Milford — The Milford Board of Selectmen on June 23 handled multiple municipal operations items, conditionally approving one charitable exemption, authorizing an online auction for surplus equipment, accepting revised contract terms for an LED lighting project and tabling a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) extension for further document review.

Charitable exemption for VFW: The board approved a charitable/religious/educational exemption for the Harley Sanford VFW contingent on an inspection of the property. Town staff said they discovered a small portion of the building might be rented for noncharitable purposes and scheduled a site inspection for the following day. "For consistency sake we are saying that you know if the board could see their way to granting [the exemption] we would ensure that by next year when they reapply there would be no outside entities that don't qualify renting any space from the VFW," a town staff member summarized. Selectman Dodge moved to approve the exemption as presented; Selectman Friel seconded and the board carried the motion with the understanding that any noncharitable uses would be separated out and reviewed at the inspection.

Surplus fire truck auction: The board discussed options for disposing of a surplus fire truck and staff recommended using a municipal-focused online auction platform rather than a Pennsylvania government procurement site. Fire Department staff said they had photos ready and proposed a 30-day online auction with a minimum bid and a standard listing period. The board agreed to proceed with a municipal auction listing (examples mentioned included Municipal Hub and Auctions International) with a roughly 30-day posting period to allow wider exposure. Board members noted they would not disassemble the vehicle for parts sale locally and that online bidders sometimes seek parts or whole-vehicle purchases.

LED lighting contract: The board signed a revised contract for the town’s LED lighting project after finance secured slightly better terms. The town moved from a six-year payment plan to five years, reduced the prepayment penalty from 103% to 102%, and realized about $1,800 in overall savings, town staff reported.

Other operational items and actions:
- PILOT extension for Southern New Hampshire Medical Center: The board tabled the matter because of inconsistent dates in the copy of the agreement on file; members asked staff to obtain correct, dated documents before taking action.
- Tennis courts and bandstand: Staff reported the tennis-court work may start that week with a likely completion in September if weather permits; the bandstand still has punch-list items and DPW will not sign off until they are fixed, though staff hopes it will be ready by the July 4 schedule.
- Ambulance recognition: Milford Ambulance received the 2025 Mission: Lifeline EMS silver award for its cardiac and stroke response; the board recognized the service at the meeting.
- Veterans tax credits: The board approved category changes for five surviving‑spouse credits and one new spouse credit, a total of six credits processed as presented.

Why it matters: these items cover day‑to‑day municipal operations, capital project timelines and routine fiscal decisions that affect town services, event scheduling and the town’s asset disposition process.

The board completed the items and instructed staff to return with corrected PILOT documentation and to report inspection results for the VFW at the next regular meeting.