 10 years ago that was NEVER installed. His words: 'Luck is not a tactic.' Board unanimously approved $54K to finally fix it. (5/7)
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Also on the table: a $10M conservation land bond ($110–$184/yr impact per avg. home over 10 years), aluminum treatment of Baboosic Lake for cyanobacteria (public hearing Jan. 12 at Merrimack Town Hall), and E. coli levels in Beaver Brook 'well in excess of safe recreational levels.' (6/7)
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Budget vote is tentatively set for December 22nd. Next meeting is December 8th. If you care about where the FY27 budget is headed — or any of these issues — now is the time to show up or contact the board. (7/7)
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Longer-form draft.
📋 AMHERST BOARD OF SELECTMEN — November 24, 2025 Meeting Summary The board made several significant fiscal and safety decisions at Monday's meeting that residents should be aware of before the FY27 budget vote, currently scheduled for December 22nd. 💼 FOUR NEW STAFF POSITIONS APPROVED — OVER OBJECTIONS By a 3-1 vote, the board agreed to include four new or expanded positions in the FY27 operating budget: a recreation department admin assistant, a full-time transfer station attendant, a fire department admin assistant, and a police department admin assistant/paralegal. The total annual cost is approximately $200,000 — added to a budget already carrying a $600,000 (3.2%) baseline increase. Selectman Tom Grella cast the dissenting vote, arguing that a commitment of this size should go to voters rather than be decided unilaterally by the board. The Ways & Means committee had also urged the board to stagger the hires rather than add all four simultaneously. The majority disagreed, citing public safety and operational needs. Separately, a motion to raise employee cost-of-living adjustments from 3% to 3.5% (an additional $38,000) died without a second — a sign the board isn't fully unified on compensation either. 📡 A DECADE-LONG SAFETY GAP — FINALLY BEING FIXED The Police Chief disclosed that officers have been working around radio communication dead zones for years, relying on grant-funded equipment purchased roughly ten years ago that was never installed. His statement: "Luck is not a tactic." The board unanimously approved $54,000 to complete the installation, waiving competitive bidding to use the original vendor. The fix is overdue and welcome — but the decade-long delay deserves scrutiny. 🌿 WHAT ELSE WAS DISCUSSED The board added a $10 million conservation land bond to the warrant articles, which would add an estimated $110–$184 per year to the average Amherst homeowner's tax bill over 10 years. Voters will decide at town meeting. Also flagged: E. coli contamination in Beaver Brook and Caesar's Brook at levels described as "well in excess of any recreational acceptable level" — the board authorized a grant application for DNA-based source testing. And NH DES is reviewing a permit application to apply aluminum compounds to Baboosic Lake to control cyanobacteria; a public hearing is set for January 12th at Merrimack Town Hall. The next BOS meeting is December 8th. The budget vote is tentatively December 22nd. Public input matters now.