Meeting report · Board of Selectmen
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Board of Selectmen — April 13, 2026
The temperature is elevated due to the discussion of significant items not listed on the original agenda and the necessity of member recusals/abstentions.
Public impact
Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01
Amendment to Municipal Fee Schedule
Changes to the scale of fees for various town services. Affected: All Springfield residents and business owners interacting with municipal services.
fee change
02
Brook Road Wetland Violation
Mandatory restoration plan for a wetland violation. Affected: Property owners at Map 29, Lot 337 and the local environmental community.
zoning change
Decisions logged
Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Enter non-public session per RSA 91-A:3, II (i)
Motion regarding security and safety.
Unanimous (Jen: aye, Erin: aye, Don: aye)
03:01
Appointment of Kevin Roberts as Fire Warden
Board signed the Fire Warden Appointment Form.
Approved (Jen abstained)
Accept amended municipal fees
Accepted the proposed amended municipal fees as presented by Tim Bray.
Unanimous (Don, Erin, Jen: in favor)
Approve Recreation Committee playground investigation
Allows the committee to investigate the project, seek sponsorships, and research grants.
Unanimous (Jen, Erin, Don: in favor)
Accept restoration plan for Brook Road wetland violation
Regarding violation at Map 29, Lot 337.
Unanimous (Erin, Don, Jen: in favor)
Approval of meeting minutes
Minutes from March 9, 23, and 27, 2026, were approved.
Various
Adopt Hazard Mitigation Plan
Formal adoption of the current plan signed by Jeff Haley.
Unanimous (Erin, Don, Jen: in favor)
George Hildum abatement request for Fred Davis
Request for Fred Davis.
Approved by Jen and Don; Erin recused
Topics discussed
Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
03:01 Non-Public Session
The Board entered a non-public session regarding security and safety matters.
Speakers: Jen Roberts, Erin Meding, Don Hill
Fire Warden Appointment
The Board discussed the resignation of Dallas Patten and the recommendation of Kevin Roberts for the position of Fire Warden.
Speakers: Kevin Roberts
Municipal Fee Schedule Amendment
A public hearing was held to review proposed amendments to the municipal fee schedule prepared by Tim Bray.
Speakers: Tim Bray, Don Hill, Erin Meding, Jen Roberts
33:00 Recreation Committee Playground Proposal
The committee presented three options for updating the Town Office playground and requested approval to begin fundraising and grant research.
Speakers: Casey Gobeil, Jessalyn Straniti, Jackie Labelle, Jen Roberts
Zoning and Health Officer Report
Tim Bray reported on issued zoning permits, short-term rental (STR) statuses, driveway permits, and several zoning violations involving wetlands and ADUs.
Speakers: Tim Bray
Hazard Mitigation Plan
The Board reviewed and moved to adopt the current Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Speakers: Erin Meding, Don Hill, Jen Roberts
IT Support Discussion
The Board discussed upcoming presentations from MiradorIT and VC3 regarding IT support services.
Speakers: Jen Roberts
Controversy & dissent
Where the board, the community, or the agenda diverged.
Potentially controversial issues
01
Municipal Fee Schedule Amendment
Changes to municipal fee schedules directly impact the cost of services for all residents and businesses, often prompting scrutiny regarding transparency and cost-of-living increases.
Board position: The board unanimously approved the proposed amendments prepared by Tim Bray.
medium concern
02
Off-Agenda Wetland and Abatement Decisions
The board made significant decisions regarding a Brook Road wetland violation restoration plan and a George Hildum abatement request that were not listed on the formal agenda. This represents a potential transparency failure as residents were not notified in advance to prepare for these specific discussions.
Board position: The board approved the restoration plan and the abatement request.
Internal dissent
Erin Meding recused herself from the vote on the George Hildum abatement request.
medium concern
Split votes
Appointment of Kevin Roberts as Fire Warden
2-0 (1 abstention)
George Hildum abatement request for Fred Davis
2-0 (1 recusal)
Community vs. board tension
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Action items
Who owes what, by when.
Meet with Tim Bray regarding permitting requirements for playground equipment/structures.
Assigned: Recreation Committee
Investigate playground project, seek sponsorships, and research grant funding.
Assigned: Recreation Committee
Attend the next Board meeting to discuss IT support.
Assigned: MiradorIT and VC3 · Due: 2026-04-27
Provide an update to the Board regarding the new personnel policy.
Assigned: Library (Laura) · Due: Next Board meeting
Contact Selectmen's office to volunteer as Trustee of the Trust Funds.
Assigned: Interested Volunteers
Notable statements
Suggested the committee meet with Tim to see if any type of permitting will be required for the playground equipment/structures. — Jen Roberts · During the Recreation Committee proposal discussion.
Member positions
7 issues · 7 explicit · 0 inferred
Jen Roberts
Present
Chair
Non-Public Session
YES
✓
Fire Warden Appointment
ABSTAIN
✓
Municipal Fee Schedule Amendment
YES
✓
Recreation Committee Playground Proposal
YES
✓
Accept restoration plan for Brook Road wetland violation
YES
✓
Adopt Hazard Mitigation Plan
YES
✓
George Hildum abatement request for Fred Davis
YES
✓
Erin Meding
Present
Vice Chair
Non-Public Session
YES
✓
Municipal Fee Schedule Amendment
YES
✓
Recreation Committee Playground Proposal
YES
✓
Accept restoration plan for Brook Road wetland violation
YES
✓
Adopt Hazard Mitigation Plan
YES
✓
George Hildum abatement request for Fred Davis
✓
Recused from the vote
Donald Hill
Present
Member
Non-Public Session
YES
✓
Municipal Fee Schedule Amendment
YES
✓
Recreation Committee Playground Proposal
YES
✓
Accept restoration plan for Brook Road wetland violation
YES
✓
Adopt Hazard Mitigation Plan
YES
✓
George Hildum abatement request for Fred Davis
YES
✓
Positions marked ~ are inferred from context and may not reflect the member's explicitly stated position.
Public comment
What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
0
Total speakers
0
Addressed
0
Partial
0
Not addressed
Unidentified speaker
Not addressed
The provided transcript does not contain a 'Public Comment' or 'Community Speak' section with verbal testimony from members of the public. While there are mentions of individuals like Kevin Roberts and the Recreation Committee presenting items, these are listed as scheduled agenda items rather than open public comments.
There was no public comment section recorded in the provided transcript text to analyze.
Accountability flags
Documented procedural gaps. Each item links to its source.
Agenda items not discussed
Topics discussed — not on agenda
Transcript vs. official minutes
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Report composed by
grok-4.3, gemma-4-26b, grok-4.20-0309-reasoning · analyzed 2026-06-01.