81st Annual Conference and Exhibition - Thursday, November 17

Broadcast Date: 
Thursday, November 17, 2022

81st Annual Conference

Getting Used to Different

Thursday, November 17, 2022 – In-person Sessions & Streaming Some Popular Sessions Virtually


9:00 A.M.   General Session: Authentic Leadership

Presented by: Jonathan Fanning, Parent, Author, Leadership Development Expert, Entrepreneur, Citizen

Leaders We Choose to Follow, and Cultures We Choose to Join! Especially relevant in these surreal times – every person is an agent of change… for better or for worse! “Authentic Leadership” is a unique exploration of the most effective time-tested leadership principles and paradoxes. We all know great leadership when we see it. What four things must a servant leader do? Most organizations that teach servant leadership violate at least two of these building blocks. This program may change the way you look at role models forever.

Authentic Leadership PowerPoint Presentation

Authentic Leadership Handout

Video Recording to be Available Soon!

10:45 A.M. CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Don't Trash Your Cash: Planning for Solid Waste Management & Infrastructure (In-person)

Attendees will learn about full cost accounting (FCA) for their solid waste facility. Instructors will discuss FCA methods that will enable municipalities and facility owners to make educated budgeting decisions on all aspects of solid waste management. Attendees will be provided with checklists, data spreadsheets, and reporting tools to assist with building a sustainable budget for solid waste management in their municipality, as well as learning about federal funding opportunities.

Presented by: Paige Wilson, Waste Reduction & Diversion Planner, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services

Tara Mae Albert, SWOT Coordinator, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services

Don't Trash Your Cash PowerPoint Presentation


Get to Know “The Doorway” Program for Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders    (In-person)

Learn about "The Doorway" program in New Hampshire and how it provides single points of entry at multiple locations throughout the state for people seeking help for substance use, including treatment, support, or resources for prevention and awareness. Learn how “The Doorway” can effectively collaborate with local welfare officials and help deliver coordinated services.

Presented by: Scott Rupp, Manager, The Doorway at Concord

Get to Know the Door way Program PowerPoint Presentation


HB 1661 & HB 1021: What Local Land Use Boards Need to Know! (In-person)

Join Office of Planning & Development’s Principal Planner, Noah Hodgetts, and NHMA’s Government Affairs Counsel, Natch Greyes, to learn about the major changes to the land use statutes caused by the passage of HB 1661, the governor’s housing bill, including the new provisions to encourage affordable housing, change land use board processes, and optional training requirements for local land use boards. Our speakers will also discuss a new zoning exemption for properties used primarily for religious purposes that was created by HB 1021.

Presented by: Noah Hodgetts, Principal Planner, New Hampshire Office of Planning and Development

Natch Greyes, Government Affairs Counsel, New Hampshire Municipal Association

HB 1661 & HB 1021 PowerPoint Presentation


Meeting the Challenge of Affordable Housing (In-person)

This session will help attendees learn to find the balance between development, costs, and funding when it comes to affordable housing.

Presented by: Jim Menihane, Director of Housing Development, New Hampshire Housing

Meeting the Challenge PowerPoint Presentation


 Municipal Trustees: Meet the Charitable Trusts Unit (In-person)

In this session, attendees will learn  about the role of the Charitable Trusts Unit in the oversight of funds held by municipal trustees and the fiduciary duties of municipal trustees. The session will include a discussion about the circumstances under which gift restrictions can be changed and the process for approval.

Presented by: Diane M. Quinlan, Esq., Director of Charitable Trusts, New Hampshire Department of Justice

Michael R. Haley, Esq., Assistant Director of Charitable Trusts, New Hampshire Department of Justice

Amy J. Nichols, CPA, Assistant Director of Charitable Trusts, New Hampshire Department of Justice

Municipal Trustees PowerPoint Presentation


NHMA’s Annual Court Update (In-person & Streaming Virtually)

Municipal law is shaped not only by the legislature, but also by the courts. This popular session is your opportunity to learn about state and federal court decisions issued over the past year that affect New Hampshire’s cities and towns. In this session, NHMA attorneys Steve Buckley and Jonathan Cowal will highlight cases of interest from the last year and field questions from the audience. Attendees will also receive a copy of NHMA’s annual Court Update publication!

Presented by: Stephen Buckley, Legal Services Counsel, New Hampshire Municipal Association

Jonathan Cowal, Municipal Services Counsel, New Hampshire Municipal Association

2022 Annual Court Update PowerPoint Presentation

2022 NHMA Court Update Booklet

Video Recording 

Duration:  1:16:01


The Ethics of Local Control (In-person)

This session will facilitate a discussion about the importance of local control, as well as some of challenges that have been raised about local control in recent years. This interactive session will explore and discuss a number of questions including: Why is local control vital to our communities? Why have some concerns been raised about local control? What are the best ways that we can address those concerns?

Presented by: Max Latona, Executive Director, Center for Ethics in Society, Saint Anselm College

Jason Sorens, Director of Research and Education, Center for Ethics in Society, Saint Anselm College

Ethics of Local Control PowerPoint Presentation


What Is Your HR Strategy? (In-person)

In this session, attendees will learn how to sets the direction for all the key areas of HR, including hiring, performance assessment, training & development, and compensation / benefits by creating an HR strategy. Presenters will discuss steps in the HR strategic planning process, and the inherent benefits of engaging in aligning your HR strategy with your overall business needs.

Presented by: Carol Kilmister, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Human Resource Consultant, Primex

What is Your HR Strategy PowerPoint Presentation


Working Together to Promote Environmental Health (In-person)

This session will introduce participants to a series of resources were developed to support local leaders in responding to community concerns about environmental health developed through a partnership between the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES), the New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services (DPHS), and Dartmouth College. Attendees will learn what programs at the state and federal levels are available to assist them with environmental health issues, receive an introduction to environmental contaminants and exposure reduction, and be provided an overview of cancer clusters and cancer concern response.

Presented by: Karen Craver, Administrator, Environmental Health Program, NH Department of Environmental Services

Robert Thistle, Principal Investigator, NH Department of Environmental Services

Kelly Thrippleton Hunter, Principal Investigator, NH Department of Environmental Services

Laurie Rardin, Environmental Health Coordinator, NH Department of Health and Human Services

Whitney Hammond, Administrator, Chronic Disease Prevention and Screening Section, NH Department of Health and Human Services

Working Together PowerPoint Presentation


1:30 P.M.    CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Board of Tax and Land Appeals (BTLA) Update (In-person)

This session will provide an update on recent, notable decisions from the Board of Tax and Land Appeals (BTLA). Attendees will learn about these decisions and their implications for future action.

Presented by: Anne Stelmach, Clerk, Board of Tax and Land Appeals

BLTA Update PowerPoint Presentation


Community Choice Aggregation: Hear from Participating Cities/Towns (In-person)

Considering Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) for your community? In this session, attendees will have the opportunity to find out more about CCA from a panel of community leaders who have gone through the process. Attendees will be learn about the benefits, best practices, steps in the process, and even the challenges of CCA. Attendees will also have the opportunity to get a diverse viewpoint on their CCA questions from those who have already experienced the process.

Presented by: Stuart Ormsbee, VP, Power Supply Strategies, Colonial Power Group

Bernie Lynch, Past City Manager, City of Lowell, MA

Michael Ossing, City Council President & Chair of the City of Marlboro Municipal Aggregation Committee, City of Marlborough, MA

Bob Armstrong, Board of Selectmen, Town of Conway, MA


How Much Housing Does New Hampshire Need? (In-person)

This session will provide an overview of the results of the recently completed State Housing Needs Assessments as well as the forthcoming results of the Regional Housing Needs Assessments. Highlights of this session will include current conditions and trends in New Hampshire’s housing market; primary housing challenges, for the state overall and segmented by region, including how those challenges changed with the pandemic; current and projected housing needs, for the state overall and segmented by region; and tools which communities can utilize to increase permitting and production of housing of all types and sizes.

Presented by: Noah Hodgetts, Principal Planner, New Hampshire Office of Planning and Development

Jen Czysz, Executive Director, Strafford Regional Planning Commission

Heather McCann, Executive Director, New Hampshire Housing

How Much Housing PowerPoint Presentation


Implementing RSA 128: Town Health Officers (In-person)

On June 9, 2021, the Governor signed House Bill 79 into law, making changes to RSA 128: Town Health Officers. Included in these changes is a new mandatory training requirement for health officers as well as a mandatory meeting of the local board of health to assess local environmental health hazards. During this session, Sophia Johnson, Health Officer Liaison will review these changes under RSA 128 and discuss NH Department of Health and Human Services’s actions in helping municipalities meet these new requirements. Attendees will learn the main duties of the local health officer, who comprises the local board of health, how to obtain the required training, and what should be included in writing a public health readiness report.

Presented by: Sophia Johnson, Health Officer Specialist, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Implementing RSA 128 PowerPoint Presentation


Overview of New Hampshire Employment Security Assistance Programs (In-person)

Curious to learn how your municipality can collaborate with New Hampshire Employment Security? This session will provide attendees an overview of existing Employment Security assistance programs and tips on how to best collaborate with the agency to better provide services to their constituents.

Presented by: Richard Lavers, Deputy Commissioner, New Hampshire Employment Security

Overview of NHES Assistance Programs


Right-to-Know Law Update (In-person & Streaming Virtually)

The Right-to-Know Law never stands still. This year there are statutory changes that created the Office of the Right-to-Know Ombudsman, and permitting complaints to be submitted to Ombudsman instead of the Superior Court. There have been two significant New Hampshire Supreme Court decisions governing when a record request may be refused if the release of a law enforcement record would risk circumvention of the law and using a privacy balancing test to determine if an internal investigation of a police officer must be disclosed. This session will take a close look at these developments and related issues, with plenty of time for questions and answers.

Presented by: Stephen Buckley, Legal Services Counsel, New Hampshire Municipal Association

Jonathan Cowal, Municipal Services Counsel, New Hampshire Municipal Association

Right-to-Know Law Update PowerPoint Presentation

Video Recording to be Available Soon!

Trustees of Trust Funds –  Electronic Reporting and What You Need to Know! (In-person)

The first half of this session, Patrick Santoso will provide an overview of the modifications to the DOJ Trustee of the Trust Fund Portal for 2023 filings.  The electronic portal is available for trustees of the trust fund to submit MS-9 and MS-10 forms. The portal streamlines the annual submission process by enabling trustees to enter trust fund information through a user-friendly interface that allows a direct data upload.

Trustees of Trust Funds are responsible for the custody of municipal money placed into expendable trusts and capital reserve funds, the rules for which are somewhat different than private funds held in trust. The second half of this session will explain those differences, focusing on when capital reserve funds and expendable trusts should be established; the process for establishing, adding to, and withdrawing from the funds; and the proper documentation for establishment, appropriations, and withdrawals. Linda Wakefield will also focus on wills, bequests and scholarships.  Additionally, the roles of the "agents to expend" versus the "trustees as custodians" will also be discussed.

Presented by: Linda Wakefield, Tax & Accounting Specialist, Three Bearings Fiduciary Advisors

Patrick Santoso, Director of Implementation, Axiomatic

Trustees of Trust Funds Electronic Reporting PowerPoint Presentation


What Municipal Employers Need to Know about Federal Employment Laws Enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) (In-person)

Correctly calculating overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) regular rate principles and properly designating employees as exempt or non-exempt can, at times, be complicated. This presentation will discuss proper designations and other common but complicated FLSA compliance topics. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer period, and Wage and House Division compliance assistance resources, including Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) materials, will be made available to attendees.

Presented by: Brian Cleasby, Community Outreach & Planning Specialist, U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division

What Employers Need to Know PowerPoint Presentation

What Employers Need to Know Handout


3:15 P.M.    CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Assessing Standards Board (ASB) – Update (In-person)

The ASB Forum will be broken out into two distinct sections during this session: First Section from 3:15 to 4:00 pm will cover: In accordance with RSA 21-J:14-b II the New Hampshire Assessing Standards Board (ASB) shall hold a public forum to receive general comment through verbal and written testimony on assessing standards and practices. Second Section from 4:00 to 4:30 pm will cover: In accordance with RSA 21-J:14-b VI the New Hampshire Assessing Standards Board (ASB) shall hold a public forum to receive general comment through verbal and written testimony on ratio study procedures.

Presented by: Robert Gagne, Vice Chairman, New Hampshire Assessing Standards Board


Conflict Management (In-person)

This session will educate participants about how to proactively manage workplace conflict and provide participants with effective workplace conflict resolution strategies. Through lecture, discussion, and interaction participants will discover the correlation to increased organizational productivity and learn how to work though the obstacles that occur while trying to resolve conflict in the workplace. 

This training will establish the core competencies of conflict resolution and how to think strategically about conflict, rather than react to it blindly and equip participants with the basic skills to mediate workplace conflict.

Presented by: Nicole Armaganian, Risk Management Consultant, Primex

Conflict Management PowerPoint Presentation


Financing Community Revitalization Projects (In-person)

The New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) invests in New Hampshire by: deploying a well-tuned, effective investment system; enabling partners to make transformational and sustainable changes; and taking an innovative approach to development finance. CDFA’s resources support nonprofits, municipalities, businesses, and microenterprises; to deliver critical services to their communities, provide new jobs, create healthy and safe affordable housing, help strengthen Main Streets, improve public facilities, and increase energy efficiency. Learn about how to realize these impacts in your area by participating in this community revitalization project workshop. This session will review information about the deployment of technical assistance and competitive grant, loan, and equity programs; including Community Development Block Grants, the State Tax Credit Program, and the Clean Energy Fund, by both working through the projects you are considering and showcasing examples in the workshop.

Presented by: Katy Easterly Martey, Executive Director, Community Development Finance Authority

Scott Maslansky, Director of Clean Enery Finance, Community Development Finance Authority

Jennifer Near, Capacity Building Program Manager, Community Development Finance Authority

Financing Community Revitalization Projects PowerPoint Presentation


Financing Your Project – An Overview of the Municipal Bonding Process (In-person)

In this session, we will discuss the state and federal law requirements applicable to municipal bonds, the role of bond counsel and the different ways to finance your project.

Presented by: Renelle L. L'Huillier, Esq. Devine, Millimet & Branch PA

Financing Your Project PowerPoint Presentation


Municipal Resources for Housing (In-person)

This session will provide an overview of the three InvestNH municipal grant programs designed to be flexible grants for municipalities to assist in the increase of workforce housing in local communities. The three grants available to municipalities from InvestNH are the Municipal Per Unit Grant, Municipal Demolition Grant, and Municipal Planning and Zoning Grant. These grants are part of the $100 million InvestNH initiative aimed at stabilizing the workforce housing market through grant programs that incentivize development and foster local solutions which make it easier to build affordable workforce housing. This session will highlight the eligibility and application requirements for each program.

Presented by: Andrew Dorsett, Housing Finance Director, New Hampshire Department of Business & Economic Affairs

Ben Frost, AICP, Deputy Executive Director/Chief Legal Officer, New Hampshire Housing

Municipal Resources for Housing PowerPoint Presentation


Net Metering: The Opportunity and Benefits for Municipalities (In-person)

This session will provide an overview of net metering: what it is, how it works, and provide insight into how to participate. This session will also address the significant benefits available to participating municipalities, including the valuable financial incentives and support for renewable generation in the state. The session will include ample time for audience participation/questions.

Presented by: Bart Fromuth, Chief Executive Officer, Freedom Energy Logistics

Paul Micali, Town Manager, Town of Merrimack

Derek Ferland, County Manager, Sullivan County

Net Metering Hydro Video to be Available Soon!  (Duration 2:23)

Planning for the Big One: The Impact of Severe Weather Events (In-person)

This session will include information about how sea level rise and storm surge is already impacting coastal NH communities in the form of heavy wind and storm events. Panelists will also discuss how communities are making decisions – from planning efforts including regulatory changes to seeking funding to implement projects – related to hazard mitigation efforts. Examples of the severe storm events from the July 17-19, 2021 followed closely by the July 29 - August 2, 2021 events will be used to demonstrate the social, economic and financial impacts of severe weather events.

Presented by: Lisa Murphy, Senior Planner, Southwest Region Planning Commission

Jennifer Rowden, Land Use Program Manager, Rockingham Planning Commission

Vicki Davis, Land Use Program Manager, Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission

Planning for the Big One PowerPoint Presentation


Right-to-Know for Law Enforcement (In-person & Streaming Virtually)

The disclosure of police records is governed in part by the Right-to-Know Law and in part by rules imported from the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This workshop will address the release of records compiled for law enforcement purposes, and when release can be denied where disclosure would interfere with enforcement proceedings or based on other FOIA factors.

Attention will also be paid to disclosure exemptions found in other New Hampshire statutes governing Body Worn Cameras, motor vehicle records, gun licenses, police personnel records, and the retention of police records. Recent New Hampshire Supreme Court decisions on exemptions for internal personnel practices and personnel records will be addressed in detail. In addition, guidance will be provided on the retention of governmental records and how claims under the Right-to-Know Law are enforced.

Presented by: Jonathan Cowal, Member Services Counsel, New Hampshire Municipal Association

Right-to-Know for Law Enforcement PowerPoint Presentation

Video Recording

Duration:  42:43


Value of Card Based Payments (In-person)

The purchase and acquisition methods your municipality uses can influence its operational efficiency, cash flow and costs of goods and services. To mitigate risk and gain control over purchasing, you need real-time visibility into transactions and powerful tools that can help reduce paper-based expense administration.

Current State - Overview of Electronic Accounts Payable in the market

Intermediate Value

  • Increased efficiencies
  • Enhanced management capabilities
  • Financial benefits
  • Tailored resource support

Card Solutions – review of the available card programs in the market

We’d like to help municipalities make their payables process a model of cost-efficiency and productivity.

Presented by: Harry Allen, Commercial Card Sales, Citizens Bank

Value of Card Based Payments PowerPoint Presentation