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Board of Selectmen — March 9, 2026

The meeting was largely procedural and collegial, but the 'No Kings' event request generated genuine values-based disagreement on the board — including an explicit invocation of MAGA rallies as a cautionary hypothetical — and the off-agenda disclosure of a decade-long delay to a major regional transportation project added unannounced significance to what was otherwise a routine agenda.

Date Monday, March 9, 2026 Duration 1.3h Speakers 9 Public comments 2 Decisions 6 Mildly contentious
📄 Agenda ▶ Video

Public ⁠impact

Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01

NH Route 101 Transportation Project Delayed to 2034–2036

Major regional road improvement project pushed back approximately 8–10 years from anticipated construction window, with no guaranteed restoration of funding Affected: Amherst commuters and residents who rely on Route 101 for daily travel; also affects regional traffic safety and economic development along the corridor shared with Wilton, Milford, and Bedford
other high impact
02

Police Records Management Software Consortium — $1 Million Federal Grant

Consortium approach saves $1,827,000 compared to individual procurement; modernizes aging IMC system with cloud-based Pro Suite platform Affected: All Amherst residents who depend on police services; also affects inter-agency coordination across 7 partner agencies
other high impact
03

Thornton Ferry Road 2 Bridge Replacement — $1.08 Million

$1.08 million public infrastructure project; bidding authorized before wetland permits secured, adding procedural and financial risk to the project Affected: Residents and school bus routes dependent on Thornton Ferry Road; project involves significant wetland disturbance and road access implications
other high impact
04

Finance Software Transition — AccuFund and HR Cloud

Annual software costs reduced from $60,000 to $30,000 — a $30,000 recurring savings — while adding electronic timekeeping and HR management capabilities Affected: All town employees (electronic timekeeping and HR management) and taxpayers benefiting from reduced software costs
other high impact

Decisions ⁠logged

Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Approved Congregational Church request to use town common December 12, 10am-3pm for house tour
Motion made and seconded, all voted aye with no opposition or abstentions
Approved unanimously
Approved Engaged Citizens request to use town common March 28, 12pm-2pm for No Kings democracy event
One board member expressed concerns about political events on town property but motion carried
Approved 4-1
Approved AccuFund and HR Cloud software proposals
Authorized finance director to establish implementation timeline with both vendors
Approved unanimously
Authorized DPW to proceed with bidding for Thornton Ferry Road bridge replacement project prior to final wetland permit approval
Motion passed unanimously to allow bidding process to begin before wetland permits are finalized
5-0 approval
Approved consent agenda
Consent agenda items approved unanimously
5-0 approval
Approved minutes from January 20, 2026
Meeting minutes approved with no corrections
5-0 approval

Topics ⁠discussed

Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
▶ 01:35 Town Common Use Request - Congregational Church House Tour

Sally Hooper requested use of town common for December 12 house tour, with plans for shuttle buses, ticket pickup, and potential involvement of other organizations like Boy Scouts and Lions Club.

Speakers: Speaker D (Sally Hooper), Unidentified speaker
▶ 06:46 Town Common Use Request - No Kings Democracy Event

Becky Stoughton requested use of town common for March 28 pro-democracy event from 12-2pm, coordinating with existing Easter egg hunt and similar events in other towns.

Speakers: Speaker C (Becky Stoughton), Unidentified speaker
▶ 17:06 Police Records Management Software Consortium

Chief Champoli presented $1 million congressionally directed grant for cloud-based Pro Suite software shared among 7 partner agencies, replacing aging IMC system with significant cost savings.

Speakers: Speaker H (Chief Champoli), Speaker E (Ray Anderson)
▶ 37:20 Finance Software Transition - AccuFund and HR Cloud

Finance Director Jacob proposed transitioning from Springbrook to AccuFund/HR Cloud system for electronic timekeeping and HR management, reducing annual costs from $60,000 to $30,000.

Speakers: Speaker I (Jacob), Unidentified speaker
▶ 50:00 Thornton Ferry Road 2 Bridge Replacement

DPW Director Eric presented $1.08 million project to replace deteriorating culverts with twin concrete box culverts, seeking authorization to proceed with bidding despite pending wetland permits. Board authorized proceeding with bidding prior to final wetland permit approval.

Speakers: Speaker G (Eric), Unidentified speaker
▶ 1:03:45 Temporary Bridge Status and Future Use

Discussion of the temporary bridge from Thornton Ferry Road, currently stored at public works facility, planned for future use as permanent replacement for Brook Road bridge (rated 5 on DOT rating).

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 1:08:08 NH Route 101 Transportation Project Update

The Wilton-Milford-Amherst-Bedford NH Route 101 project was removed from FY27-28 Transportation Improvement Program, delaying construction until 2034-2036, but local officials are working to restore funding through Senate Bill 627.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 1:08:08 Aerial Truck Purchase Update

Town is finalizing purchase agreement with Pierce contractor and working on bond terms, with board approval expected at April 13 meeting.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 1:11:35 Bike Path Charter Review

Staff has provided comments on first draft of new charter for bike path organization, will circulate to board for review and approval.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 1:13:36 Cricket Corner Intersection Safety

Board member requested highway safety committee review of Cricket Corner and Boston Post Road intersection for potential four-way stop installation.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
▶ 1:14:31 Election Day Logistics

Discussion of tomorrow's election logistics including ballot collection procedures and potential parking conflicts with high school awards ceremony scheduled 6-8pm.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker

Controversy & ⁠dissent

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

Potentially controversial issues

01

No Kings Pro-Democracy Event on Town Common

A politically charged public gathering on town-owned property raised principled concerns about government neutrality, precedent-setting for partisan events, and First Amendment limits. One board member explicitly invoked the prospect of counter-demonstrations (e.g., a 'MAGA is great' rally) to illustrate the Pandora's box risk of approving political events on the town green.
Board position: Board approved the request 4-1, with the chair invoking First Amendment free speech and public assembly rights as the basis for approval regardless of political content.
Internal dissent
a speaker cast the lone dissenting vote, arguing the town has no historical precedent for political events on the common and warning about the precedent of allowing strongly political demonstrations on town property.
high concern
02

NH Route 101 Transportation Project Delayed to 2034-2036

A major regional road improvement project serving Amherst commuters was quietly removed from the FY27-28 Transportation Improvement Program without being a formal agenda item, delaying construction by nearly a decade. Residents along the corridor had no advance notice this would be discussed, and no public comment opportunity was offered.
Board position: Board acknowledged the delay and noted local officials are pursuing restoration through Senate Bill 627, but took no direct remedial action at this meeting.
medium concern
03

Thornton Ferry Road Bridge Bidding Authorized Before Wetland Permits Finalized

The board approved an unusual procedural exception — authorizing a $1.08 million public bidding process before all required wetland permits are secured. This deviates from standard practice and could expose the town to bid complications, contract disputes, or sunk costs if permits are denied or conditioned.
Board position: Board approved 5-0 to proceed with bidding ahead of permit finalization, citing project timeline constraints.
medium concern

Split votes

Approval of Engaged Citizens' 'No Kings' pro-democracy event on town common, March 28, 12–2pm
4-1

Community vs. board tension

Action ⁠items

Who owes what, by when.
Coordinate with police department on event logistics and expected attendance
Assigned: Becky Stoughton/Engaged Citizens · Due: Before March 28 event
Contact Amherst School District about using Wilkins parking areas
Assigned: Becky Stoughton/Engaged Citizens · Due: Before March 28 event
Return with signed contract for Pro Suite software consortium
Assigned: Chief Champoli/Ray Anderson · Due: Soon/next meeting
Establish implementation timeline with AccuFund and HR Cloud vendors
Assigned: Finance Director Jacob · Due: Following board approval
Contact new school bus company about Thornton Ferry Road 2 project impacts
Assigned: DPW Director Eric · Due: Before construction begins
Circulate draft bike path charter to board members for review
Assigned: Staff/Finance Director · Due: Not specified
Provide memorandum to board with bond terms and interest rate details for aerial truck purchase
Assigned: Finance Director · Due: Before April 13 meeting
Review Cricket Corner and Boston Post Road intersection for potential four-way stop installation
Assigned: Highway Safety Committee · Due: Not specified
Coordinate ballot collection between town hall and high school polling location
Assigned: Town Administrator · Due: Election day (March 10, 2026)

Notable ⁠statements

We have not historically used a town green for such events...if we open Pandora's box and allow strongly political events to start happening, are you prepared to...watch a MAGA is great demonstration on the same green — Speaker F (Board Member) · Expressing concerns about allowing political events on town property ▶ 12:52
I think that anyone can. It's right to public assembly and free speech. And we can't control that message even if we don't like it or even if we do like it...That's not what we're here for. — Speaker B (Chair) · Responding to concerns about political speech on town property ▶ 15:15
By doing this together as a consortium, we save $1,827,000 — Speaker E (Ray Anderson) · Explaining cost savings of the police software consortium approach ▶ 27:06
We have 19 bridges, which includes two closed bridges. That's a significant number of bridges for a small community. — Unidentified speaker · Explaining the value of keeping the temporary bridge available for emergency use ▶ 1:06:16
Since I lived here since late 70s that's always been considered one of the worst intersections in the town and I'm really surprised nothing's been done about it all these years — Unidentified speaker · Referring to Cricket Corner and Corduroy Road intersection safety concerns ▶ 1:13:41

Public ⁠comment

What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
2
Total speakers
2
Addressed
0
Partial
0
Not addressed
Sally Hooper
▶ 01:35
Addressed
Sally Hooper requested permission to use the town common on December 12th for a historic house tour event. She explained they need to confirm the date before organizing committees and planning activities like shuttle buses, ticket sales, and potentially inviting other organizations like Boy Scouts or Lions Club to participate. Key concern
Requesting approval to use the town common for a historic house tour on December 12th from 10am to 3pm
Board response
The board asked clarifying questions about her plans for using the green, then approved her request with a formal motion and vote
The board approved her request to use the town common on December 12th from 10am to 3pm with a unanimous vote
Becky Stoughton
▶ 06:46
Addressed
Becky Stoughton, representing Engaged Citizens of Hillsborough County, requested to use the town green on March 28th from 12-2pm for a 'No Kings' pro-democracy event. She explained it would be a peaceful gathering with just a tent for information, coordinated with similar events in other towns. Key concern
Requesting approval to use the town green for a political/pro-democracy demonstration on March 28th
Board response
After discussion about the political nature of the event and concerns about setting precedent, the board approved the request with a 4-1 vote
The board approved her request despite some concerns about political events on town property, with one dissenting vote

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.