Meeting report · Select Board
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Select Board — April 28, 2026
The meeting was marked by significant public dissatisfaction, with multiple residents using their time to criticize the board's management, financial prudence, and transparency.
Public impact
Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01
Hazardous Mitigation Grant (Ballard Brook Culvert)
A $185,807 infrastructure project with a $46,451.75 town match to improve drainage and safety. Affected: Residents near Schoodac Road/Ballard Brook
safety change
Decisions logged
Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Accept terms of the hazardous mitigation grant for Ballard Brook culvert replacement.
Accepted a grant of $139,355.25; total project cost is $185,807 with a 25% town match ($46,451.75).
Passed (Bixby YES, Smith YES, Hanson YES)
Void motion to hire Tracy Doherty as a part-time employee.
The Board decided to post the position and continue contracting with Tracy Doherty as an interim minute taker instead of formal part-time employment.
Passed (Bixby YES, Smith YES, Hanson YES)
Approve Consent Agenda.
Approved a request for $1,883 from the Transfer Station Facility Capital Reserve Funds for network equipment upgrades.
Passed (Bixby YES, Hanson YES, Smith ABSTAIN)
Approve April 28, 2026 Manifest.
Approved various accounts payable and payroll manifests.
Passed (Bixby YES, Hanson YES, Smith ABSTAIN)
Approve April 14, 2026 Select Board meeting minutes.
Minutes approved as presented.
Passed (Bixby YES, Hanson YES, Smith ABSTAIN)
Topics discussed
Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
Highway Garage Update
DPW Director Herm Blanchette provided an update on vehicle and equipment repairs following a recent fire, noting that several trucks and machinery are currently undergoing repairs or ozone treatments.
Speakers: Herm Blanchette
Hazardous Mitigation Grant
Discussion regarding a $185,807 grant for the Schoodac Road/Ballard Brook culvert upgrade, featuring a 25/75 cost split between the town and the grant.
Speakers: Herm Blanchette, Alfred Hanson, Rick Bixby
Delegation of Deposit Authority
The Treasurer presented a revised document regarding which positions are authorized to deposit Town funds; it was noted the Select Board Administrative Assistant is excluded.
Speakers: Ginger Marsh, Judy Newman-Rogers, Alfred Hanson, Rick Bixby, Michael J. Smith
Cell Tower Update
The Board discussed scheduling a site visit to the Transfer Station with a communications company to finalize repeater specifications.
Speakers: Alfred Hanson
Land Use Position
The Board discussed beginning the interview process for two applicants for the Land Use position.
Speakers: Alfred Hanson, Barb Marty, Karen Coyne
Gibson vs Town of Warner
Planning Board Chair Karen Coyne provided a historical recap of the Xenakis/Gibson subdivision issue involving specific subdivision conditions and previous board direction.
Speakers: Alfred Hanson, Karen Coyne
Ambulance Committee
An update on the committee formed to coordinate ambulance service costs and agreements between Warner, Webster, and Hopkinton.
Speakers: Alfred Hanson, Clyde Carson
2027 Budget Season
Announcement that the 2027 budget and Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) processes are beginning.
Speakers: Alfred Hanson, Karen Coyne
Minute Taker Employment Status
Discussion regarding whether to hire the current minute taker, Tracy Doherty, as a part-time employee or continue a contract basis.
Speakers: Alfred Hanson, Tracy Doherty, Clyde Carson, Rick Bixby, Ginger Marsh, Russ Smith, Rebecca Augeri, Judy Newman-Rogers, Michael J. Smith
Controversy & dissent
Where the board, the community, or the agenda diverged.
Potentially controversial issues
01
Minute Taker Employment Status
The transition from a contract basis to a part-time employee involves questions of benefits, hiring transparency, and workload allocation. The community raised specific questions about formal posting and benefit eligibility.
Board position: The board decided to void the motion to hire the current minute taker as a part-time employee, opting instead to post the position publicly and continue the current contract on an interim basis.
medium concern
02
Town Management and Administration
Public speakers expressed fundamental disagreement with the board's ability to govern, specifically calling for the hiring of a professional Town Administrator to replace the current Select Board management style.
Board position: The board did not provide a response to the criticisms regarding their management capability or the request for a Town Administrator.
high concern
Split votes
Approve Consent Agenda (Transfer Station network equipment upgrades)
2-0-1
Approve April 28, 2026 Manifest
2-0-1
Approve April 14, 2026 Select Board meeting minutes
2-0-1
Community vs. board tension
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Action items
Who owes what, by when.
Schedule a public hearing for the culvert upgrade once final approval is received from the Governor and Council.
Assigned: Herm Blanchette · Due: After Governor/Council approval
Conduct site visit/work session at the Transfer Station.
Assigned: Select Board/Communications Company · Due: 2026-05-06 at 3:00 PM
Post the minute-taker position.
Assigned: Select Board
Investigate the number of hours required for minute-taking for various town boards.
Assigned: Alfred Hanson
Notable statements
Mentioned others have suggested using AI to transcribe the minutes. — Rick Bixby · Discussion during the debate over hiring the minute taker.
Stated it is clear the Select Board cannot adequately manage the Town and stressed a Town Administrator is needed. — Hastings Rigollet · Public comment.
Urged the Select Board to run the town as a business and make prudent financial decisions. — Steve Bridgewater · Public comment.
Member positions
6 issues · 6 explicit · 0 inferred
Alfred Hanson
Present
Chair
Hazardous Mitigation Grant
YES
✓
Supported accepting the grant for Ballard Brook culvert replacement.
Delegation of Deposit Authority
✓
Approve Consent Agenda
YES
✓
Approved the $1,883 request for network equipment upgrades.
Approve April 28, 2026 Manifest
YES
✓
Approved accounts payable and payroll manifests.
Approve April 14, 2026 Select Board meeting minutes
YES
✓
Approved the minutes as presented.
Minute Taker Employment Status
YES
✓
Voted to void the motion to hire the minute taker as part-time.
Richard Bixby Jr.
Present
Member
Hazardous Mitigation Grant
YES
✓
Supported accepting the grant for Ballard Brook culvert replacement.
Delegation of Deposit Authority
✓
Approve Consent Agenda
YES
✓
Approved the $1,883 request for network equipment upgrades.
Approve April 28, 2026 Manifest
YES
✓
Approved accounts payable and payroll manifests.
Approve April 14, 2026 Select Board meeting minutes
YES
✓
Approved the minutes as presented.
Minute Taker Employment Status
YES
✓
Voted to void the motion to hire the minute taker as part-time.
Michael Smith
Present
Member
Hazardous Mitigation Grant
YES
✓
Supported accepting the grant for Ballard Brook culvert replacement.
Delegation of Deposit Authority
✓
Approve Consent Agenda
ABSTAIN
✓
Abstained from approving the network equipment upgrade request.
Approve April 28, 2026 Manifest
ABSTAIN
✓
Abstained from approving the payroll/accounts payable manifests.
Approve April 14, 2026 Select Board meeting minutes
ABSTAIN
✓
Abstained from approving the meeting minutes.
Minute Taker Employment Status
YES
✓
Voted to void the motion to hire the minute taker as part-time.
Positions marked ~ are inferred from context and may not reflect the member's explicitly stated position.
Public comment
What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
9
Total speakers
3
Addressed
0
Partial
6
Not addressed
Ginger Marsh
Addressed
She inquired whether the minute-taking position needed to be officially posted since the Select Board was creating a new role. She was seeking clarification on hiring procedures.
Key concern
Whether the new minute-taking position requires a formal posting.
Board responseThe Board agreed to post the position and decided to continue with Tracy Doherty as an interim.
The board responded to the procedural question by agreeing to post the position and adjusting their previous motion.
Russ Smith
Addressed
He asked for clarification regarding the specific number of hours allocated to the minute-taking position.
Key concern
The number of hours for the new position.
Board responseAlfred Hanson stated he would look into the number of hours for minute-taking for the various town boards.
The Chair committed to investigating the hours required for various boards to answer the inquiry.
Rebecca Augeri
Not addressed
She asked if the minute-taking position would be eligible for employment benefits.
Key concern
Benefit eligibility for the position.
The transcript does not record a specific response to the question regarding benefits.
Barb Marty
Not addressed
She read a statement expressing her support for Kathy Frenette. Additionally, she expressed disagreement with the Board's previous decision regarding a statement made by Sarah McNeil.
Key concern
Support for Kathy Frenette and criticism of Board's previous procedural decisions.
The Board did not offer a response to her statement or her disagreement during this section.
Bill Hanson
Not addressed
He suggested that the Select Board should create and implement an official town policy regarding the use of the town's legal counsel.
Key concern
Need for a formal policy on using legal counsel.
The transcript shows no response or action taken by the board regarding this suggestion.
John Leavitt
Not addressed
He reported that he submitted a request for non-public meeting minutes but has not yet received a response or the requested documents from the Town.
Key concern
Failure to receive requested non-public meeting minutes.
No response from the board is recorded in the minutes regarding this specific request.
Hastings Rigollet
Not addressed
He stated that the Select Board is incapable of adequately managing the Town. He argued that the town needs to hire a Town Administrator.
Key concern
Inadequacy of current management and the need for a Town Administrator.
The Board did not respond to this criticism or the suggestion in the provided text.
Steve Bridgewater
Not addressed
He expressed dissatisfaction with the Board's decision-making. He urged the Board to manage the town like a business with prudent financial decisions and emphasized the need for town unity.
Key concern
Dissatisfaction with Board decisions and a request for financial prudence and unity.
The Board did not respond to his expression of dissatisfaction.
Rebecca Courser
Addressed
She sought clarification on a suggestion regarding the Central NH Regional Planning Commission assisting with land use issues at a rate of $70/hour.
Key concern
Clarification on the use of CNHRPC for land use assistance.
Board responseAlfred Hanson explained that it was an option to cover the Land Use department, but the Land Use Chairs decided not to move forward with it.
The Chair provided a clear explanation of why the suggestion was not being pursued.
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Report composed by
grok-4.3, gemma-4-26b, grok-4.20-0309-reasoning · analyzed 2026-06-01.