Town Meeting: Hanover OKs power-sourcing plan, keeps town manager
Modified: 7/14/2021 3:58:19 PM
HANOVER Voters in Hanover decided Tuesday to adopt a plan that officials hope will allow households and businesses to purchase power from more environmentally friendly sources.
Residents in a show of hands overwhelmingly voted to adopt a community power plan during Town Meeting that gives municipal officials the ability to contract and bid for the energy needs of about 2,500 residential customers.
Meanwhile, residents also opted to maintain Hanover’s town manager form of government and elected two incumbents to the Selectboard in ballot voting, which was held at Dartmouth College’s Dewey Field parking lot.
Hanover Town Meeting includes petition to eliminate town manager >Modified: 7/9/2021 9:39:56 PM
HANOVER Voters will decide on Tuesday whether to maintain Hanover’s town manager form of government or instead delegate more responsibilities to its five-member Selectboard.
A petitioned warrant article on this year’s Town Meeting ballot asks residents if they support “the continuation of the town manager plan as now in force in this town?”
A “yes” vote would continue the work of Town Manager Julia Griffin, who was hired in 1996, while a “no” vote would redistribute some of her responsibilities to elected officials.
In New Hampshire, town managers have hiring and firing power, can pay the town’s bills and set salaries. Hanover, which has a population of about 11,500, switched to the model in the 1970s as the town and Dartmouth College grew.
Concord plans to add $2.7 million more in spending, increase taxes by 2.5%
Concord City Hall
Published: 5/14/2021 4:33:06 PM
After an unsettling year that wasn’t as bad financially as feared, Concord city councilors will consider a proposed budget that includes a 2.5% increase in the city tax rate.
The $109 million proposed budget is $2.67 million or 2.5% higher than the budget approved in 2020.
Among the surprises compared to predictions a year ago is property tax revenue.
“We’re looking at almost a record level in terms of people paying their taxes on time,” said City Manager Thomas Aspell.
Aspell said the zero percent tax rate increase in the current budget that was approved last year came in response to concern that the biggest local revenue source would fall during the pandemic. As with state government, which has seen solid tax revenue, that didn’t happen.
New Hampshire pension fund liability balloons in two years, with brunt of cost on taxpayers GEOFF FORESTER
Published: 3/17/2021 5:03:49 PM
Last year, Concord boosted the salaries of its police department by nearly $1 million above and beyond contractual raises.
Those pay increases carried a hidden cost through rising contribution rates to the New Hampshire Retirement System, which will compound city spending even higher.
In 2019, the city paid its officers and other police employees about $8 million in salary, overtime and other payouts. On top of that amount, Concord paid more than $2 million on behalf of police employees into the retirement system.
This July, those contributions – based on higher wages in the city’s police force and rising retirement rates – will increase by another $750,000, maybe more.
Merrimack Valley officials hope state will keep education aid high to ease tax burden concordmonitor.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from concordmonitor.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.