Accountability posts

SUNAPEE SELECTBOARD — DECEMBER 15, 2025: What Happened and Why It Matters

The Selectboard held a lengthy meeting Monday night covering zoning, budget, and several issues that residents had no advance notice of. Here are the key things you should know.

FIRST, A GOVERNANCE PROBLEM: The town manager disclosed that Sunapee has been accepting and maintaining roads for years without proper legal authority under RSA 674:40A. The town doesn't have a complete list yet of which roads are affected. Two warrant articles will be brought to Town Meeting — one to grant the Selectboard proper authority going forward, and one to retroactively validate roads already being maintained. This is a significant legal gap that was never publicly disclosed before this meeting.

BUDGET CONCERNS: The board is proposing $2.8 million in FY2026 warrant articles, including a $1.3 million bond. Board members themselves acknowledged the proposal may be too large and directed the town manager to identify $150,000–$300,000 in cuts. A resident named Chris publicly challenged the figures during public comment, alleging the board's budget is disproportionately large compared to the school budget and may rely on incorrect census data. The board did not respond to his criticism on the record. Separately, the board cut capital reserve contributions across roads, highway trucks, conservation, and veterans programs — deferring maintenance costs that don't disappear, they just move to future budgets.

ZONING AND HOUSING: Nine zoning amendments were previewed ahead of a Planning Board public hearing on December 18th. These include a new Waterfront Village Commercial District that would allow higher residential density and restrict non-owner-occupied short-term rentals. A planning committee member reported that 120 short-term rentals exist in Sunapee, with 80% owned by non-residents. A public commenter accused the Planning Board of advancing personal agendas on the STR issue — an allegation the board did not address. Separately, an unnamed resident warned that using the term 'workforce housing' in town policy may inadvertently trigger an existing HUD-governed ordinance — a technical point the board did not acknowledge or follow up on.

FINALLY, THE RECORD: The published official minutes for this meeting end mid-sentence after Zoning Amendment #3. Public comments on the budget challenge, food truck opposition from established businesses, the liquor license extension proposal, and the housing terminology warning are not captured in the minutes. Residents relying on the official record are missing a substantial portion of what was said. The Planning Board public hearing on the zoning amendments is scheduled for Thursday, December 18th — if these issues affect you, that is the next opportunity to be heard. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/selectboard/2025-12-15/ #MeetingWatch #SunapeeNH