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Hope Select Board approves warrants, rejects cemetery-plot sale and tax refund; hears department reports
Summary
At its Aug. 12 meeting, the Hope Select Board approved warrants and minutes, tabled a Knox County mitigation update, rejected a cemetery-plot sale and a FY26 tax prepayment refund, and received July reports from the Fire and Animal Control departments.
Hope Select Board members met at the Hope Town Office on Aug. 12, 2025, and approved several routine items while hearing department reports and public comment.
On a motion by Select Board member Charles Weidman, seconded by Joseph Tassi, the board unanimously amended the agenda to remove the Town Administrator’s Report and then approved the July 22 minutes and Treasurer and Payroll warrants #110, 111 and 10–16 and 18; all motions passed 5-0. The board also voted 5-0 to table a Knox County Hazard Mitigation 2025 update presentation until the Aug. 26 meeting.
During public comment, resident Bruce Haffner urged the board to reconsider a recent purchase of winter snowplow trucks that, he said, cannot double as summer dump trucks because the town lacks a Public Works Department; he asked whether a Capital Budget Committee oversees such purchases and whether competitive bids were solicited. The board responded that they want to see how winter plowing proceeds before pursuing summer road work.
The board rejected two citizen requests by unanimous votes. A motion by Weidman, seconded by Crystal Robinson, denied Juanita Carle’s request to sell a cemetery plot back to the town at Hope Grove Cemetery Extension (Section E, Row 11, Lot 5) for $450. Separately, the board rejected Kathryn Ryan’s request for a FY26 tax-prepayment refund of $3,652.71 for 83 Barrett Hill Rd. after finding no legal verification of an Aug. 11, 2025 closing settlement; the motion to reject was made by Weidman and seconded by Wayne Luce.
Select Board member Joseph Tassi said he had not yet received a response to a prior letter sent to the superintendent of School Union 69 and said he would follow up before Friday if there was no reply. With no additional business, the board adjourned at 7:17 p.m. on a motion from Weidman, seconded by Luce.
Next steps: the Knox County Hazard Mitigation presentation will return to the agenda on Aug. 26; the board did not set further action dates on the rejected requests at this meeting.
