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Meeting report · Select Board
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Select Board — February 24, 2026

The meeting was professional and administrative, focused on standard operational approvals and addressing audit findings through corrective actions.

Date Tuesday, February 24, 2026 Duration 0.9h Speakers 15 Decisions 7 Routine

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Summary AI-generated to surface controversy & community impact without bias — always verify against the actual meeting before relying on it.

During the February 24 Select Board meeting, the town addressed critical findings from the FYE 2024 Financial Audit. Finance Director Matt Coughlin reported that the audit identified significant governance issues, specifically regarding cybersecurity and the 'segregation of duties.'

In plain terms, the audit flagged risks where a lack of separation between different financial roles could lead to errors or lack of oversight. To resolve this, the town is moving to restructure these responsibilities, splitting the roles of Finance Director, Treasurer, Assistant Town Administrator, and HR Director to ensure proper checks and balances are in place.

In other business, the Board also addressed several operational needs, including the urgent replacement of a Fire Department vehicle (Car 2) following an engine failure and the approval of 12-month heating oil contracts despite rising global market prices.

We will continue to follow the implementation of these new financial structures to ensure the town's corrective actions meet the standards required by the audit.

Feb 24, 2026 0.9h long 15 speakers 7 decisions Routine
Notable statements Drag to browse

“The [segregation of duties] has since been changed now... we have since split the positions of finance director, treasurer, and town assistant administrator and HR director.”

— Matt Coughlin (Finance Director) · Responding to a question about significant audit deficiencies regarding financial control risks. 10:19

“I'll be keeping an eye on that [overtime], if we're still tracking okay, then it can be a footnote for the road plan discussion.”

— Adam (DPW) · Discussing the impact of winter storms on the highway overtime budget and its relation to future road work funding. 31:27

“I wouldn't want to repair it because that's going to be about one fifth of my maintenance line for the entire year for a vehicle that we already plan to replace this year.”

— Ben Salk (Fire Chief) · Justifying the decision to purchase a new vehicle rather than repairing the engine of a 2015 Tahoe. 39:19
This meeting — choose a section

Public ⁠impact

Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
What was discussed

Replacement of an urgent service vehicle (Car 2) following engine failure to maintain emergency response capabilities.

What was discussed

Securing 12-month rates amid global market volatility and a reported slight price increase.

Topics ⁠discussed

Each topic expands to quotes and full context.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker, Jim, Mark
What was discussed

The Board reviewed and approved the public and non-public minutes from the February 29, 2026, meeting.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
What was discussed

An announcement was made regarding the Supervisory Checklist session on February 28, 2026, for voter registration and changes.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
What was discussed

Finance Director Matt Coughlin presented the annual audit, covering governance letters, cybersecurity, restatements regarding the Meeting House and sewer infrastructure, and segregation of duties.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
What was discussed

Discussion regarding the transition of DPW crews to a four-day, ten-hour work week schedule for the upcoming construction season.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
What was discussed

The DPW presented the hazard mitigation grant project to replace the Monona Road culvert and requested authorization to begin the bidding process.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
What was discussed

The Fire Chief presented an urgent need to replace 'Car 2' due to an engine failure and requested approval to purchase an in-stock 2025 Tahoe SSV.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
What was discussed

Approval of various items including employee status reports, event permits, cemetery lot exchanges, and professional service contracts.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
What was discussed

Review and approval of tax deferrals, veterans' tax credits, and other exemptions.

Speakers: Unidentified speaker
What was discussed

The Assistant Town Administrator presented results for the heating oil bid, noting a slight price increase due to global market conditions.

Controversy & ⁠dissent

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

Potentially controversial issues

01

Financial Audit Deficiencies

The annual audit revealed significant governance issues and risks regarding financial control, specifically regarding the segregation of duties and cybersecurity.
Board position: The board acknowledged the deficiencies and the Finance Director noted that structural changes (splitting roles into Finance Director, Treasurer, Assistant Town Administrator, and HR Director) have been implemented to mitigate risk.
medium concern

Public ⁠comment

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

Decisions ⁠logged

Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
01:11
Acceptance of the February 29, 2026, public and non-public minutes.
Motion by Mark, seconded by Jim.
4-0-0
22:44
Approval of the 2026 DPW construction season schedule.
Motion by Mark, seconded by Jim. Roll call vote.
Passed
27:21
Authorization to advertise for bids for the Monona Road culvert project.
Motion by Jim, seconded by Mark.
4-0-0
30:24
Approval to purchase a 2025 Chevy Tahoe SSV as a replacement for Fire Department Car 2.
Motion by L, seconded by Jim. Roll call vote.
4-0-0
45:42
Approval of the Consent Agenda.
Motion by Mark, seconded by Jim.
Passed
46:52
Approval of the Assessor's recommendations.
Motion by Mark, seconded by Jim.
Passed
50:05
Authorization to accept the lowest bid for heating oil and sign necessary paperwork to secure 12-month rates.
Motion by Jim, seconded by Mark.
Passed

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Financial audit deficiencies and corrective actions
At the Feb 24 Select Board meeting, the Finance Director addressed significant audit deficiencies regarding financial control risks and cybersecurity. The town is now splitting roles (Finance Director, Treasurer, HR) to fix... https://meetingwatch.org/nh/goffstown/select-board/2026-02-24/ #MeetingWatch #GoffstownNH
316/280 chars
Fiscal responsibility in emergency vehicle replacement
The Goffstown Select Board approved the purchase of a new 2025 Chevy Tahoe SSV for the Fire Dept on Feb 24. Chief Salk noted repairing the current vehicle's failed engine would cost 1/5 of the yearly maintenance budget... https://meetingwatch.org/nh/goffstown/select-board/2026-02-24/ #MeetingWatch #GoffstownNH
311/280 chars
Budgetary impact of heating oil procurement
Goffstown taxpayers: The Select Board has authorized the town to sign 12-month heating oil contracts. Officials noted a slight price increase due to global market conditions. #Goffstown #TaxpayerAlert https://meetingwatch.org/nh/goffstown/select-board/2026-02-24/ #MeetingWatch #GoffstownNH
290/280 chars

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1
What is the state of financial oversight in Goffstown? At the Feb 24 Select Board meeting, the annual audit revealed significant governance issues and risks regarding financial controls and cybersecurity. 🧵 #MeetingWatch #GoffstownNH
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2
Finance Director Matt Coughlin reported that the audit found deficiencies in the 'segregation of duties.' This means too much control was concentrated in too few hands, creating potential risks for the town’s funds.
215/280
3
To fix this, the town is restructuring. They are splitting roles into distinct positions: Finance Director, Treasurer, Assistant Town Administrator, and HR Director. This is a necessary step to ensure proper checks and balances.
228/280
4
While the board moved forward with routine business, these structural changes are critical for long-term fiscal accountability. Residents should continue to monitor how these new roles are implemented. #Goffstown https://meetingwatch.org/nh/goffstown/select-board/2026-02-24/
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Facebook — long form

During the February 24 Select Board meeting, the town addressed critical findings from the FYE 2024 Financial Audit. Finance Director Matt Coughlin reported that the audit identified significant governance issues, specifically regarding cybersecurity and the 'segregation of duties.'

In plain terms, the audit flagged risks where a lack of separation between different financial roles could lead to errors or lack of oversight. To resolve this, the town is moving to restructure these responsibilities, splitting the roles of Finance Director, Treasurer, Assistant Town Administrator, and HR Director to ensure proper checks and balances are in place.

In other business, the Board also addressed several operational needs, including the urgent replacement of a Fire Department vehicle (Car 2) following an engine failure and the approval of 12-month heating oil contracts despite rising global market prices. 

We will continue to follow the implementation of these new financial structures to ensure the town's corrective actions meet the standards required by the audit. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/goffstown/select-board/2026-02-24/ #MeetingWatch #GoffstownNH

Action ⁠items

Who owes what, by when.
Advertise for bids regarding the Monona Road culvert project.
Assigned: DPW Director · Due: Immediate/Summer
Sign paperwork to secure heating oil rates for 12 months.
Assigned: Assistant Town Administrator · Due: This week
Prepare a road plan for review once the budget is passed.
Assigned: DPW Director · Due: Post-budget approval
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Report composed by gemma-4-26b, grok-4.3, grok-4.20-0309-reasoning · analyzed 2026-06-01.