Council approves a series of routine and project measures; public hearings set on parking and tax relief

The Laconia City Council voted on multiple routine and project items at its March 10 meeting, approving funding and agreements that the city manager said are already accounted for in city finances.

The council authorized $81,000 in Downtown TIF funds for landscaping and downtown beautification projects, approved renewal of the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement with Taylor Community, accepted two grants totaling $207,000 for police enforcement and technology, approved replacement of the city’s electronic ballot counting machines, and approved use of a pay-by-app parking system while scheduling public hearings on time-extension rules and fees for April 14, 2025.

Why it matters: These votes move funded projects and administrative changes forward without changes to the general fund in most cases, while setting public hearings where policy or fee changes were proposed. The actions affect downtown appearance and management, city election equipment, public safety technology, and parking management.

Most important actions

- Downtown TIF landscaping: Council approved a resolution to use $81,000 from the Downtown TIF balance for downtown landscaping and maintenance projects (resolution 2025-057). The council record shows the Downtown TIF balance at $7,446,689.99.

- Taylor Community PILOT renewal: The council approved renewal of the PILOT agreement between the City of Laconia and Taylor Community, authorizing the city manager to sign related documents. The renewal updates how independent living units are counted, treats parcels no longer used by Taylor as taxable, and extends the agreement for a 10-year term with automatic one-year extensions unless either party opts out.

- Pay-by-app parking: The council approved use of a pay-by-app parking system for city meters. It also scheduled two public hearings for April 14, 2025: one on allowing 1-hour time extensions and one on setting an extension fee at $3 per hour.

- Electronic ballot counting devices: The council authorized purchase and replacement of seven electronic ballot-counting machines (six ward machines plus one spare) to meet the Secretary of State timeline; the project is funded in part by a grant and in part by ARPA funds.

- Police grants: The council approved acceptance and expenditure of a $7,000 Office of Highway Safety grant for speed and DUI enforcement and approved acceptance of a $200,000 U.S. Department of Justice COPS Technology and Equipment grant to purchase a dispatch video integration system for the Laconia Police Department.

- Fire ordinance update: The council adopted an updated Fire Prevention and Emergency Medical Services ordinance to align the city code with current state-adopted codes and to add a modernized fee schedule.

- Appointment: The council appointed Councilor Eric Hoffman to a three‑year, alternate member position on the Zoning Board of Adjustment, term expiring August 2028.

Other procedural items: The council voted to remove two items from the Government Operations & Ordinance committee list (code enforcement on property maintenance and use of public property for for‑profit entities) and to table one item (22d) at the request of its sponsor. A motion to postpone an ad hoc committee meeting until procedural rule conflicts were resolved failed on a 3–3 split.

Votes at a glance (recorded in meeting minutes)

- Wheelers Action Committee: Approved request to hold free Sunday evening jazz concerts on the boardwalk, June 29–August 31, 6 p.m.–9 p.m. (6–0 in favor).

- Resolution 2025-057 (Downtown TIF projects): Approved to use $81,000 from Downtown TIF (6–0 in favor).

- Taylor Community PILOT renewal: Approved renewal and authorized the city manager to sign (6–0 in favor).

- Pay-by-app system: Approved implementation of pay-by-app for city meters (6–0 in favor); scheduled public hearing 04/14/2025 to consider allowing 1-hour extensions (6–0 in favor); scheduled public hearing 04/14/2025 to consider setting a $3/hour extension fee (6–0 in favor).

- Resolution 2025-058 (Office of Highway Safety grant): Approved acceptance of $7,000 for speed/DUI enforcement (6–0 in favor).

- Appointment of Councilor Hoffman to ZBA (alternate): Approved (6–0 in favor).

- RSA 79‑E request (Pinnacle Building, 622–634 Main St.): Motion to schedule public hearing 03/24/2025 to consider tax relief under RSA 79‑E (6–0 in favor to schedule hearing).

- Acceptance of COPS Technology & Equipment grant ($200,000): Approved (6–0 in favor).

- Fire prevention ordinance amendment: Approved (6–0 in favor).

- Replacement of electronic ballot-counting devices: Waived full reading and approved purchase and authorization for the city manager to sign (6–0 in favor).

- Government Operations & Ordinance committee report modification: Approved removal of two items from the committee list (6–0 in favor).

- Motion to postpone an ad hoc committee meeting until council rules are reviewed: Failed (tie vote 3–3).

What the record shows about votes and movers: The meeting transcript records motions, seconds, and unanimous (6–0) recorded affirmative votes for the items above; named movers and seconders appear in the minutes for each motion but some individual vote tallies by councilor name are not recorded in the transcript beyond the unanimous outcome statements.

Ending: Several items approved at the meeting will return to council for implementation steps (contracts, signatures, and public hearings). The council set two public hearings for April 14 and one for March 24 to gather public input on parking changes and a proposed RSA 79‑E tax-relief agreement.