New Hampshire Town and City Magazine, November-December 2022

investing

The New Hampshire Public Deposit Investment Pool (NH PDIP) has provided public entities with investment options since 1993. NH PDIP focuses on safety, liquidity, and a competitive yield in order to meet the distinct needs of cities, towns, school districts, and other political subdivisions.

This information is for institutional investor use only, not for further distribution to retail investors, and does not represent an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any fund or other security. Investors should consider the Pool’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing in the Pool. This and other information about the Pool is available in the Pool’s current Information Statement, which should be read carefully before investing. A copy of the Pool’s Information Statement may be obtained by calling 1-844-464-7347 or is available on the NHPDIP website at www.nhpdip.com. While the Pool seeks to maintain a stable net asset value of $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money investing in the Pool. An investment in the Pool is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Shares of the Pool are distributed by PFM Fund Distributors, Inc., member Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) (www.finra.org) and Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) (www.sipc.org). PFM Fund Distributors, Inc. is an affiliate of PFM Asset Management LLC.

Contents

Publication of

Triangle Park Drive

603.224.7447

Concord,

Hampshire

Email: nhmainfo@nhmunicipal.org

Website: www.nhmunicipal.org

Association membership and are based on NHMA’s subscription policy. Nothing included herein is to be construed as having the endorsement of the NHMA unless so specifically stated. Any reproduction or use of contents requires permission from the publisher. POSTMASTER: Address correction requested.

2022

New Hampshire Municipal Association BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Our Mission

NHMA is a non-profit, nonpartisan membership association established in 1941. It is a mem ber-funded, member-governed, and member-driven association that works to strengthen New Hampshire cities and towns and enhance their ability to serve the public. Through the collec tive power of cities and towns, NHMA promotes effective mu nicipal government by providing education, training, advocacy and legal services.

Candace Bouchard City Councilor, Concord

Shaun MulhollandImmediate Past Chair City Manager, Lebanon

Laura Buono - Chair Town Administrator, Hillsborough

David Caron Town Administrator, Derry

Shelagh Connelly Conservation Commission, Holderness

Phil D’Avanza Planning Board, Goffstown

Stephen Fournier Town Manager, Newmarket

Elizabeth Fox - Vice Chair Asst. City Manager, HR Director, Keene

David Stack Town Manager, Bow

Lisa Drabik - Treasurer Human Resources Director, Manchester

Jeanie Forrester Select Board Member, Meredith

Neil Irvine Town Administrator, New Hampton

Patrick Long Alderman, Manchester

Cheryl Lindner - Secretary Treasury Management Officer, Nashua

Conner MacIver Town Administrator, Barrington

Judie Milner City Manager, Franklin

Jim MaggioreImmediate Past Vice Chair Select Board Member, North Hampton

Dale Girard Mayor, Claremont

April Hibberd Select Board Member, Bethlehem

Jim Michaud Chief Assessor, Hudson

Dennis Shanahan Deputy Mayor, Dover

Holly Larsen Finance Director/Tax Collector, Berlin

Joanne Haight Selectboard Chairman, Sandwich

Executive Director

A Message from the Margaret M.L.Byrnes

Are you ready?

It’s time to ramp up for another legislative session!

In September, the initial LSRs (Legislative Service Requests) came out, and by the time you are reading this, more will be avail able. LSRs are the like the idea for a bill, and while not all of them will actually become official bills for the 2023 session, many will. The title of each LSR gives us a glimpse into what kind of bill it may become. You can view them on the General Court website, by clicking on “Public Listing of Legislative Service Requests (LSRs) for 2023” in the “General Court Updates” box.

As you can imagine, many of the topics we are starting to see are not new, including a renewed effort to make it more dif ficult for cities and towns to engage with the legislature through voluntary memberships with organizations like NHMA. For this reason, now is the time for local officials speak with their senators and representatives, including inviting them to board and council meetings. Talk with them about local issues and how legislation affects local operations—and find out what types of legislation they are filing or supporting, and how it will affect cities and towns. Additionally, since we are going into a state budget year, it’s crucial that local officials share how important state aid and revenue sharing is for local government, including thanking legislators who supported increasing the municipal distribution of the meals and rooms tax in 2021 and providing additional, one-time funding in 2022 for roads, bridges, and to retirement costs. Ensuring that the meals and rooms distribution does not change, that state aids grants for water and sewer are fully funded, and continuing to work to reinstate a state contribution to local retirement costs are top priorities for NHMA and local officials when talking about state budget priorities.

And in those important conversations, we urge local officials to share NHMA’s policy positions with legislators which can be a great way to facilitate or kick off that discussion. In September, nearly 50 local officials from across the state gathered here at NHMA to discuss, debate, amend, and ultimately adopt the Legislative Policies and Principles that will direct NHMA’s

efforts over the next biennium.

website under the “Advocacy” tab.

Warmest regards, Margaret M.L. Byrnes, NHMA Executive Director

MyEB2Gov

Just in Time for Budget Season!  Excellent Resource for Understanding NH Property Taxes

According to the preface, this pub lication marks the third edition of the New Hampshire Assessing Board’s Understanding NH Prop erty Taxes, also known as The Of ficial New Hampshire Assessing Reference Manual.

This Manual is a product of the Assessing Standards Board manual sub-committee, as authorized by the Assessing Standards Board (ASB) and its former and current Chairperson Betsey Patten. The original charge was to create a manual that would be useful to the taxpayers and selectmen of New Hampshire. Instead, it has become an often consulted reference with well over a thousand on-line hits every month. It has also become a useful, cited reference by our state Courts, as an authoritative text reflecting the assessing standards established by the statutory authority of the NH ASB.

Each chapter is written to be somewhat “freestanding” in order to make the manual as user friendly as possible. This accounts for a certain amount of repetition of topics and terminology. (Additional copies of the manual can be pur chased in hardcopy or CD version for a fee by calling the New Hampshire Department of Revenue at (603) 2305950 or downloading and printing at home the most recent version from the department website: https://www.revenue. nh.gov/mun-prop/property/index.htm.)

You may also find this excellent resource on NHMA’s web site under the Resources and Publications tab.

Have You Checked this Out? Digitized Town Reports

The New Hampshire State Library and the University of New Hampshire are partnering to make town reports from the state’s 234 towns available online. Some reports date to the mid-1800s. There were 1.69 million pages to scan from 14,720 reports, each averaging 155 pages.

Each town must send its annual report to the state library, per state law. Each town report is a time capsule of a com munity’s most pressing issues and expenditures – for ev erything from new sidewalks and aid for the needy to tax abatements. Those paper versions are available to the public, if they can get to Concord. This partnership extends that access considerably – to historians, genealogists, and those just curious about New Hampshire then and now.  People from 136 countries have already downloaded 25,000 of the existing records since December 2020.

SEE MORE IN THIS RESPOSITORY: https://scholars. unh.edu/nh_town_reports/

SOURCE: By ANNMARIE TIMMINS New Hampshire Bulletin. Published: 8/24/2022 4:39:18 PM; Modified: 8/24/2022 4:35:42 PM

The 2022-2023 New Hampshire Mu nicipal Officials Directory is in and ready for you to download for free (but only if you are a municipal offi cial from a member municipality).

The Directory is a comprehensive re source (in convenient, searchable and clickable PDF format) for cities and towns and other local governments in New Hampshire.  The 2022-2023 Di rectory is updated to provide a current listing of municipal officials in each of the 13 cities and 221 towns through out the state.

The success of this publication relies upon the information provided by city and town officials to NHMA each April and May.  The assistance of these individuals is greatly appreciated.

While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, it is important to note that some information unfortunately may have changed since publication.

This publication is made possible through the support of advertis ers. NHMA wishes to thank our ad vertisers for their tremendous support.

If you are a municipal official from a member municipality, please download your free digital Directory today!

The Academy for Good Governance: Welcome to the Class of 2022

The Academy for Good Governance is a series of seven courses created by NHMA and Primex, exclusively for elected governing body members, including select board, town council, city council, board of aldermen, school board, and village district commissioners.

Graduation from the Academy requires attendance in all seven courses on such topics as governing body roles and responsibilities, financial responsibilities, man aging your public entity’s liability risk, employee benefits, running an effective meeting, cybersecurity and more. Courses are taught by experienced attorneys and staff from NHMA, Primex, HealthTrust, and the New Hampshire School Boards Association (NHSBA).

NHMA would like to recognize these individuals for investing their time in an effort to increase their knowledge of municipal government and enhance their capacity to lead. Welcome and congratulations to the 2022 class of The Academy for Good Governance!

Name Position Organization

Alice Rocke School Board Member Town of Bethlehem

Alissa Welch Selectperson Town of Raymond

Barbara Holstein Village District Commissioner City of Rochester

Beth Hossack Selectperson Town of Plaistow

Betsy Coble Selectperson Town of Orange

Carrie Neill School Board Member NHSBA Member

Danielle Pray Selectperson Town of Amherst

Debbie Deaton Town Administrator/Manager Town of New Ipswich

Debbie Kardaseski Village District Commissioner Emerald Lake Village District

Diane Town Town Administrator/Manager Town of Charlestown

Dina Cutting Town Administrator/Manager Town of Lyme

Fran Shippee Selectperson Town of Chesterfield

Heather Clark School Board Member Town of Epping

Jamie Dow Town Administrator/Manager Pillsbury Lake Village District

Jay DeRoche Selectperson Town of Plaistow

Jeanette Charon Town Administrator/Manager Town of Dalton

Jennifer Brown Selectperson Town of New Boston

Jill Smith Selectperson Town of Deering

Joanne Lord Selectperson Town of Newbury Joe Anderson Selectperson Town of Stratham

Jonathan Eckerman School Board Member Chester School District

Jonathan Scanlon Selectperson Town of Tilton

Joyce Cappiello Selectperson Town of Barrington

Karen Yeaton Selectperson Town of Pembroke

Katherine Stewart Selectperson Town of Enfield

Katie Williams Selectperson Town of Haverhill

Katrin Kasper Selectperson Town of Lee

Keats Myer Town Administrator/Manager Town of Tamworth

Keith Stramaglia Selectperson Town of Salem

Kelly Wright Town Administrator/Manager Town of Charlestown

Ken Martin School Board Member Merrimack Village District

Lisa Steadman School Board Member Town of Troy

Lou Alvarez Selectperson

Town of New Ipswich

Mark Warren Selectperson Town of Gilmanton

Nancy Murphy Town Councilor Town of Merrimack

Naomi Halter School Board Member Town of Merrimack

Patricia Consentino Selectperson Town of Tilton

Richard Doucette Selectperson Town of Tamworth

Robert Gibson Selectperson Town of Barrington

Robert Loiacono School Board Member White Mountain Regional Sch. Dist.

Royal Richardson School Board Member Chester School District

Shawn Talbot Selectperson Town of Gilmanton

Stacey Brown City Councilor City of Concord

Steve Russo Selectperson Town of Brookline

Tamara Fairbank Selectperson Town of Orange

Tammy Letson Town Administrator/Manager Town of Northumberland

from page

Download Your 2022- 2023 Municipal Officials Directory Today!

Biennial Legislative Policy Process a Success!

Like so much of NHMA’s work, the Legislative Policy Process depends on the dedication and support of our volunteer members.  On Friday, September 23, 2022, over 50 representatives from 46 cities and towns gathered to debate, discuss and vote on proposed legislative policy positions, and a floor proposal, submitted by member municipalities at NHMA’s Legisla tive Policy Conference.   Please find the member-driven, member-adopted policy positions that will guide NHMA advocacy efforts for the upcoming 2023-2024 legislative biennium on our website under the Advocacy tab.

Adopted 2023-2024 Legislative Policy Positions

NHMA also uses a set of guiding  Legislative Principles, which are reviewed and reaffirmed as appropriate by the Legislative Policy Conference, to develop positions on legislation that has not been expressly addressed in the adopted Policy Positions. Examples of legislative principles include: opposing unfunded mandates; working to maintain existing revenue streams to municipalities; and advocating to maintain existing local authority.

Thanks to all the member voting delegates who joined us for the Legislative Policy Conference on Friday, September 23:

Allenstown, Derik Goodine, Town Administrator

Amherst, Danielle Pray, Select Board Member

Barrington, Dannen Mannschreck, Select Board Chair  Bedford, Rick Sawyer, Town Manager

Belmont, Alicia Jipson, Town Administrator

Boscawen, Katherine Phelps, Town Administrator Boscawen, Kellee Jo Easler, Planning & Community Development Director*

Bow, David Stack, Town Manager Bristol, Butch Burbank, Interim Town Administrator* Bristol, Christina Goodwin, Interim Deputy Town Administrator Claremont, Dale Girard, Mayor Derry, Dave Caron, Town Admin. Dover, Dennis Shanahan, Deputy Mayor

Epsom, Meadow Wysocki, Select Board Member

Fremont, Joel Yokela, Budget Committee Member Gilford, Scott Dunn, Town Admin.

Goffstown, Derek Horne, Town Administrator Grafton, Cindy Kudlik, Select Board Member

Hampstead, Laurie Warnock, Select Board Member

Haverhill, Jennifer Boucher, Assistant Town Manager

Henniker, David Osgood, Select Board Member Hillsborough, Laura Buono, Town Admin. Holderness, Michael Capone, Town Admin.

Hopkinton, Ken Traum, Select Board Vice Chair Hudson, Jim Michaud, Chief Assessor*

Hudson, Steve Malizia, Town Administrator Laconia, Scott Myers, City Manager

Lancaster, Robin Irving, Land Use Coordinator Lebanon, * Timothy McNamara, Mayor Lebanon, Shaun Mulholland, City Manager Lee, Scott Bugbee, Selectman

Londonderry, Mike Malaguti, Town Manager Manchester, William Barry, Alderman Meredith, Troy Brown, Town Manager Merrimack, Paul Micali, Town Manager

Nashua, Cheryl Lindner, Treasury Management Officer

Newbury, Dennis Pavlicek, Town Administrator Newmarket, Steve Fournier, Town Manager

North Hampton, Jim Maggiore, Select Board Member Northfield, Ken Robichaud, Town Administrator

Northwood, Walter Johnson, Town Administrator

Plymouth, William Bolton, Select Board Vice Chair Portsmouth, Deaglan McEachern, Mayor Portsmouth, Jane Ferrini, Attorney* Rochester, Laura Hainey, City Councilor

Sandwich, Joanne Haight, Select Board Member

Swanzey, Michael Branley, Town Administrator Tilton, Jeanie Forrester, Town Administrator Warner, Diane Ricciardelli, Town Administrator Wilmot, Tom Schamber, Select Board Member Wilton. Kermit Williams, Select Board Chair * represents non-voting attendee

Water is Worth It!

Boyd Smith, PCEO, NH Water Works Association

We hope this series about public water services in your community has been interesting and informative. We greatly appreciate our water partner ships with the NH Water Pollution Control Association and NH Department of Environmental Services and are grateful to NHMA for sharing our stories with you, New Hampshire’s community leaders.

Nearly all NH towns and cities rely on public drinking water and wastewater treatment and distribution to survive and thrive. From human con sumption, to firefighting, manufacturing, and agriculture, drinking water is second only to air in importance for our survival. Treating water after we use it allows us to clean contaminated water and return it to rivers, lakes, and the ground to rejoin the hydrologic cycle.

The Hydrologic Cycle

Most water users know little about where their water comes from or goes to, as treatment systems are lo cated at the edge of town and distribution systems are buried. More than half of New Hampshire residents depend on public water services, yet only a handful know what it takes to deliver safe, dependable, and affordable water services. It is hard to care about something you take for granted and don’t understand.

Water Infrastructure is Hidden

In February 2020 when I started this job, lack of infrastructure funding and new workers were two of the biggest challenges facing public water. Practically overnight, with the influx of federal funding, we are ad dressing nearly four decades of deferred maintenance on many of our water systems. Everyone in the water sector, including municipalities, is struggling to make the most of these substantial funds. Assessing priori ties, designing upgrades, preparing grant and loan applications, gaining citizen approval for bonds and match funding, finding and hiring qualified contractors, and dealing with supply chain and inflationary challenges, are making us all work even harder than before. But water is worth it!

As we stretch our resources to rebuild and repair systems as old as the late 1800s and last expanded in the 1970s and 1980s, we also need to prepare for the future. Future challenges include recruiting and retaining highly skilled workers; treating emerging contaminants such as PFAS and other man-made chemicals; building resilience to the floods, droughts and possible population shifts brought by climate change; and raising customer awareness and engagement to create a more symbiotic connection between water managers and consumers.

We hope the following points will provide some insights to the hidden world of water:

Water is vital. Clean drinking water is a public health necessity and clean wastewater protects the environment. Combined, these services save lives, create trillions of dollars in global economic value, and make possible multiple uses of our finite water supply.

Water is local. Most town supplies are within or close to their boundaries, treatment facilities are within the town, and miles of distribution pipes connect local homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses. Water workers are often your friends and neighbors, on duty 24 / 7 to keep the water running. Your actions to protect your watershed, capture and reuse stormwater, and set rates that maintain system operability and generously com pensate staff, make all residents a part of the system that supports them.

Water workers are critical. Workers include licensed facility operators, laboratory technicians, professional engineers, regulators and policy analysts, contractors, material and equipment suppliers, administrators, managers and more. They are often your friends and neighbors, on duty 24 / 7 to keep the water flowing. Being a water worker is an interesting, dependable, and noble profession.

We hope this article will inspire you to work closely with your drinking and wastewater leaders and staff to maintain the high quality of water services on which your town’s public health and economy depend. Please contact the NH Water Works Association at Info@NHWWA.org if you want to learn more about how to help your local water systems thrive.

Upcoming Events

NOVEMBER

For more information or to register for an event, visit our online Calendar of Events at www.nhmunicipal.org. If you have any questions, please contact us at nhmaregistrations@nhmunicipal.org.

DECEMBER

Homeowners at Risk of Losing Their Homes: What You Should Know About the NH Homeowner Fund Assistance

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Wednesday, November 9

NHMA’s 81st Annual Conference and Exhibition

8:00 am – 4:30 pm

Doubletree by Hilton Manchester Downtown Hotel Wednesday, November 16

NHMA’s 81st Annual Conference and Exhibition

8:00 am – 4:30 pm

Doubletree by Hilton Manchester Downtown Hotel Thursday, November 17

Thanksgiving Day (NHMA Offices Closed) Thursday, November 24

Day After Thanksgiving Day (NHMA Offices Closed) Friday, November 25

Developing and Adopting Effective Financial Policies Webinar

12:00 noon – 1:00 pm Thursday, December 1

Getting to Know NHMA’s Membership Benefits Webinar

12:00 noon – 1:00 pm Wednesday, December 7

Default Budgets & How They Work Webinar

12:00 noon – 1:30 pm Wednesday, December 14

NHMA Board of Director’s Meeting 9:00 am – 11:00 am Friday, December 16

Day After Christmas (NHMA Offices Closed) Monday, December 26

Cordell

Representing

P.O.

Henniker, NH 03242 603

Accessing Care following the Pandemic: What Has Changed, What We Have Learned

By Todd Thames, M.D., Included Health

the COVID-19 pandemic has been disruptive in many ways, it also has opened doors to innovation in how care can be delivered. For instance, utilization of virtual care increased exponentially, and surveys demonstrated that the majority of Americans who used virtual care during the pandemic liked the convenience and efficiency of having a health care provider visit them – in their home, at work, or wherever they found to be convenient and private. Surveys show that most people want to continue having this option for care going forward.

While

The pandemic also provided the opportunity to demon strate that telemedicine services were not limited to urgent care needs only; more comprehensive primary care, and mental and behavioral health needs could be managed ef fectively as well, while both patient and provider benefited from the privacy and convenience of virtual access.

Primary Care Then and Now

The increased adoption of virtual care, along with the grow ing evidence of effectiveness, could not come at a more critical time. One of the most concerning disruptions of the pan demic has been a decrease in primary care doctor visits and preventive screenings. Visits to outpatient providers, includ ing primary care offices, declined by 60 percent through 2020 and into 2021. People reported avoiding care for a number of reasons, such as fear of waiting rooms, provider offices not being open, and other factors that caused them to defer care even for acute symptoms (including things like chest pain!). While there has been some rebound in people seeking care, the numbers have not returned to pre-2020 levels.

A host of issues existed prior to the pandemic that resulted in deferred or delayed care. For instance, up to 40 percent of Americans in 2019 did not have an established relation ship with a primary care provider and many of those who do often find it difficult or inconvenient to get an appoint ment. Nonetheless, studies demonstrate that preventive care delivered in partnership with an established primary care provider serves a vital role in maintaining health. Primary care is also the most effective way to manage chronic con ditions, avoid future health problems, and catch concerns early when they are easier to manage. The disruptions from

COVID-19 worsened the situation where people found access to care even more difficult.

The Consequences of Postponing Care

Postponing or skipping preventive medical appointments can have wide-ranging impacts including:

• Poor management of chronic conditions. Avoiding care for conditions such as diabetes and heart disease can lead to complications that are much harder to manage. These complications often result in a lower quality of life, greater burdens on patients and families, and over all higher costs for both the individual and health plans.

• Delayed cancer diagnoses. Disruptions during the pan demic resulted in a sharp decline in screening tests for common cancers, such as breast, colon, prostate, and cervical cancer1. Unfortunately, we are now seeing evi dence that these missed screenings are leading to a higher number of cancers being diagnosed at later stages2.

• A decline in recommended immunizations. Routine immunizations for both children and adults have seen a marked decline during the pandemic. This is particu larly concerning because vaccines have been a powerful tool in controlling many devastating diseases such as polio, tetanus, diphtheria, and measles. We don’t think much about these diseases anymore because immuniza tions have been so successful, but they could re-emerge if vaccination rates drop significantly.

Virtual Primary Care

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that the same high-quality, team-based primary care approach can be de livered virtually and it can result in outcomes equivalent, in many cases, to care delivered in more traditional settings.

Virtual primary care services can help to maintain contact and visibility across an individual’s care journey and help manage the vulnerabilities of the times between doctor visits. This can make all the difference for a better health outcome and success in meeting health goals. Many situ ations can be managed with virtual care, but in situations

6 Essential Stay-Healthy Steps

Good health is your most valuable asset, and there has never been a more important time to make sure you and your family members are getting the care you need for preventive care services and ongoing conditions. Unsure where to begin? Here, Dr. Thames shares six important steps for staying healthy:

• Get established with a high-quality primary care provider if you don’t already have one.

• Work with your primary care provider to establish a plan for health.

• Follow your provider’s recommendations for getting age-appropriate screening tests and immunizations.

• If you have children, be sure to keep them up to date on immunizations, preventive checks and other recom mended medical services.

• Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Exercise regularly, get the right amount of sleep, avoid smoking, eat a nutritionally rich diet and minimize processed foods. If you drink alcohol, do so only in moderation. Build and maintain healthy social relationships.

• Re-engage with your providers if you have special needs or requirements that have gone untended for a while.

is never too late to invest in your health and the health of your family!

where in-person care is needed, refer rals can be expedited to high quality, in-network physicians and specialists. Including virtual care services as part of your benefit plans can mean a more well-rounded, comprehensive benefit package that better meets the needs of your employees and their families.

Attention HealthTrust Members! In cluded Health is available through HealthTrust to provide care navigation services, including expert medical opin ions, concierge referrals to local provid ers, and assistance with health related questions. If you need assistance with a healthcare issue, or would like to discuss Included Health’s expert medical opinion service or any of the services available through our partnership with HealthTrust, feel free to give us a call at 855-633-8341, or visit the dedicated website for HealthTrust Members, in cludedhealth.com/healthtrust

Dr. Todd Thames is a board certified Family Medicine Physician and a Vice President at Included Health (formerly Grand Rounds Health and Doctor On Demand) supporting the national vir tual care, expert medical opinions, and health care navigation services.

1. National Cancer Institute, March 10, 2021: https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/can cer-currents-blog/2021/cancer-screeningdecreases-coronavirus-pandemic

The COVID

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A Complete Benefits Package Can Support Employees and Reduce Turnover

By Andrew Struth, HealthTrust Benefits Advisor

Employeebenefits matter! Providing a robust benefits package can not only help you attract and retain tal ented employees, it can make your employees feel rewarded and appreciated for their work and that could translate into a more productive workplace. Providing com prehensive, quality benefits shows your employees you are invested in their overall health and future. Studies show that employees who have comprehensive benefit packages tend to work harder and are more dedicated to their jobs!

Identifying the Components of a Complete Benefits Package

There is a lot to think about when putting a benefits package in place for your employees. So, what should you consider?

• Comprehensive, Quality, Affordable Medical Coverage. Medical plans pay for all or a portion of health care expenses if an employee or their family members become ill or injured. They also provide coverage for preventive care services, such as routine physical exams and immunizations. Two common types of comprehen sive plans to consider are Health Maintenance Orga nizations (HMOs) and High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs). These plans generally cost the least while still providing comprehensive coverage for employees and their family members.

• Dental Coverage. While most dental plans provide coverage for preventive services such as cleanings and fluoride treatments, some include coverage for more costly services, such as fillings, prosthodontics (crowns, etc.) and orthodontics. Dental coverage is a relatively low cost benefit that encourages regular dental care and helps employees cover their out-of-pocket costs. Many plans provide up to $2,000 benefit for individuals per year. Good oral health equals good health, and employ ees really value this coverage.

• Vision Care. Vision benefits can reduce an employee’s costs for routine preventive care and prescription eye wear. Vision plans cost very little to both the employer

and employee and are an attractive addition to any ben efits package.

• Life Coverage can give your employees greater peace of mind; they know if tragedy strikes, their families will be protected. Life benefits can be offered in either a flat dollar amount or a multiple of an employee’s salary. In addition, dependent life and supplemental life policies may be available and purchased by employees to pro vide an added level of protection and benefits.

• Disability (Short-Term and Long-Term) benefits are a safety net that can prevent a health issue from becoming a financial crisis for your employees. Disability benefits continue to pay an employee a portion of earnings if they need to be out of the workplace for an extended period of time due to an accident or an ongoing health condition. Depending on the plan design, benefits re ceived are typically between 50% and 66 2/3% of an employee’s base pay.

Other Important Benefits

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) accompany tradi tional medical plans and allow employees to put away pre-tax dollars to pay for qualified medical and depen dent care expenses throughout the year. Employers may also elect to contribute funds to these accounts for em ployees.

• Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) are employer funded arrangements that can help offset de ductibles to pay for qualified medical expenses incurred under their medical plan.

• Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are paired with a High Deductible Health Plan and allow employees to use the funds to pay for plan deductibles and other outof-pocket costs. Like FSAs, employees can put money away pre-tax to pay for qualified medical, dental, vision and medication expenses. Employers may also elect to contribute funds to these accounts for employees.

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cost-effective benefit

Our Benefits and Wellness

provide benefit educa tion sessions virtually or in person, and are available to participate in Member Group sponsored health and/or ben efits fairs. This allows both employers and employees to learn and stay up-todate about the benefits, programs and services available to them!

Andrew Struth is a HealthTrust Benefits Advisor.

Sources: IFEBP: https://www.ifebp.org/bookstore/benefits-communication-survey-results/ Pages/benefits-communication-survey-results. aspx; Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, https://www.aicpa. org/news/article/americans-favor-workplacebenefits-4-to-1-over-extra-salary-aicpa-survey; National Library of Medicine, https://www. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2690190/

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Transparency and Affordability in Health Care and Prescription Drug Coverage

By Erica Bodwell, HealthTrust Benefits and Coverage Counsel

In the last few years, both the federal and New Hamp shire governments have enacted legislation aimed at providing more transparency about the cost of health care and prescription drug coverage, with the goal of reduc ing costs. These laws have many distinct sections, each of which has a different effective date, and apply to insurers and group health plans such as HealthTrust, as well as pro viders. This article will provide a brief overview of these ef forts and what they mean for New Hampshire’s municipal employers.

Consolidated Appropriations Act

Congress enacted the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (“CAA”) on December 27, 2020. This appropriations law contains the most significant health care legislation since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) went into effect in 2010. The CAA applies to insurers and group health plans such as HealthTrust with respect to medical and prescription drug coverage, as well as providers. It ex cludes excepted benefits such as dental coverage and flexible spending accounts (FSAs). Most municipal employers will comply with this law through their group health plans.

The CAA contains the following cost transparency provisions.

• No Surprises Act: This section requires that group health plans (“plans”) must cover emergency services, out-of-network providers at in-network facilities, and out-of-network air ambulance services with the same participant cost-sharing as if the services were in-net work and prohibits balance billing for these services. The law also provides for an independent dispute reso lution process for out-of-network providers and plans, and requires a No Surprise Billing notice to be posted on the plan’s public website (effective January 1, 2022).

• Other pricing requirements:

• ID cards: Plans must provide out-of-pocket maxi mums and consumer assistance contact informa tion on ID cards (effective January 1, 2022).

• Provider fee estimate: When a patient schedules a service, providers must, in a timely manner, provide a good faith estimate of charges to the health plan or insurer. (Enforcement delayed.)

• Advanced Explanation of Benefits (EOB) dis closure: After receiving the provider fee estimate, plans must provide the enrollee an Advanced EOB including rate and cost-sharing information. (En forcement delayed.)

• Price comparison tool required: Plans must make a price comparison tool available on their public website allowing comparison of cost-sharing amounts for specific services, as well as telephone guidance. This requirement does not apply to phar macy. (Effective January 1, 2023.)

• Gag clauses prohibited: Contracts between plans and providers, third-party administrators (TPAs) and other service providers may not require con fidentiality with regard to provider-specific pricing or quality information. Requires annual attestation of compliance (effective December 27, 2020).

• Reporting on prescription drug and health care costs: Plans must submit comprehensive prescription drug and health care cost information to the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (“CMS”). First report ing due December 27, 2022 for CY 2020 and 2021; due annually thereafter by June 1.

The CAA also contains the following non-cost provisions:

• Provider Directory Requirements: Plans must verify the accuracy of their provider directories and update at least every 90 days. If the directory is incorrect and an enrollee relies on it, enrollee must be charged as if pro vider were in-network (effective January 1, 2022).

• Notice of Continuity of Care: Plans must notify en rollees who are “continuing care patients” of their right to continue to receive care from their provider – at in-network cost sharing amount – for 90 days after

provider transitions to out-of-net work status. (Effective January 1, 2023.)

work rates files effective date was July 1, 2022; enforcement of the prescrip tion drug files has been delayed.

targets pursuant to RSA 126-BB:5, I and determining methods for meet ing those spending targets pursuant to RSA 126-BB:5, III. Prescription Drug

• Aggregate net spending on the prescription drug benefit.

Additionally, the Board is tasked with determining whether certain methods reduce costs to individuals and payors. These methods include:

• Negotiating specific rebate amounts;

• Changing formularies;

• Prohibiting the offering of more expensive formularies;

• Purchasing drugs in bulk or through a single purchasing agree ment for all public payors;

• Collaborating with other states for drug purchases;

• Allowing private payors to include small group private businesses for a fee; and

• Procuring expert services as neces sary.

What New Hampshire Municipalities Need To Know

As health care and especially prescription drug costs continue to rise, it is important for municipalities to be aware of the various efforts both federally and at the state level to gain transparency into health care and pre scription drug costs, and to be aware of the tools that exist for consumers and employers, as well as health care risk pools. This awareness has the potential to reduce costs in the long run, as consumers, employers and payors have a better understanding of costdrivers and their rights and responsi bilities. Employers should check with their group health plans to ensure that plans are complying with the Con solidated Appropriations Act on their behalf. HealthTrust Members should be sure to visit the HealthTrust web site often for updates on complying with these laws.

Erica Bodwell is the Benefits and Coverage Counsel for HealthTrust.

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TRANSPARENCY from page 15

Enhanced LifeResources EAP powered by ComPsych

Running, Mental Health, and the Importance of a Good Health Plan

Effective January 3, 2023

By Krista Bouchard, HealthTrust Wellness Coordinator

The enhanced LifeResources Employee Assistance Program (EAP), powered by ComPsych GuidanceResources®, will provide cutting-edge employee and employer benefits that provide support across the broad spectrum of life’s issues. This enhanced, proactive EAP platform has resources and counseling services to address the everyday issues that challenge your employees and their families, as well as a new financial tool, WellthSource, and Computerized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This enriched EAP will continue to provide 24/7 access to assist employees and their families whenever they need assistance, as well as crisis intervention support for Members. The phone number will remain the same for easy access.

AsHealthTrust’s Wellness Coordinator, my job is to help covered individuals use the benefits HealthTrust provides to them. But, until recently I didn’t realize the dramatic difference those health benefits could make in my own life.

I did get my eating under control, but I still struggle from time to time.

Claims Paid Administrative Model for Benefit Advantage FSA Programs

HealthTrust will transition from the current “Salary Reduction” model for our FSA program to a “Claims Paid” model. The Claims Paid model is a more efficient way to administer Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and will bring HealthTrust in line with industry best practices. This change will make managing FSAs easier and less time-consuming for participating Member Groups.

Anyone who knows me is aware that I work hard, set high goals for myself and feel driven to achieve them. I started running when I was in sixth grade and was hooked almost instantly. I have run hundreds of 5K races, 13 half-mara thons and four full marathons, recently completing the Boston Marathon in the spring of 2022 and the Chicago Marathon in the fall of 2022. I have set a life goal to run a marathon in all 50 states.

Running Toward the Light

In hindsight, I understand why I loved running so much right from the beginning; thousands of studies have found connections between running and improved mental health. Mental health issues run in my family. I first struggled with them in high school when I began suffering from disordered eating. Some days I would eat almost nothing; other days I would binge and purge. Some of my teachers noticed that I wouldn’t eat and one teacher even brought snacks into school for me each day and let me sit in her classroom during lunch so I wouldn’t have all of the triggering food around me. With counseling and many trips to the doctor,

At the end of high school I was sidelined by injuries to my foot and Achilles tendon, and eventually I had surgery that required me to stop running for nearly a year. When my doctors told me I would be lucky if I ever ran again, I was devastated. In choosing a college, I chose Plymouth State University because at the time they did not have a Cross Country or Track and Field team. If I couldn’t run, I didn’t want to be around it.

Effective January 1, 2023

Keep your Employees Informed – Encourage them to create their SEP Account today!

Encourage your covered employees and retirees to create their Secure Enrollee Portal (SEP) account for 24/7 access to digital ID cards, coverage documents, a Secure Message Center, Single Sign-On buttons to Anthem, CVS Caremark, Delta Dental, Onlife, and other vendor partner websites and resources.

I hate hearing the word “no,” so I slowly started to run again, and to my surprise I felt no foot pain, even after my surgery, even after the doctors told me that I would never be able to run again. It is funny how life works out; that next year

Reminder to HealthTrust Members!

Use the flyer, payroll stuffer and forward-ready email in your SMP (click on Toolkit > Program and Coverage Resources) to remind employees to set up their account today!

The Corigen® Medication Safety Program is avail able through HealthTrust to Enrollees in a Health Trust Medical and Prescription drug plan and their covered spouses and dependents. HealthTrust Members and their employees can learn more by visiting coriell.com/healthtrust .

If

Covered individuals can discover if the medications they take now – or could take in the future – are right for them based on their DNA and lifestyle factors with the Corigen Medication Safety Program.

Encourage your covered employees, spouses and retirees to learn more at coriell.com/healthtrust or by calling 888.456.9184.

Plymouth State University formed their first Women’s Cross Country program. I was hesitant at first, but running always drew me back in and I joined the team. I was out there doing a sport that I loved- I was actually run ning!

A Dark Turn

In 2015 while I was still in college, I found myself skipping class to do nothing but lay in bed and watch the seconds tick by on the clock. I skipped cross country practice. I could not even find solace in running, the thing I loved most. I found myself just hold ing on for one more second, one more minute, one more hour, hoping to sur vive to the next day. I was depressed, suicidal and anxious.

I would get angry at those who seemed to live a “normal” life. What does it feel like not to feel sad all the time? What does it feel like to live life and actually be happy? What was it like to have a genuine smile and not have to fake it everywhere I went?

Getting Back on Track

Once again, a caring teacher inter vened. A college professor called me into her office and asked how I was doing. I broke down. I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed help, and now I was opening myself up to it. I called my parents and my doctor and made an appointment with the school coun selor so I could start to receive the help I desperately needed. When it started to come out that I had been depressed, some people in my life commented that it was all in my head: “What do you have to be depressed about?” I didn’t have an answer. I had a nearly perfect life. I was going to college and my parents were helping to pay my tuition. I had a job that I loved and I had friends. But it wasn’t enough. I still had negative thoughts swarming through my head.

After getting some help, and taking medication prescribed by my doctor, I was better able to manage my emo tions. My teachers let me make up my school work so I would not fall behind

in my senior year and the Plymouth State Cross Country coaches were more than understanding. They knew I hadn’t been acting like myself and were happy that I was getting help.

I returned to running and started to feel better than I had in a long time, but the negative – even suicidal thoughts – continued. I thought this was normal. After all, I was on medica tion and it was helping. I was running again and going to class. Maybe this was just the best my life could be.

A Life-Changing Opportunity and a Mission to Help Others

Everything changed in August 2021 when HealthTrust introduced the Corigen® Medication Safety Program, which uses DNA analysis to determine if an individual’s medications are safe and effective for them. I completed the test kit and to my surprise I found out the antidepressant I was on was not ef fective for me. According to my report, my body didn’t metabolize the drug effectively and the medication side ef

fects could be contributing to my sui cidal thoughts; it was in the black box warning on the drug. This information was life changing; I was able to get on the right medication and started feel ing much better. Now I volunteer for a nonprofit organization called Still I Run, whose mission is to help runners with mental health issues.

Here is my message to anyone struggling with depression: Turn your problem into your purpose, turn your

weakness into strength. Use all your resources, including your health ben efits, to get the help you need. Depres sion is something I still deal with daily and likely will for the rest of my life, but I know how to manage it now. I take one step forward each day. I live by the saying, “Forward is a pace.” To me that means it doesn’t matter how slowly you go, forward still means for ward (in running and in life). If you take anything away from my story, I hope it is that although life can throw you curve balls, it is what you do with them that defines who you are. I could

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have refused help. I could have gone down a different path. I could have quit running for good, but I didn’t. I am so happy to be here living each moment, the good, the bad and the ugly. Life is worth living. Get the help you need, hold close the ones you love and those who love you most, and never be afraid to speak up.

Krista Bouchard is HealthTrust’s Well ness Coordinator.

Source: National Library of Medicine, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC7663387/

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Default Budgets and How They Work

By Natch Greyes, Government Affairs Counsel

Oneof the most difficult to understand areas of mu nicipal finance is the calculation of default budgets. The first complication is, of course, that only some towns need to calculate a default budget. Those are SB2 towns (which are officially known as “official ballot towns”). The reason that SB2 towns need to calculate a “de fault budget” is because the town meeting decides whether to adopt the town officials recommended budget via a ballot vote, rather than by debate at town meeting. If the major ity of town voters say “no,” the town still needs money to operate. The law that creates default budgets, RSA 40:13, IX(b), is a compromise. It relies on the budget that passed last year as the basis for calculation of the default budget, but some adjustments need to be made and that’s where it gets complicated.

We know how much money taxpayers allocated for the town last year. Why do adjustments need to be made?

Towns typically operate on a year-to-year basis, but, some times, they can enter agreements that are longer than a year. (There are certain legal requirements for how that process works, which is beyond the scope of this article.) Many of these agreements are for the same kind of things that indi viduals buy at home – internet and cable services, electric/ propane/gas providers, telephone service, etc. – along with somethings that government is unique in buying in bulk –road salt, asphalt, etc.

Often, towns can enter into long term contracts that give them a discount for these products (they’re buying in bulk, after all), but which may build in a yearly price hike. For example, they might be able to buy a three-year supply of propane and see the contract increase the price by 10 cents a gallon every year. Because towns typically operate on a yearto-year basis, the default budget, which relies on last year’s allocation, has to change as well. In the case of long-term contracts, if the town is to provide the same services with the same personnel as last year, the default budget must increase in line with the increases in these contracts. This can result in a default budget that is higher than last year’s budget.

But that’s not the end of the story. There are plenty of times when the town buys something once. For example, the town might have bought a new fire truck last year. That’s not something it does every year, but only once every 10 – 15 years. It wouldn’t be right to raise the amount of money nec essary to buy a new firetruck this year. So, the law requires that towns subtract these “one time” expenditures from the default budget. Depending on what the town spent money on last year, this can result in the default budget being lower than last year’s budget.

The law also requires that employee positions that are elimi nated see their costs come out of the default budget. This is similar to, but not exactly the same as, the removal of onetime expenditures because it is the removal of a cost that is no longer incurred.

At the end of the day, after all these calculations, it’s pos sible that the default budget will be higher than last year’s budget, lower than last year’s budget, or the same as last year’s budget…but that’s still not the end of the story…

Even if the default budget is exactly the same as last year’s budget, is it possible that the default budget will be higher than the newly proposed budget?

It is entirely possible and often the case that department heads, governing bodies, and municipal budget writers come up with cost savings ideas that don’t fit exactly into last year’s budget. For example, federal interest rate changes may allow a newly proposed budget to find cost savings that would not be incorporated into last year’s budget. Or a new software program may allow a department to digitize in a manner that saves personnel or material costs. These new initiatives go back to the fundamentals of what a municipal budget is: a pot of money and a list of authorized uses, alongside a list of estimated costs for each authorized use. Authority exists elsewhere in the statutes for the select board to move money around if something goes wrong, such as the cost of electric ity unexpectedly doubling, resulting in the town needing to come up with more money to keep the lights on during our rather dark winters.

But authority does not exist elsewhere for the select board to use money for unauthorized uses. In fact, that’s strict ly prohibited. So, if a select board is using a default budget which – again –is a pot of money and the list of autho rized uses from last year – that default budget may not include authority to spend money on, e.g., that new soft ware program that will save the town money. It all depends on what author ity the town meeting gives the town officers, and RSA 40:13, IX(b) does not contemplate changing the author ity under the default budget process because, naturally, everyone expects government to do basically the same thing every year, but it might cost a little more (or less).

If a town wants to change its authority to spend money, it should pass a new budget. That’s a large part of what is contemplated by the budget creation process. Not only is town meeting de

ciding how much money to spend but what to spend that money on.

need for that money to be raised as it won’t be spent. (There’s no need to buy a second fire truck for a single truck department, after all.)

How much money town officials have to spend and what they can spend it on is the core purpose of the munici pal budget law. Most people in town must agree that whatever new idea is proposed is actually a good use of money for town officials to be able to spend money on it. That requires an affirmative vote. In the case of longterm contracts, that’s something that’s required by the law as part of the ini tial approval process. See Appeal of the Sanborn Regional School Board, 133 N.H. 513 (1990). And, on the oppo site side, it’s not necessary to remove

authority to raise funds for one-

(or remove the au thority to spend them) because there’s

Outside of voter approval of a separate warrant article raising and appropri ating funds for some new purpose, under a default budget scenario, how ever, there is no way to obtain the voters blessing to do something new with town monies that isn’t authorized by last year’s budget.

Where does the controversy over default budgets come in?

The main problem with default bud gets is that they don’t incorporate really great ideas that are discovered after the passage of the last budget but before the creation of this year’s budget pro posal. And when those ideas generate savings, it can create controversy because most people love saving money

Is there a way to incorporate proposed cost savings into the default budget?

but they may not love all the ideas incorporated into this year’s

proposal. So, while there might be a stellar idea to save money on energy costs by switching municipal lighting over to LEDs, there might also be a

more controversial idea to save money over a period of time buy buying the public works department a new truck rather than trying to maintain the old one. And, as any road agent will tes tify, there are more experts in town on

town meeting to

the

Unfortunately,

tension

maintenance than all of Detroit when it comes time for

repair

ferent

requirements of the statutory formula for the default budget contained within RSA 40:13, IX(b) can cause controversy to arise. The complications of the formula for creating the default budget can make it difficult to understand why it may vary significantly from the newly pro posed budget, and that is often a root of local discontent over the resultant default budget.

Hampshire Mu nicipal

may be contacted

DEFAULT BUDGETS from page

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Government Affairs Update: Fall 2022

By Natch Greyes, Governmental Affairs Counsel

Fallis a time of birth and renewal. It’s the time to renew old bonds, forage new ones, and begin to sing that old carol: getting to know you, getting to know all about you. For, of course, fall – or at least the time of fall when you’ll have the opportunity to read this article – will be when we all know which of our neighbors have been se lected to form the new year’s legislature.

It’s a ritual that happens every two years, and one that intro duces new people and new ideas into the 434-person strong legislature. That means that these two months (November and December) are critical to the advocacy effort. These are the two months when local officials (and those of us in the Government Affairs Department at NHMA) can start building relationships with new state representatives and senators.

A critical part of that effort is giving them the opportunity to learn what local officials and municipalities do and how they can help address issues that can’t be resolved at the local level. We often get calls from local officials around this time of year wondering what they can do to get more engaged with the process in Concord. Like all politics, it starts lo cally. Here are a few things that we think are good ideas:

1. Invite legislators to an experience in your town.

Does your town operate a wastewater treatment facility, a police station, a fire department, a public works garage, or something unique? All of these are great places to host leg islators for tours. It may sound a little silly, but most people last had an opportunity to see these facilities while in school – and for many of us, that was quite a while ago. Getting the opportunity to see how a wastewater treatment facility works, experience a day-in-the-life of a patrol officer, hear about first aid responses, or get a good look at the town equipment and learn what it does, is a great learning op portunity for anyone.

Tours give legislators hands-on experiences that encourage them to ask questions and learn how things work. Most importantly, they remove politics from the equation by replacing whatever assumptions someone has about how

something works with actual experience about the process. This can pay big dividends when an issue comes up involving that department and the legislator is looking for advice or advocating for or against a position.

2. Don’t be the pitcher that goes to the well once too often.

Aim to build real relationships with your legislators. If every conversation with a legislator is the same kind of conversa tion that you could have when ordering from a pizza shop (“whadda want?”), it’s easy for them to ignore you. The con versation has gone out of their head by the time they’ve fin ished inputting the order. And you’ve gone of their head as well.

Take the time to develop a stronger connection with your legislators by asking them questions that create positive, shared emotions and using those answers to facilitate further experiences and interactions. When engaging in that dialog don’t make it just small talk – listen with your full attention when they talk and take a moment to reflect what they are feeling back to them and be willing to share personal stories – which research shows is one of the best ways of demon strating trust in someone else. Building that real relationship can ensure that when you do call your legislators with an issue, they’re willing to try to resolve the issue rather than simply forget what you asked as soon as you hang up.

3. D on’t be discouraged by what may feel like a Promethean effort.

We often get calls from experienced local officials saying, “Every fall you guys remind us that it’s a great time to build relationships with our legislators, and we make the effort, but we often feel like Prometheus pushing the boulder up the mountain. No matter how hard we try we never seem to make progress.” Patiently, we remind them that dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through per sistence.

Some of the strangest successes that we’ve had at the leg islature has been after Promethean efforts. Legislators who

almost never agree with our positions sometimes find themselves in the topsy-turvy world of agreeing with us. And your continually efforts (and our own), at keeping open the channels of dialogue and building relationships have led to those successes.

For many, the fall is a time to pre pare for winter dormancy, but for us in Concord, it’s time for the birth of

new relationships and the renewal of old ties. We’ve spent the fall touch ing base with legislators and leader ship and worked hard to prepare for the onslaught of hearings in January. We’re hopeful that we’ll be rolling out some changes that will allow you to get more information about the bills you care about faster, and we hope that you’re keeping an eye on our we binar schedule. We have some great

content coming that will help local of ficials perform their duties and, hope fully, help explain those duties to new legislators as well.

Natch Greyes is the Government Affairs Counsel with the New Hampshire Mu nicipal Association. He may be contacted at 603.224.7447 or at governmentaffairs@nhmunicipal.org.

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Help is Available for Homeowners Behind in Paying Mortgage, Property Taxes or Utility Payments

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a Hillsborough County couple faced an enormous financial burden. Increased expenses, as well as a reduction in income, weighed on their family. Despite tapping their retirement fund and other resources, they fell behind on their property taxes and electric bill. Then they heard about the NH Homeowner Assistance Fund program, and applied. Soon, to their great relief, they received word that the program would provide the $6,500 in assistance needed to pay the past-due bills.

This is just one of many similar stories shared by New Hampshire homeowners who have received financial assis tance from the program to help with house-related past-due bills. During the pandemic many homeowners saw their in comes dramatically reduced or budgets greatly strained due to lay-offs, illness, increased expenses due to childcare needs, and rising costs.

Since March 2022, the NH Homeowner Assistance Fund has been providing financial assistance to eligible New Hampshire homeowners financially impacted during the pandemic and who are behind in paying their home mortgage, property taxes, utility bills, home insurance, and other housing expenses. A federally-funded program through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the NH Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery, and is administered by New Hampshire Housing. To date the fund has disbursed over $3 million to assist struggling homeowners around the state.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the program, homeowners must have experienced a COVID-related reduction in income or in crease in household expenses after January 21, 2022. Other eligibility stipulations include: owning and occupying the property as a primary residence, and having an income of less than 125% of the Area Median Income. The program provides financial assistance for past-due bills only.

The NH Homeowner Assistance Fund offers financial help in three categories: Mortgage Loan Reinstatement, Property Charge Default Resolution, and Utility/Internet Payment Assistance. Assistance is capped at $20,000 total for all three programs, and the homeowner can apply for assistance in

any category as needed up to that amount of total assistance. (Utility assistance is capped at $3,000.) After an application is completed and reviewed, assistance requests for past-due amounts are verified and payments are made directly to ser vice providers.

Partner Organizations

New Hampshire Housing has partnered with two organizations to support homeowners:

• AHEAD, Inc. is a HUD certified housing counseling agency that can assist with applications and help home owners navigate the loss mitigation requirement for mortgage assistance.

• 603 Legal Aid provides legal assistance to homeown ers facing an immediate threat of losing their home to foreclosure, tax deed, or sheriff’s sale.

Please spread the word to New Hampshire homeowners who are struggling financially due to a COVID-19 related hardship and are behind in paying their mortgage, property charges, or utilities because of the pandemic, and encourage them to apply to the program at HomeHelpNH.org.

Printed postcards and flyers to distribute may be requested by emailing info@nhhfa.org or calling 603-310-9347, or downloaded from the NH Homeowner Assistance Fund Outreach Toolkit webpage at NHHousing.org/HAF.

NH HOMEOWNER ASSISTANCE FUNDCONTACT INFORMATION

For program details and to apply: HomeHelpNH.org

AHEAD

For application assistance, financial counseling, and other resources (800) 974-1377 x1014 • HomesAhead.org

603 Legal Aid

For assistance with an immediate threat of foreclosure, tax deed, or sheriff’s sale (603) 224-3333 • 603LegalAid.org

For renters or landlords in need of assistance, the federal NH Emergency Rental Assistance program provides help to renters and landlords impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Go to HomeHelpNH.org for details.

The HR REPORT

NHMA Employment Law Hotline: Question and Answer Series

By Anna B. Cole

Drummond Woodsum partners with the New Hampshire Municipal Association to provide a free Employment Law Hotline service, through which we provide general legal advice to NHMA members. We receive a number of recurring inquiries through the hotline and decided to establish a running series in which we periodically use the HR Report to address a hot issue.

Question:

If a Town pays a non-exempt employee an additional stipend to perform certain work (such as keeping min utes for an elected board), do the hours spent working in the “stipend position” count for the purposes of de termining the employee’s entitlement to overtime?

Answer:

In brief, yes. The federal and state wage and hour laws require that all employees be classified as either exempt or non-exempt. Here, the Town has already determined that the employee’s primary job for the employer is a non-exempt role. The FLSA and state law require that non-exempt employees (1) report all hours worked, (2) be paid at least minimum wage (currently $7.25/hour) for every hour worked, and (3), with limited excep tions for police and fire personnel, be paid at least 1 ½ their “regular rate” of pay for every hour worked over 40 hours in a 7-day work week. If a municipality em ploys an individual in more than one non-exempt job all hours worked for the Town (regardless of which job is being performed) all hours worked must be tracked and added together to determine whether the individu al has worked more than 40 hours. That being the case, we recommend that each employee complete only one time card, regardless of how many different roles/func tions they may perform for a municipality, to ensure that their hours worked are properly considered for overtime purposes.

If the total hours worked by the non-exempt employee exceed 40 hours, the employer must determine the em ployee’s “regular rate” to ensure the employee is being properly compensated for all overtime hours. An em ployee’s “regular rate” is determined by dividing the

employee’s total compensation in any workweek by the total number of hours actually worked in that work week. When an employee works at different base hourly rates for the same employer, that calculation will result in a weighted average of those hourly rates, which is then used as the “regular rate” for overtime purposes. If one of the employee’s duties has been compensated on a stipend basis, the Town would first need to deter mine how much of the stipend should be attributed to the particular work week. This would likely be done by converting the stipend into an hourly rate based on the number of hours the employee spends performing the stipend-related duties. Once that calculation is complete you can determine the weighted average. For example, assume the employee’s regular hourly pay for the prima ry job is $20/hour and they receive a $2,000 stipend per year for specific additional duties (“stipend duties”) with the expectation that the stipend duties require 4 hours of work per week. Accordingly, reduced to an hourly rate, the employee receives $9.62 per hour for the sti pend duties. Assume that, in a particular week, the em ployee works 40 hours in their primary job in addition to the 4 hours of stipend duties (i.e., 44 hours of work total for the employer) and that the employee receives no other compensation from the employer (aside from their regular straight time pay and the stipend) during this period. In those circumstances, the employee’s total straight time earnings would be $838.48 ((40 hours x $20/hour = $800) + (4 hours x $9.62/hour = $38.48), and the weighted average regular rate would be $19.06. Using this regular rate, the employee’s time and one-half rate for overtime purposes would be $28.59. Easy!

Just kidding. Nothing is that easy. The example above presumes that the stipend amount is sufficient to meet

the current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. If the stipend con verted to an hourly rate is less than minimum wage, the amount paid will need to be increased to avoid a minimum wage law violation.

The best practice is to pay nonexempt employees on an hourly basis, rather than on a stipend basis. Use of a stipend can also lead to other problems, as the New Hampshire Department of Labor would expect that the employee be paid on a regular payroll cycle basis rather than in a lump sum at year end for the work performed

Please note that in limited cir cumstances a non-exempt em ployee can provide volunteer services to a community, so long as such volunteer services are “not the same type of services” that the

employee is employed to provide to the municipality. For example, a paid police officer can serve as a volunteer firefighter in the same community, with only the hours worked as a police officer con sidered for overtime purposes. Whether the volunteer services are “not the same type of services” can be tricky, particularly with administrative or clerical employ ees. Whether a paid employee can also be a volunteer requires a close review of the facts. Communities are encouraged to contact Town counsel determine if a particular employee’s volunteer services can be excluded from a determination of the number of hours worked in a pay week.

Additionally, if employee in our example’s primary job for the Town qualified that employee

exempt, the answer would be dif ferent. Generally, an exempt em ployee can perform concurrent or additional non-exempt duties as long as their “primary duty” is the performance of the exempt function. For example, a Public Works Director who is considered an exempt executive employee can mow ballfields during the work day or be the note taker at a Plan ning Board meeting, as long as the performance of exempt executive functions remains the employee’s primary duty.

This is not a legal document nor is it intended to serve as legal advice or a legal opinion. Drummond Woodsum & Mac Mahon, P.A. makes no representations that this is a complete or final descrip tion or procedure that would ensure legal compliance and does not intend that the reader should rely on it as such.

Tech Insights

By Joe Howland, Chief Information Security Officer, VC3

How

Why Multi-Factor Authentication is Essential

can you better protect your organization’s sen sitive information and your users’ personal data?

Deciding where to focus your information secu rity efforts for the most protection and the best return on investment can be a challenge. Multi-factor authentication is an excellent place to start, and here’s why.

More than 60% of phishing messages (in which a bad actor sends a fraudulent email or SMS message to capture a user’s password) in 2020 were targeted toward harvesting Office 365 credentials. And, 90% of successful cyberattacks start in email. This shows us the need to prioritize authentication to ensure that bad actors don’t get access to your systems.

Such data is especially relevant when we consider that the average cost to organizations reporting data breaches is $4.24 million. Furthermore, it takes an average of 200 days before most organizations even know they’ve been breached. Multi-factor authentication is a low-cost, highly effective way to help ensure that your employees’ login information stays secure.

What is multi-factor authentication?

Multi-factor authentication is a method of verifying users’ identities before granting them access to a system. As the name implies, multi-factor authentication uses two or more different factors to verify a user’s identity before allowing them access to a given system, location, or account. These factors can include:

• Something the user knows:

Perhaps the most common authentication factor, some thing a user knows could be a password or PIN. It could also be the answer to a security question. Essentially, this factor uses personal or proprietary knowledge to authenticate the user. You’ve likely run into this factor when you call your bank and they ask you to verify your identity by reciting your birthday and the last four digits of your Social Security number.

• Something the user is:

The most common way that multi-factor authentica tion systems use this factor is through biometrics. If you unlock your phone with facial recognition or your fin-

gerprint, you’re familiar with this factor of MFA. This type of authentication is most often used with unlock ing physical devices, but it can also be used with voice recognition. This is often implemented to grant cus tomers access to their accounts over the phone.

• Somewhere the user is:

Geo-fencing is sometimes implemented to ensure that users may only access specific information or systems while on-premise at a given location. When combined with other factors, this can help reduce the risk of bad actors gaining access to onsite servers and other assets.

Location-based authentication factors often work well in conjunction with biometric factors to ensure that only authorized persons are onsite and accessing your systems.

Why implement multi-factor authentication?

If people can gain access to your systems with a password alone, you are highly susceptible to common cyberattacks. Too many users also reuse their passwords across multiple logins. However, when you implement multi-factor authentication, a password is only one of multiple components needed to gain access. With multi-factor authentication, you have builtin barriers to entry that require relatively little investment of time and resources. Further, multi-factor authentication is often a requirement to purchase cyber liability insurance.

Which systems should you prioritize for multi-factor authentication?

Not all systems require multi-factor authentication. Here are our recommendations for top priorities:

1. Any internet-facing service:

These include email (especially Office 365 or Google Workspace), virtual private networks (VPNs), and any cloud-based systems (such as CRMs, hosted util ity platforms, payroll, etc.).

2. Systems housing sensitive data:

If you house personal health information (PHI), fi nancial information, or any other proprietary data or information, you should use at least two authentica tion factors to access it.

3. Critical Infrastructure:

Your firewalls, switches, servers, and other critical infrastructure should all have multiple layers of authentication.

4. Administrative accounts:

These accounts typically have access to multiple systems and should be protected with more than a password or other single authentication factor.

5. Workstations:

Individual user workstations are less vulnerable than internetfacing services or infrastructure, but they can still present a weak point. Multi-factor authentica tion could be as simple as re quiring employees to use a key fob to enter the office and a password on their workstation.

Common multi-factor authenti cation implementations

As we mentioned earlier, multi-factor authentication comes in various forms. Some of the most secure implementa tions include mobile applications, electronic key fobs, biometrics, and secure RFID cards. With a mobile app like Microsoft Authenticator, Google Authenticator, Duo, or Authy, users can generate a single-use password or code every time they log in. And they must have access to their mobile device to do it, which combines some thing they have with something they know for increased security.

Electronic key fobs and secure cards give users physical access to your premises, and you can combine this (something they have) with passwords and other factors to create a more secure login experience. With a bio metric reader, you eliminate the risk associated with lost keycards or key fobs, as well.

Authentication factors that are moderately secure include automated verifi

cation phone calls and texts. These can be infiltrated, but they’re better than nothing. The worst security factor is probably email, as anyone who gains access to a user’s email address (such as by acquiring their password in a phishing campaign) can access that account and use it to reset passwords and breach your systems.

In conclusion: Protect your systems with multi-factor authentication

Implementing multi-factor authentication is one of the most cost-efficient methods to protect your organization against cyberattacks. Even if you re quire users to update their passwords regularly, those passwords may already be compromised and available on the dark web. Adding layers of authentication reduces your risk and could save you millions of dollars in the long term.

As you review your current authenti cation policies and the options avail able for multi-factor authentication, consider if you’re getting the most se curity for your authentication efforts. If your organization does not have multi-factor authentication for access to sensitive information, or if you have questions about improving your cy bersecurity, fill out the form below to reach out to us today.

About Joe Howland Joe has been in the IT industry for over 20 years and has extensive IT manage ment experience that spans multiple industries. A UCLA grad with a degree in Mathematics Computation with a Computer Specialization, he worked with Computer Sciences Corporation for 10 years supporting defense and finan cial sector contracts. Joe joined VC3 in 2009 and during his time with VC3, Joe has performed in the role of Virtual CIO for some of VC3’s largest government customers. Joe is currently VC3’s Chief Information Security Officer and is re

sponsible for VC3’s IT security as well as advising on security for VC3’s customers.

About VC3

VC3 is a leading managed services provider focused on municipal gov ernment. Founded in 1994, VC3 forms partnerships with municipalities to achieve their technology goals and har ness their data. In addition to providing comprehensive managed IT solutions, VC3 offers cybersecurity, website design, custom application development, and business intelligence services. Visit www. vc3.com to learn more.

MUNICIPAL

LegalQ and A

Mitigating Confusion over “Ex Officio” Members

By Jonathan Cowal, Municipal Services Counsel

Itis not uncommon for there to be a certain level of confusion concerning what it means to be an ex officio member of a public body. The position “ex officio” is explicitly provided for in statutes like RSA 673:2, where the statute refers to a member of the select board or an administrative official of a city serving as the ex officio member on the local Planning Board. There are other statutes that don’t use the term ex officio, however that designation is implied by the language of the statute. An example of this would be RSA 32:15 which requires one member of the governing body and one member of the school board to sit on an official budget committee. Several statutes include provisions for ex officio members to serve on public bodies and under standing their role is vital in ensuring that the public body is operating within the confines of the law.

Q. What does it mean to be an “ex officio” member?

A. For land use boards the term ex officio is defined in RSA 672:5. That statute provides that an “Ex Officio Member” means any member who holds office by virtue of an offi cial position and who shall exercise all the powers of regular members of a local land use board. In this instance, the only difference between an ex officio member and any other member of a public body is that the ex officio member holds their position by virtue of holding some other official posi tion. They are not simply a representative of the other public body, an advisor, or some other type of lesser member. They are equal in every respect to the other members of the public body except that they were chosen from a smaller pool of applicants due to their other official position. RSA 672:5 goes as far as to clarify that they shall exercise all the powers of regular members of a local land use board, however this sentiment is not limited to only land use boards. Any time an ex officio member sits on a public body, they shall have the same powers as other members, with a few very narrow exceptions.

It is important to note that while ex officio members may exercise the same authority as other members of the public body, they do not hold any more authority than any other member and they do not have a special status due to the fact that they serve on another board. The fact that there is a member of the select board who is statutorily appointed to the planning board does not mean that the select board member on the planning board gets to boss the other members around or wield the power of the select board over the planning board. They are an equal member just like every one else.

Q. What other boards have ex officio members?

A. There are several other statutes that specifically mention ex officio members. RSA 673:4-a states that if there is a his toric district commission, one member of the commission shall be an ex officio member of the heritage commission. RSA 31:112 says, if a city or town has adopted RSA 36-A, a city or town forest may be managed by the city or town conservation commission, with the tree warden, if any, as an ex officio member. There are other statutes that don’t explicitly use the term ex officio, but by the very language of the statute it is implied that the members are ex officio members. The most common example of this would be RSA 32:15 which requires an official budget committee to have one member of the governing body and one member of the school board serving on the committee. Even though the term ex officio isn’t used, these members are appointed to the budget committee because they serve on another public body thus establishing their status as ex officio.

While there are several statutes that explicitly call for an ex officio member, and others that imply the existence of ex officio members, it is also common for municipalities to mistakenly create ex officio members where none exist. A common example of this is when municipalities believe that there needs to be an ex officio member of the select board or

planning board on the zoning board of adjustment. How ever, RSA 673:3 does not mention anything about an ex officio member, nor does it imply that there should be one. In fact, while not explicitly barred by statute, it can be prob lematic to put a select board member on the ZBA due to the potential for a conflict of interest to arise.

Q. Are there any limits to the role of an ex officio member?

A. There are a few statutes which narrowly limit the role of an ex officio member on certain boards. RSA 673:9 states that the ex officio member of planning board shall not serve as chairperson. RSA 673:11 states that whenever an ex-of ficio member of a land use board is absent or disqualifies herself, the chair may only designate the person appointed by the select board, town council or city council to serve as the alternate to the ex officio. The reason for this is because there cannot be more than one member of the select board serving on the planning board at the same time. Therefore, it stands to reason that you cannot appoint another member of the select board to be an alternate unless they are only serving as an alternate for the other select board member. Finally, RSA 32:15 states that the ex officio members of the budget committee who serve on the select board and school board cannot be elected or appointed to serve as at-large members.

tee. In this case, the Hudson Budget Committee adopted a bylaw that barred the two ex officio members from voting. The provision read, “votes will be limited to the nine elect ed or duly appointed members-at-large”. The Committee argued that RSA 32:15 is ambiguous and does not require the ex officio member to be permitted to vote. What is in teresting about this argument is that RSA 32:15 does not actually use the term ex officio to describe the members at issue, nor does it include any provision like the one in RSA 672:5 which explicitly states that ex officio members have the same powers as other members.

Nevertheless, the court adopted the term “ex officio member” when talking about the two budget committee members and ruled that by the plain language of the statute they were considered a “member” just like the appointed or at-large members. RSA 32:15 limits these members abil ity to serve as at-large members and does not impose any further limitations. If the legislature wanted these members to be further limited, they would have included that in the statute. As a result, the court ruled that the actions of the budget committee were against the law, and they could not strip the ex officio members of their right to vote. All actions taken by the budget committee during the time that the ex officio members were barred from voting were deemed invalid and ordered to be redone.

A. This issue was addressed in a recent opinion by the Hill sborough Superior Court in the case of Town of Hudson and Hudson School District SAU 81 v. Hudson Budget Commit

Court

Jonathan Cowal is the Municipal Services Counsel with the New Hampshire Municipal Association. He may be contacted at 603.224.7447 or at legalinquiries@nhmunicipal.org.

By Stephen C. Buckley, Legal Services Counsel and Jonathan Cowal, Municipal Services Counsel

Q. To what extent can a public body choose to limit the power of ex officio members?

ARPA Funds: Best Practices for Small Communities

By Katherine Hueston

TheAmerican Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) granted municipalities of all sizes flexible, extensive federal grant funding, a first for many of America’s smallest municipalities. As smaller municipalities, also known as nonentitlement units of local government (NEUs), work to implement ARPA spending plans, it is key to keep a few things in mind to ensure every municipality can utilize their ARPA funds as effectively as possible.

Update on Next Tranche of Funding

Half of each NEU’s ARPA funding was made available in 2021 and the second half will be available in 12 months after the first disbursal. For some communities that could be as late as November 2022. The second tranche of fund ing still falls under the guidelines and reporting requirements defined in Treasury’s final rule. For more information and to sign up for regular updates, visit Treasury’s website.

Treasury Scam Warning

On April 7, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury notified the National League of Cities of a scam targeting NEUs. The scam emails are requesting funds from NEUs to pay for SAM.gov renewal. However, there is no fee for renewal and this email should be disregarded. Any request to pay a fee for SAM.gov renewal is fraudulent. NLC will continue to update NEUs if there are any further potential threats identified and  we advise all NEUs remain vigilant.

How NEU Funds Are Being Used

Earlier this year, NLC released an analysis of how 30 NEUs are spending their ARPA funds to better gauge spending trends. The flexibility and availability of funds allocated to NEUs through ARPA has already led to a diversity of spending across seven main spending buckets, including:

• Infrastructure

• City operations investments

• Community aid

• Housing

• Public health

• Economic and workforce development

• Public safety

Since NEUs began allocating their ARPA funds, nearly 78% of the funding analyzed by NLC has gone to infra structure projects. More broadly, NEUs have begun projects across various sectors, including funding for water and sewer projects, improving city facilities, assisting those hit hardest by the pandemic, prioritizing affordable housing, and enhancing local workforce opportunities.

NEUs Should Continue to Use ARPA Funds

Small municipalities have access to rare federal funding that can be used for a wide range of pandemic-related re covery projects. NLC wants to ensure every municipality has access to ARPA funds and can use them to fulfill the needs of their city, town or village. Moving forward, as a new allocation of money becomes available, we want NEUs to be aware of the resources available to assist with the allocation and implementation of ARPA dollars, especially with such a wide variety of acceptable uses for the funds. For more examples on how small communities have used ARPA funds, view our report here.

Katherine Hueston serves as an intern on NLC’s Federal Advocacy team.

From one generation to the next, the world around us may change, but the things that matter most –family, friends, spending time together, laughter, good health – remain constant.

At HealthTrust, we stay ahead of the changes to provide New Hampshire’s families the resources they need for optimal health, now and in the future. We are excited to announce major enhancements to our wellness programs for 2023 powered by new partnerships with Virgin Pulse for our Slice of Life program, and ComPsych for our LifeResources Employee Assistance Program.

We keep up with the changing times so our covered individuals have the best tools and resources to stay healthy – and they can focus on what really matters – spending time with people they love.

NEW HAMPSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSIONS

This segment is another in a series highlighting NHARPC’s efforts to provide education on planning-related topics.

Economic Resiliency Planning

Natalie Gemma, Economic Recovery Coordinator, Strafford Regional Planning Commission Stacey Doll, Community Resiliency Planner, North Country Council Jay Minkarah, Executive Director, Nashua Regional Planning Commission

Across the state and beyond, the Covid-19 pan demic highlighted the importance of integrating resiliency efforts to enhance a community’s ability to respond more quickly to unprecedented cir cumstances while lessening the impacts to our local and regional economies. With support from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA) through the CARES Act, sev eral of New Hampshire’s Regional Planning Commis sions were able to implement a variety of programs aimed to assist member communities with economic resiliency planning. Through these efforts, each RPC strived to increase awareness, provide data and infor mation sharing, create connections with community members and stakeholders, and develop regional eco nomic development priorities, goals, and action items to achieve them. Below, are a few examples of how three RPCs have approached economic resiliency planning within their regions.

The Strafford Regional Planning Commission (SRPC) launched several programs designed to support eco nomic recovery and resiliency planning for the re gion’s municipalities and businesses as they worked to navigate the constantly evolving circumstances faced as a result of the pandemic. Through outreach and engagement efforts with municipalities and business es, which in large part came from the meetings with the Seacoast Economic Development Stakeholder (SEDS) group, a collective entity of economic development stakeholders at the local, regional, and state level who meet regularly to work collaboratively to promote the economic vitality of our region, SRPC was able to obtain a clear understanding of what some of the urgent needs of our communities were. In re sponse, this allowed staff to design programs accord ingly to ensure those needs were being met.

For municipalities, the Record Digitization Program was created to promote organizational resiliency by increasing efficiency for municipal staff if and when required to work remotely while enabling access to digital records for the public. It is estimated that the program- which was offered at no cost to 13 SRPC

municipalities, lasted 9 months and involved the sup port of 14 staff members (between full or part-time employees and interns)- led to the digitization of over 10,000 municipal documents, including site plans, subdivision plans, tax maps, among other documents.

For businesses, the Consultant Technical Assistance program was created, where SRPC partnered with 5 private consultants to provide free targeted technical support to small businesses in the areas of website development, marketing, advertising, graphic design, audio visual support, IT services, and cybersecurity. By the end of the year-long program, a total of 76 businesses across 13 SRPC municipalities received technical support at no cost to them, representing over 277 hours of assistance at a value of $32,000.

Other efforts put forward to promote economic resil iency included the Promoting Outdoor Play (POP!) tool, monthly resource and information sharing with local businesses, and a Resiliency Subcommittee com prised of SRPC commissioners. To learn more about SRPC’s work under the CARES Act grant, please visit http://strafford.org/uploads/documents/plans/edd/ ceds_2022.pdf.

North Country Council Regional Planning Commission and Economic Development District just completed a two-year economic and community recovery and resiliency planning effort. This effort, known as North Country Rising, included a robust community and industry engagement process to define resiliency for different economic sectors, identify the greatest assets and needs across all eight forms of capi tal, and develop goals and strategies to build economic resilience in the region over time. The goals and strat egies fall into seven common theme areas: 1.) Collaboration and Collective Impact; 2.) Planning and Assessment; 3.) Supporting and Investing in Com munity Backbone Systems; 4.) Equity, Connectivity and Access; 5.) Balanced Economies; 6.) Innovation, Education and Workforce Development; and 7.) Culture, Climate and Quality of life. The North Country Rising Plan and supporting Case Studies, Business Re source Roadmap, and Stories of Re silience interviews and videos can be viewed at www.nccouncil.org/northcountry-rising/.

North Country Council will be continu ing economic resiliency work over the next 12-18 months through the award of an Economic Adjustment and Assis tance grant through the Economic De velopment Administration. The funds allocated will be used to support two efforts that further economic and com munity resiliency in the region: 1.) Fa cilitating the development of collective impact collaboration for various sectors of the economy and 2.) Broadening the

region’s understanding and response to economic and community resiliency by including climate mitiga tion, adaptation strategies, and support for environ mentally sustainable business development.

In the spring of 2022, the Nashua Regional Plan ning Commission (NRPC) completed a comprehen sive economic development plan in tended to address the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic. This effort was funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA). The pandemic had far-reaching impacts to the economy including business losses and closures, job losses, supply chain disruptions and labor shortages. While some of these impacts were of relatively short duration such as public health re lated restrictions on business activity, the pandemic may well result in long-term changes in how people work, shop, and interact with one another. The plan ad dressed the impacts of COVID-19 on the region’s economy with a particular focus on the heavily impacted retail and restaurant sectors, workforce, entrepre neurship, commercial real estate, and traditionally disadvantaged and underserved businesses. In addition, the effort also resulted in branding under the new name and logo Spark.

To develop the plan, NRPC worked with municipal staff and a broad-based steering committee to identify sites throughout the region with the highest po tential for commercial development, redevel opment, and reinvest ment. These included sites within designated Opportunity Zones, New Markets Tax Credit eligible areas, New Hampshire designated Economic Revitalization Zones, Brownfields, and

other target sites. Target sites are fea tured on the new Spark website (www. nashuarpc.org/economic_develop ment/) together with key information including available financial incentives to help inform investment decisions. The site also includes overlay maps showing natural constraints such as wetlands and floodplains, zoning, and infrastructure including highways, and public water and sewer.

NRPC’s planning effort was informed by a robust public outreach effort. In addition to steering committee mem bers, input was sought through focus groups, individual meetings with spe cific industries, and a series of surveys. This multi-pronged approach provided insights on challenges facing each in dustry and provided the basis for a de tailed set of recommendations, which can be reviewed viewed on the Spark website. The Spark site also provides entrepreneurs and small businesses with a central location for resources and connections to regional, state, and federal business assistance organiza tions and programs. In addition, the Spark website serves as a marketing tool to put the Greater Nashua area on the map and attract future businesses and investment to the region.

RPCs can provide a broad knowledge of planning topics and network of state and regional partners to build capac ity at the municipal level. Reach out to your RPC to learn more about how you can plan for changing conditions in your community.

HEALTH

WHY CHOOSE US

We understand the importance of employee benefits.

it comes to

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or

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WHAT WE DO

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to offer the highest quality

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— This Moment in NHMA History —

Governor Lane Dwinell was a strong supporter of the NHMA. In 1958, Governor Dwi nell wrote in a national magazine, “One important thing which every governor learns is that his state is only as strong and healthy as the communities within its borders. Good government must begin at the municipal level, where the beliefs and opinions of each informed voter carry a maximum of weight and influence.” Continuing, the governor wrote, “Many of our best-run municipal governments now share their gains through participation in the helpful activities of the NHMA.”

NHMA urged the Legislature to assume the responsibility for financing the cost of its own veteran’s exemption by ordering municipalities to grant these exemptions totaling nearly $37 million. Cities and towns were already hard pressed to meet their own financial responsibilities without being forced to pay for this state program.

For the first time in history, New Hampshire’s towns and cities pledged to support a common legislative program to contribute to the growth and progress of the State of New Hampshire by strengthening local government. Right is the preliminary report, dated November 19, 1958, calling for a Legislative Program for the members of NHMA which was presented at its annual meeting. The Legislative Program was adopted unanimously by the 82 people present, representing 72 member municipalities of the Association.

According to its website and town re cords, this town hall was constructed in 1847 and was originally used for voting and Town Meeting. Women would sit in the upstairs area, while the men, allowed to vote, would sit downstairs. The build ing was used as a community building, hosting many dances, variety and talent shows, and suppers. Town Meeting was held in the Town Hall until 1972. Town offices moved from the Library to the Town Hall in 1979.

When you have figured out the answer, email it to tfortier@nhmunicipal.org. The answer will appear in the January/February 2023 issue.

ANSWER TO PHOTO IN THE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

ISSUE: The photo on page 47 in the last issue of New Hampshire Town and City magazine is that of the Town of Center Harbor.

Special thanks to Dawn Coffey (Rumney); Marshall Buttrick (Greenfield); Boyd Chivers (Candia); Marjorie Roy (Andover); Sally Kellar and Jane O’Brien (Bedford); Janis Jalbert (Ches ter); and Judy Bibbins (Franklin) who all responded with the correct answer.

Upcoming Webinar s

Getting to Know NHMA’s Membership Benefits

12:00 noon 1:00 pm

Wednesday, December 7, 2022

NHMA offers full membership to cities and towns of New Hampshire and associate membership to any village district, county, regional planning commission, or quasi municipal public agency serving New Hampshire municipalities. Today, NHMA is proud to represent all 234 cities and towns in New Hampshire as well as 52 associate members.

Whether you’re new to NHMA or need a refresher on how to optimize your membership with us, there’s always more to see at NHMA.

NHMA

Join Executive Director, Margaret Byrnes, and Communications Coordinator, Timothy Fortier, as they give a full walk through of all the membership benefits, including access to a treasure-trove of free resources, available to you as full and associate members.

See what’s waiting for you as a member and explore the value of belonging to NHMA.

Default Budgets & How They Work

12:00 noon 1:30 pm

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Default budgets are a particularly complicated area of municipal

that have widespread impacts in official

(“SB2”) towns and school districts.

Please join Barrett Christina, Executive Director with the New Hampshire School Boards Association, and NHMA’s Government Finance Advisor Katherine Heck

Government Affairs Counsel Natch Greyes as they explain the fundamentals of default budgets: what they

’re calculated, and what controversies arise

town/school

when local officials and the public discuss the

New Hampshire Town and City 2022 - Index of Featured Articles

Up Close and Personal

Jim Michaud, Chief Assessor, Town of Hudson Jan/Feb 30

Dennis Shanahan. Councilor, City of Dover Jan/Feb 31

William L. Duschatko, Councilor, Town of Bedford Mar/Apr 34

April Hibberd, Select Board Member, Town of Bethlehem Mar/Apr 35

Tim Metivier, Building Inspector, City of Portsmouth May/Jun 26

Ken Mills, Select Board Member, Town of Carroll May/Jun 27

Dale Girard, Mayor, City of Claremont Jul/Aug 28

Christopher Remillard, Chief of Police, Town of Dunbarton Jul/Aug 29 Budget and Finance

Taking the Mystery Out of Fund Balance Jul/Aug 16 Governance

Longing for a Normal Town Meeting Mar/Apr 12

Ideas on How You Can Govern Better Mar/Apr 16

Celebrating and Increasing Women Serving Our Towns and Cities May/Jun 10 Riggins Rules May/Jun 24

The Value of Municipal Local Welfare Sep/Oct 22

Take Advantage of Local Renewable Hydropower for Your Municipality Jan/Feb 20 Elections

Vote Counting: 1990’s or 2020’s Technology Jan/Feb

HR Report

New Hampshire Supreme Court Decision Provides Policy Implementation Guidance to Public Employers with Unionized Employees....................................................Jan/Feb

New Hamsphire Supreme Court Withghs in on Employee Accomodation Requests Related to Therapeutic Cannibis Mar/Apr 40 Collective Bargaining Fact Finder Reports and the Impact of the New Hampshire Supreme Court’s Decision in the Appeals of New Hamsphire Troopers Association Jul/Aug

Communiating with Unionized Employees During Negotiations and the Impacts of the Appearl of the State of New Hampshire Sep/Oct 30

NHMA Employment Law Hotline: Question and Answer Series Nov/Dec 32

Human Resources

A 2021 Cybersecurity Checklist: How Do You Rate Your Organization? Jan/Feb 36

Why Strong Passwords Aren’t Enough - 3 Tips for a Better Password Policy Mar/Apr 26

Water Supply Attacks Illustrates Security Lessions for Municipalities May/Jun 24

Tech Insights

ARPA Funds Final Rule Confirms Municipalities May Use Funds for Cybersecurity, IT Services, and Websites Mar/Apr 44

How to Best Leverage Your Municipality’s Social Media Account May/Jun 32

Does Your Municipality Plan to Pay a Ransomeware Ransom? States Starting to Say No Jul/Aug 30

Why Data Backup and Recovery Need Separate Plans - And Separation From Each Other Sep/Oct 34

Why Multi-Factor Authentication Is Essential Nov/Dec 34

Land Use and Environment

Local Airports Offer Many Benefits to New Hampshire Residents Mar/Apr 28

How Much Housing Do We Need? New Hampshire’s Regional Housing Assessment Sep/Oct 16 Changes to Planning & Zoning Laws in 2022: A Guide for Municipalities Sep/Oct 10

Wellness

COVID-19 Precautionary Measures for Town Meeting 2022 - An FAQ Mar/Apr 26 Accessing Care Following the Pandemic: What Has Changed, What We Have Learned Nov/Dec 10

A Complete Benefits Package Can Support Employees and Reduce Turnover Nov/Dec 12 Running, Mental Health, and the Importance of a Good Health Plan Nov/Dec 18 Transparency and Affordability in Health Care and Prescription Drug Coverage ..........Nov/Dec 14

Legal Q&A

Revaluations: What Is It? And How Does it Work?

Jan/Feb 40 Right-to-Know and Privacy Q&A Mar/Apr 46 Spring into Background Checks May/Jun 36 How to Fill a Vacancy on an Elected Board Jul/Aug 36

Current Hot Topics Regarding Road Issues Sep/Oct 36 Mitigating Confusion over Ex Officio Nov/Dec 36

City Mayors Receive Russ Marcoux

Jan/Feb 4 2022 Legislative Preview:

NHMA Gears Up

Cordell

Jan/Feb

Jan/Feb

May/Jun

Jul/Aug

Jul/Aug

Sep/Oct

Statement of Ownership

and Circulation