Commissioners push for 911 and last‑mile broadband funding, warn of tax impacts from state proposals

At their April 9 meeting Cheshire County commissioners outlined outreach to state officials to seek access to 911 infrastructure funds and unspent 'last‑mile' broadband money and discussed a planned letter and summary quantifying fiscal impacts on county taxpayers.

Commissioners said they will provide Congresswoman Goodlander background materials and a resolution on local 911 infrastructure needs that were advanced through the county’s delegation. Staff said the 911 fund derives from a cell‑phone surcharge and is intended for system upgrades; commissioners said they would press for county access as the state establishes regional systems and new centers are built.

The board also described work to explain how proposed state changes — for example an increase in a nursing‑home cap that staff estimated could cost the county several million dollars across regional counties — would shift costs to municipalities and counties. Commissioners said they will seek meetings with the governor’s office and the state BEA to request allocations and to clarify the distribution of existing funds, including a possible reallocation of funds for Lakes Region projects.

Separately, staff said they had requested that state BEA officials review the county for available last‑mile broadband dollars; the board described potential asks on the order of $1–2 million if funds can be obtained. Commissioners said these funding efforts are early and that the county will continue to educate municipal partners and the public about potential local budget impacts.

Next steps: staff to follow up with BEA, the governor’s office and federal or congressional contacts to press local priorities and to circulate the county’s budget‑impact memo.