Accountability Posts

X / ⁠Twitter

Individual posts for different angles. Pick the one that fits your audience.

Off-agenda vote on Community Power rate change with direct financial impact on residents

⚠️ TRANSPARENCY FAIL: At the 6/30 Hopkinton Select Board meeting, a decision affecting every Community Power enrollee's utility bill was made with NO prior public notice. It wasn't on the agenda. Residents had no chance to show up or speak.

240/280 chars

Direct financial impact of Community Power rate increase on enrolled households

Hopkinton Community Power rates go UP 2¢/kWh on Aug 1 — averaging $13/month MORE than Eversource default. Board member Donohoe said residents may feel the program was "misrepresented." Are you enrolled? Check your options before the switch takes a month to process.

265/280 chars

Split vote on abatement denial and procedural fairness concerns

At the 6/30 Hopkinton Select Board meeting, the Morgan property tax abatement (Map-Lot 240-12-2) was denied 4-1. The lone dissent: Alyssa McKeon. The reason for denial: incomplete information — partly due to a missing report from the *previous* assessor.

254/280 chars

Incomplete official minutes creating a gap in the public record

Hopkinton's 6/30 Select Board meeting published official minutes that cut off mid-section — ending with 'NEW BUSIN' — leaving three abatement votes and multiple action items undocumented. That's not a transparency failure yet, but it needs to be corrected.

256/280 chars

X ⁠thread

Post these in sequence for maximum impact.

1

🧵 THREAD: What happened at Hopkinton's 6/30 Select Board meeting that wasn't on the public agenda — and why it affects your utility bill. (1/6)

143/280

2

The biggest item of the night wasn't listed anywhere on the public agenda: a Community Power (CPCNH) rate update. Ken Traum and Stephen Eckberg presented that rates will be 2¢/kWh HIGHER than Eversource's default starting August 1, 2025. That's ~$13/month more per enrolled household. (2/6)

290/280

3

Board member Donohoe said the quiet part out loud: residents who were automatically enrolled may feel the program was 'misrepresented.' The board voted unanimously to push out notices — but that vote itself happened off-agenda, with no public input. (3/6)

255/280

4

Why does that matter? Because residents enrolled in Community Power had no advance notice this was being discussed. Anyone who wanted to comment on a program affecting their monthly bill had no way to prepare or show up specifically for this. That's a transparency failure. (4/6)

279/280

5

Separately, the board voted 4-1 to deny the Morgan property tax abatement (Map-Lot 240-12-2) due to incomplete information — complicated by a missing USPAP report from the *previous* assessor. Alyssa McKeon dissented. A process problem created a fairness question. (5/6)

270/280

6

Action for residents: (1) If you're in Community Power, watch for town notices and know you can switch back to Eversource — but allow one month for processing. (2) Ask why major financial program updates are being handled off-agenda. Your board should do better. (6/6)

268/280

Facebook

Longer-form draft.

⚠️ Hopkinton Select Board — June 30, 2025: A Financial Decision That Wasn't on the Agenda

At Monday's Select Board meeting, the most consequential discussion of the evening wasn't listed on the public agenda at all. Representatives from Community Power NH (CPCNH) informed the board that program rates will increase by 2 cents per kilowatt hour effective August 1, 2025 — putting them approximately $13/month above Eversource's default rate for the average enrolled customer. The board voted unanimously to push out notifications via the town website, social media, and email lists. That's the right call. But here's the problem: the entire discussion and vote happened without prior public notice. Residents enrolled in Community Power — including many who were automatically switched into the program — had no opportunity to show up, ask questions, or comment.

Board member Jeffrey Donohoe put it plainly: he was concerned that program participants may feel the program was "misrepresented" to them. If you're currently enrolled in Community Power and want to switch back to Eversource, be aware that the process takes approximately one month — meaning you should act soon if you want to avoid the August 1 rate increase.

On the abatement front, the board took up at least three specific property tax cases. The Sorrell abatement was approved unanimously based on an independent appraisal showing the assessed value was too high. The Morgan application (Map-Lot 240-12-2) was denied 4-1, with Alyssa McKeon as the sole dissenter. The denial was based on incomplete information — a situation made more complicated by a missing USPAP report from the previous assessor, raising legitimate questions about whether a process failure outside the applicant's control affected their case. The Sandy Beach request was tabled pending additional information about campsite valuation.

One more note: the official minutes published for this meeting end abruptly mid-section with the notation 'NEW BUSIN' — leaving the abatement votes, action items, and adjournment undocumented. The town should correct and complete those minutes so the full public record is available to residents.