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Council hears senator’s warning on state housing bills; members plan outreach to delegation
Summary
State Senator Denise Ricciardi told the Bedford Town Council that several pending bills in Concord threaten local zoning control and urged residents to submit testimony through the Legislature’s portal and attend hearings in person.
State Senator Denise Ricciardi told the Bedford Town Council on Wednesday that several pending housing and land-use bills in Concord risk “taking local control away” and warned residents the state could shift costs to municipalities.
Ricciardi — who said she read committee testimony and is opposing bills she believes are extreme — urged Bedford residents to sign into the Legislature’s public testimony portal and, if possible, attend hearings in Concord. “We have to fight back,” she said. “Stand up for what you believe and do the right thing.”
Councilors described a wave of bills under active consideration that touch zoning, lot-size rules and land-use change tax provisions. Council members expressed concern about Senate Bill 84, a bill that would change lot-size requirements, and Senate Bill 55, which Ricciardi characterized as altering how land-use change tax revenues could be used and potentially reducing the penalty paid when land in current use is developed.
Councilors discussed several near-term steps: inviting the town’s state legislators to a council meeting, coordinating testimony through the New Hampshire Municipal Association, encouraging residents to use the Legislature’s portal to sign in “in support” or “opposed” before committee executive sessions, and possibly convening a subcommittee to review bills quickly.
Councilor Kathleen Bemis said many residents were not included in developer-focused discussions and urged the council to “watch our own planning board” and make sure local zoning decisions remain aligned with voter intent. Councilor Michael Strand and others suggested acting quickly given committee schedules that can advance bills to the floor within weeks.
Ricciardi asked residents to attend the Senate session on Feb. 20 if they can and said she planned to speak against SB 84 on the floor. She emphasized that signing into the portal before executive sessions influences committee chairs’ understanding of public sentiment. “When you send an email, it does nothing,” she said; “sign in” through the portal, she told the council.
The council tentatively set March 17 as a date that could combine a presentation by the New Hampshire Municipal Association with a delegation visit to discuss the most consequential bills affecting municipal zoning and finances.
