OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bedford Town Council Meeting - July 15, 2026

Town Council — Wednesday, July 15, 2026
BodyBedford, New Hampshire
SessionTown Council
DateWednesday, July 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:14:07

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

For July 25th, I'm sorry, July 15th, 2026.

0:08

I would like to introduce the town administrative assistant, Don Buford, to my far left, Town Manager Rick Sawyer.

0:16

Good evening.

0:16

Counselor John Bader.

0:17

Good evening.

0:18

Counselor Becky Sowell.

0:19

Good evening, Bedford.

0:20

Counselor Vice Chair LeBec.

0:23

Good evening.

0:24

And Councillor Laura Fehey.

0:25

Good evening.

0:26

I'm Phil Grahezo.

0:27

Mr.

0:27

Sorry, could you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance?

0:30

Thank you.

0:32

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty, and justice for all.

0:46

Okay.

0:48

Seeing that we have no one in the audience for public comments, we can go on to new business, uh discussion with the assessing department and update on 2026 reevaluation with the assessor, Doug Irvine.

1:05

Welcome, Mr.

1:06

Irvine.

1:07

Thank you very much.

1:08

Good evening, Counselors.

1:13

So if we think back to May, the town council had a couple of retreat sessions over the course of a couple meetings.

1:24

And uh manager Sawyer and myself having reviewed some of the questions and concerns that came up uh during those sessions related to various assessing issues or questions, um concerns.

1:42

Uh we then assembled some of those that we could highlight and try to address this evening in terms of answering to those items that uh you highlighted.

1:56

So that's kind of the thrust of my presentation tonight, is really highlighting those uh concerns.

2:03

Most of it surrounds itself around the relationship between commercial property and residential property, and how the valuation and subsequent tax impact occurs through that and some other related questions as well.

2:19

So I'm going to try and get through the slides.

2:21

If anything is not clear along the way, please let me know.

2:24

Otherwise I'll get through them and happy to discuss and answer questions after that.

2:32

So among the questions and concerns, uh, we want to address the perception that an unequal or disproportionate tax burden exists between commercial and residential assessments.

2:45

We also want to review the question as to why commercial development along South River Road has not reduced property taxes for single-family homeowners.

2:57

Additionally, uh, what are the assessment methodologies for residential versus commercial properties?

3:05

And what is the allocation or distribution of taxation between residential and commercial property?

3:11

And related to that, can the town of Bedford establish a different tax rate for different property classes?

3:21

Another topic that came up involved commercial rents and commercial rents have increased, while many commercial tax bills have gone down.

3:32

And why does that occur?

3:35

Uh how do neighboring communities assess property?

3:38

And should Bedford consider adopting similar assessment practices?

3:42

And finally, uh, can the town of Bedford find new sources of revenue and balance commercial with residential to even things out.

3:53

So before I really get started, I just wanted to throw up a definition of mass appraisal, and you'll see in a moment why I'm doing that.

4:01

Um, there's a couple types of uh basic types of appraisal.

4:07

Most of us are familiar with fee appraisal, right?

4:10

That's where you take a subject property and compare it to a handful of similar properties to find the value of the subject.

4:18

That's fee appraisal.

4:20

What assessors are involved with is a different technique called mass appraisal.

4:26

And mass appraisal is a simultaneous revaluation of all properties within a municipality using standardized appraisal methods and statistical modeling.

4:37

New values are developed using market sales, replacement cost, and income analysis as appropriate for each property type to ensure fair and equitable assessments.

4:52

And the friendly disclaimer with this.

5:02

The term mass simply refers to an appraising, appraising many properties, a mass of properties at the same time using standardized methods.

5:13

So I've been in this business for over 20 years, and this is a point of confusion at times where people make assumptions, and they're fair enough, that when we say mass appraisal, we're referring to Massachusetts.

5:29

What's with Massachusetts appraisal taking place in New Hampshire?

5:35

They they are not related.

5:37

By coincidence, we utilize a company, a revaluation firm out of Massachusetts, and they so happen to be down there.

5:46

But I guarantee you this confusion doesn't occur if you live in the state of Idaho, for instance.

5:52

You just don't have that reference to Massachusetts the way we do in New Hampshire and New England at large.

5:58

So I just wanted to clarify that before we start.

6:03

So let's start with Bedford property class breakdown.

6:08

And I'm going to show you a slide in a second.

6:11

And in my opinion, this one visual can answer quite a number of questions and address concerns, as you'll see.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget Equity Analysis███████████████████████████████████35%
Fiscal Sustainability███████████████████████████████31%
Affordable Housing████████8%
Procedural██████6%
Technology and Innovation██████6%
Public Engagement████4%
Arts And Culture███3%
Transportation Safety██2%
Personnel Matters█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Bedford Town Council Meeting - July 15, 2026

The Bedford Town Council met on July 15, 2026, to discuss property tax assessment methodologies, a grant deferment for photovoltaic and electric vehicle charging infrastructure, the disposition of 275th anniversary banners, and NHMA legislative policies. The meeting featured a detailed presentation by Assessor Doug Irvine addressing the perceived imbalance between commercial and residential tax burdens, followed by decisions on several action items.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No residents spoke during the public comment period.

Discussion Items

  • Assessor's Update on 2026 Reevaluation (Assessor Doug Irvine): The presentation covered the methodology of mass appraisal, property class breakdowns, and the 2023 revaluation effects. Key points:
    • Bedford has approximately 8,370 total parcels. Residential property accounts for nearly $5.2 billion of the total $6.5 billion valuation (80% of value), while commercial property is $0.75 billion (12.06%). Combined commercial and industrial is 16.25% ($1+ billion).
    • The 2023 revaluation resulted in an average 30% increase in residential values, while commercial values increased less than the 19% threshold, leading to a tax shift. The 2026 revaluation is projected to see 15-18% overall increase, with residential up 15-17%.
    • The town cannot establish separate tax rates for commercial and residential property under New Hampshire law.
    • Commercial assessment uses income, cost, and sales comparison approaches; residential relies primarily on sales comparison. Limited commercial sales data and confidentiality issues (e.g., Lexus dealership) complicate valuations.
    • The Market & Main development contributes $25.4 million (3.2% of commercial class, 0.4% of total town valuation) and impacts the total tax rate by about 7 cents.
    • Assessor Irvine noted that while commercial rents have increased, vacancy rates and other factors affect property values, and commercial valuations have risen overall (55% from 2013-2023) but at a slower pace than residential (80% over same period).
  • Congressional Directed Spending Grant for Photovoltaic Storage & EV Charging (Assistant Town Manager Gene Walker): The town was awarded a $250,000 grant requiring a 50% match ($250,000) and detailed design estimates, which were not feasible within the six-week deadline. The council approved a motion to request a one-year deferment to allow time to develop the project, assess town electric vehicle needs, and consider funding options.
  • Disposition of Bedford 275th Celebration Banners (Gene Walker): The town had 20 banners, but only 18 were recovered. The council voted to keep one for display at town offices, donate one to the Bedford Historical Society, and sell the remaining 16 banners on a first-come, first-served basis at $50 each, with proceeds going to unanticipated revenue.
  • NHMA Legislative Policies (Town Manager Rick Sawyer): The council supported the proposed slate of NHMA legislative policies and appointed Assistant Town Manager Gene Walker as the town's delegate to the September 11, 2026 policy conference.

Key Outcomes

  • Vote on CDS Grant Deferment: Motion to authorize the town manager to request a one-year deferment of the FY26 CDS grant for photovoltaic storage and EV charging (passed unanimously).
  • Vote on Banner Sale: Motion to authorize sale of 16 banners at $50 each on a first-come basis (passed unanimously).
  • Vote on NHMA Policies: Motion to support the slate of NHMA legislative policies and appoint Gene Walker as delegate (passed unanimously).
  • Approval of Minutes: Minutes from June 10, 2026 (interview and public session) and June 24, 2026 (public session) were approved unanimously.
  • Town Manager Report: Announcements included seeking nominations for Bedford's oldest resident (Boston Post Cane), construction on Liberty Hill Road, ongoing drought conditions, upcoming events (trails race July 30, Household Hazardous Waste Day August 1, triathlon August 2, National Night Out August 4, primary election September 8).
  • Councilor Comments: Councillor Sowell reported on facility committee discussions; Councillor LeBec outlined the first facilities committee meeting on July 30; Councillor Grahezo (Planning Board chair) noted a 15-lot subdivision discussion ongoing and approval of a 35-unit workforce apartment on Sunset Lane.

Meeting Transcript

For July 25th, I'm sorry, July 15th, 2026. I would like to introduce the town administrative assistant, Don Buford, to my far left, Town Manager Rick Sawyer. Good evening. Counselor John Bader. Good evening. Counselor Becky Sowell. Good evening, Bedford. Counselor Vice Chair LeBec. Good evening. And Councillor Laura Fehey. Good evening. I'm Phil Grahezo. Mr. Sorry, could you lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance? Thank you. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty, and justice for all. Okay. Seeing that we have no one in the audience for public comments, we can go on to new business, uh discussion with the assessing department and update on 2026 reevaluation with the assessor, Doug Irvine. Welcome, Mr. Irvine. Thank you very much. Good evening, Counselors. So if we think back to May, the town council had a couple of retreat sessions over the course of a couple meetings. And uh manager Sawyer and myself having reviewed some of the questions and concerns that came up uh during those sessions related to various assessing issues or questions, um concerns. Uh we then assembled some of those that we could highlight and try to address this evening in terms of answering to those items that uh you highlighted. So that's kind of the thrust of my presentation tonight, is really highlighting those uh concerns. Most of it surrounds itself around the relationship between commercial property and residential property, and how the valuation and subsequent tax impact occurs through that and some other related questions as well. So I'm going to try and get through the slides. If anything is not clear along the way, please let me know. Otherwise I'll get through them and happy to discuss and answer questions after that. So among the questions and concerns, uh, we want to address the perception that an unequal or disproportionate tax burden exists between commercial and residential assessments. We also want to review the question as to why commercial development along South River Road has not reduced property taxes for single-family homeowners. Additionally, uh, what are the assessment methodologies for residential versus commercial properties? And what is the allocation or distribution of taxation between residential and commercial property? And related to that, can the town of Bedford establish a different tax rate for different property classes? Another topic that came up involved commercial rents and commercial rents have increased, while many commercial tax bills have gone down. And why does that occur? Uh how do neighboring communities assess property? And should Bedford consider adopting similar assessment practices? And finally, uh, can the town of Bedford find new sources of revenue and balance commercial with residential to even things out. So before I really get started, I just wanted to throw up a definition of mass appraisal, and you'll see in a moment why I'm doing that. Um, there's a couple types of uh basic types of appraisal. Most of us are familiar with fee appraisal, right? That's where you take a subject property and compare it to a handful of similar properties to find the value of the subject. That's fee appraisal. What assessors are involved with is a different technique called mass appraisal. And mass appraisal is a simultaneous revaluation of all properties within a municipality using standardized appraisal methods and statistical modeling. New values are developed using market sales, replacement cost, and income analysis as appropriate for each property type to ensure fair and equitable assessments. And the friendly disclaimer with this. The term mass simply refers to an appraising, appraising many properties, a mass of properties at the same time using standardized methods.

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