Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Federal Grants topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tamworth Select Board approves resolution objecting to freezing or proposed cuts of federal grant funding
Summary
The Select Board voted to approve a resolution expressing concern about the freezing or proposed cuts to federal grant programs that affect municipal projects, including state-administered solar grants. The board amended language to reference both current freezes and proposed cuts and discussed dissemination and follow-up steps.
The Tamworth Select Board on April 8 approved a resolution objecting to the freezing of, or proposed cuts to, federal grant funding that supports locally awarded projects. The board’s motion — to approve a Tamworth resolution objecting to the freezing and/or cuts of federal grant funding — passed on a roll-call vote recorded in the transcript as two yes votes and one no vote.
Board members and residents discussed whether “freeze” was the right word. Nancy (presenter) acknowledged that grant status can change week to week and proposed language that would add “proposed cuts” to the resolution so it would apply whether funds were frozen or at risk of being cut. That suggestion led the board to agree to amend the text to read “freezing and/or proposed cuts.”
Board members discussed the practical effects of the resolution and next steps for dissemination. Nancy offered to assist in forwarding the signed resolution to the town’s elected representatives and to follow up with towns that had passed similar resolutions. One Select Board member said they did not have bandwidth to carry out dissemination tasks, and Nancy agreed to help as a volunteer liaison.
The discussion also touched on specific grant programs that had raised concern among residents and staff. Participants mentioned a “municipal solar grant” administered in part by the New Hampshire Department of Energy and the federal EPA’s Solar for All funding stream (the transcript references a $43,510,000 EPA Solar for All allocation to New Hampshire). Board members and the town library reported receiving inconsistent information from state contacts about deployment timelines; one participant summarized that funds had been allocated but not yet deployed.
Not all board members supported the resolution. At least one Select Board member stated during discussion they were “in favor of most of the freezing and cuts that [the] federal government is making,” and cast the meeting’s only recorded “no” vote. Despite that dissent, the motion carried.
Following the vote the board asked staff to prepare a formal signed copy so members who were not present could add signatures if desired. The Select Board recorded no further binding obligations for town staff beyond preparing and facilitating signatures and noted that resolutions of this type depend on amplification by residents and elected representatives to have broader effect.
