Select Board reviews possible auction of disputed town-owned lot on North Road; public hearings planned
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Summary
A resident raised questions about town ownership of Lot 403-9 (a pond parcel on North Road); the Select Board said the auctioneers found the town may own the parcel and will include it in a planned sale pending conservation input and two public hearings in September.
A property-owner inquiry at the Aug. 11 meeting prompted the Select Board to review whether the town holds clear title to a pond parcel identified as Lot 403-9 on North Road and whether that parcel should be placed in an upcoming municipal auction.
Resident Matt Phillips told the board he believed the lot had uncertain ownership and that the town’s tax-sale records from 1958 referenced a related 34-acre parcel that may not appear on current tax maps. Auctioneers working with the town told Phillips and the board they believed the town has title to the 403-9 parcel and were willing, with board permission, to include it with other parcels the town plans to sell this summer.
Board members cautioned the inclusion is not final. The board said the auction process still requires at least one more meeting with the conservation commission and two public hearings scheduled for September before any sale is finalized. The board also noted RSA provisions exist that allow alternatives to a public auction — for example, transfers to abutters for consolidation when the board finds that course is in the public interest — but that such alternatives can require additional steps and potentially warrant vote or ballot action depending on the legal pathway.
The auctioneers had also identified four additional parcels the town had not previously listed for sale; those were to be evaluated for inclusion. Select Board members asked the auctioneer and town staff to provide the documentation showing clear title and the history of tax-sales and deeds so that the board and conservation commission could review the facts ahead of the public hearings.
No sale decision was made at the meeting; the board scheduled the required public hearings in September and directed staff to gather title documentation and the auctioneer’s findings.