Regional Planning Commissions Archives

Right Side Up: Your Property Rights Matter

February 26, 2026 Right Side Up

This week on Right Side Up, we discuss written testimony on Act 181 (Vermont’s land use planning framework and use jurisdiction) because your rights matter.” Authors’ and Speakers’ opinions are their own and may not represent those of Grok Media, LLC, GraniteGrok.com, its sponsors, readers, authors, or advertisers. Disagree, agree, Got Something to Say, We … Read more

SMITH: Say NO to TIFs in Epsom

January 20, 2026 Julie Smith

There’s going to be a warrant article in Epsom that asks the voters if TIFs (Tax Increment Financing) should be allowed. You might already be thinking this article isn’t for you, but stay with me here, especially if you live in a town that doesn’t currently have TIFs, because the discussion of them might be … Read more

Natural Resource Inventories

October 17, 2024 John Yannacci

Where did they come from? Natural Resource Inventories are being conducted, updated and revised all over the state of New Hampshire by municipalities, but what are they and where did they come from? In 2000 the US Congress created the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program. This program provides federal funds to state Departments of … Read more

Good Job By Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig For This Defunding Decision

April 7, 2021 Skip

The Union Leader has a report on Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig’s budget proposal, and it lists a number of funded items and the number of tax dollars allocated to them. Pretty much standard fare. However! I saw something I never thought I’d see from an Illiberal Democrat Mayor – a DEFUNDING.

Now That SB11 Has Passed…

September 26, 2018May 30, 2013 Steve MacDonald

SB 11 was widely embraced by the New Hampshire House, which means there will be plenty of blame to go around. While we wait, let us reminisce about an effort back in 2010 to do one of the things we suggested that SB11’s broad language might empowers new intermunicipal water districts to do. From CNHT.org … Read more

EMail Doodlings – SB11

September 26, 2018May 18, 2013 Skip

SB11 – the bill ostensibly written to allow Exeter and Stratham to cooperate on a water system. However, as we have written here on the ‘Grok, we have seen a lot of problems with the bill as it is too broadly written. With the Feds and the NH regional planning commissions pushing the Federal “Sustainable Communities Initiative”, we see that as one of the possible on-ramps for totally losing that which makes NH special without any of us having much of a say so in favor of Planners’ solution to any future ill – a move from local control in towns and cities to ‘regional approaches’ (overseen, of course, by the NH Regional Planning Commissions). Thus, I wrote to a couple of NH Senators a bit ago:

<redacted>, thanks for writing and letting us know.

To say that when Steve posted the news up on GraniteGrok about SB-11, it took my breath away – I had no idea it was even in the works. It looks just like legislation I would have expected to see coming from the Water Sustainability Comission. Why? They made it quite clear that during their “listening session” (how I HATE that phrase, as having been to some, there is no “listening” going on; only Cass Suntein style “nudging” to a determined outcome) that one of their stated aims was to remove water from being private property (“I BUILT that well”) to a publicly owned “common resource” with a handful of votes and the signature of a pen.

I crossed swords with them earlier this year – and look at the verbiage in the bill:

Therefore, the general court declares and determines that the waters of New Hampshire constitute a limited and precious public resource to be protected, conserved, and managed in the interest of present and future generations.

This requires careful stewardship and management of water and wastewater within the state

To maximize health and safety, ecological and aesthetic values, and the overall well-being of the people, the state of New Hampshire must enable municipalities to protect water supplies

In order to foster regional approaches

and authorize the establishment of charges to owners and users of property

EMail Doodlings – SB11 Part 2

September 26, 2018May 18, 2013 Skip

During an email conversation, I was emailed the NH Association of Regional Planning Commissions broad legislative support document – what the local RPCs want the towns and NH Legislature to do. Again, I looked at what SB11 was supposed to do, compared that to what SB11 will allow planners to do, and looked at the agenda of how the RPCs with to “Fundamentally Transform” NH’s lifestyle simple because they know a more “efficient” way to “guide us” – as though New Hampshire hasn’t figured out how to do this over the last 400 years by ourselves.

But, we aren’t trained Planners, are we? When I read over the bill again, I decided to compare what it was put up to be (to make it easier to allow Exeter and Stratham to do a water system together) with how expansive it seemed on the first read through it. And then I read the NHARPC legislative document. So, I just casually put down every disparate area down. Once again, I was floored:

On 5/7/2013 9:20 AM, Skip wrote:
Gee:

Lakes

recycling

water

energy

agriculture