Laconia City Council Meeting – September 22, 2025
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Laconia City Council Meeting – September 22, 2025
The Laconia City Council met on September 22, 2025, to consider several resolutions, ordinances, and discussion items. The council unanimously advanced multiple proposals to public hearings scheduled for October 14, 2025, including grants for police equipment, snow and ice removal fines, a resident‑only parking permit system, and the use of downtown TIF funds for the Laconia Pumpkin Festival. A housing redevelopment overlay ordinance was tabled until after a master plan workshop on October 6, 2025. The council also discussed adding a social districts ballot question for the November 2025 election and received updates on airport leases, the master plan, and a new absentee ballot law.
Discussion Items
- Airport Lease (21A): The council moved agenda item 21A forward. Airport Manager Marv Everson reported that this is the final leasable lot on the closed runway at Laconia Airport; eight of nine lots are already under lease. The airport manager also noted that the first master plan workshop will be held October 6, 2025, at 6 p.m. at the Belknap Mill, involving council, planning board, and zoning board of adjustment. A traffic study for the state school project is expected soon. The year‑to‑date CPI is 2.65%.
- Tethered Drones Grant (21B): Resolution 2025‑30 authorizes acceptance of a $133,542 Homeland Security grant for a tethered drone system. The tethered drone can stay aloft indefinitely for long‑duration events (e.g., Motorcycle Week, Pumpkin Fest, accident scenes). Councilor Hoffman expressed caution about ongoing maintenance costs from grant‑acquired equipment; the city manager agreed to provide maintenance records from existing drones.
- Utility Side‑by‑Side Vehicle Grant (21C): Resolution 2025‑31 accepts a $51,000 Homeland Security grant for a side‑by‑side ATV for use in crowds, wooded areas (e.g., Hilliard Road, Spruce Street Woods), and areas inaccessible to cruisers. Councilor Cheney requested the funding; the fire department has a similar vehicle.
- Snow/Ice Ordinance (21D): Ordinance 2025‑201‑7 amends Chapter 201 to prohibit depositing snow or ice on sidewalks from plowing, with fines (no specific amount stated in transcript). A 24‑hour grace period from the end of the storm allows property owners to clear the snow before a fine is issued. The ordinance targets the plow operator, but the fine is written to the property owner. The public works director stated the worst cases involved 10‑ to 12‑foot snow piles.
- Resident‑Only Parking Permit System (21E): Ordinance 2025‑221‑361 creates a framework for a resident‑only parking permit system. A pilot on Simpson Avenue (Weirs) is already in effect. Proposed eligibility criteria include dead‑end roads, but Councilor Hoffman questioned that requirement. Permits would be stickers or hangars; guests would receive dated, pre‑filled hangars. The system is intended as a proactive tool for future requests.
- Impact Fee Funds for Capital Facilities Study (21F): The council approved allocating $20,000 from impact fee accounts to fund a capital facilities study as part of the master plan update.
- Downtown TIF Funds for Pumpkin Fest (Resolution 2025‑32): The council authorized a $37,000 expenditure from the downtown TIF district for pedestrian safety and circulation enhancements at the Laconia Pumpkin Festival. Councilor Hoffman favored using TIF funds for permanent improvements; the city manager noted that the city took over Pumpkin Fest for the first time this year and expects to refine finances for 2026. The funds cannot be used citywide because they are tied to the TIF district.
- Housing Redevelopment Overlay District (22A): Ordinance 2025‑235‑21 amends Chapter 235 to expand the Housing Redevelopment Overlay District (HROD) into the RG (General Residential) zone, shown in yellow on a map. The HROD has not been used since its 1997 adoption. It would allow density up to 20 units per acre (vs. the current 6 units/acre) via a conditional use permit if at least one unit is deed‑restricted as workforce housing for 25 years. Maximum height is 4 stories, and the development must remain in character with the neighborhood. The planning board would have oversight. Councilor Felch expressed concern about large projects in single‑family neighborhoods; Councilor Bogart moved to table the ordinance until after the October 6 master plan workshop (accepted as undebatable). The motion to table was seconded and passed 6‑0.
- Social Districts Ballot Question (22B): Discussion on whether to place a non‑binding question on the November 2025 ballot asking voters if the city should create social districts as allowed by House Bill 467. The first step is council approval to add the question. The council proceeded to a vote (see Key Outcomes).
Key Outcomes
- All resolutions and ordinances (with the exception of the tabled housing overlay) were unanimously advanced to a public hearing on October 14, 2025, during the regular city council meeting. Each item required three votes: waiving reading, first reading, and scheduling a public hearing. All votes were 6‑0.
- **Resolution 2025‑30 (Tethered Drones) – passed, public hearing set for Oct. 14, 2025.
- **Resolution 2025‑31 (Side‑by‑Side ATV) – passed, public hearing set for Oct. 14, 2025.
- **Ordinance 2025‑201‑7 (Snow/Ice) – first reading passed, public hearing set for Oct. 14, 2025.
- **Ordinance 2025‑221‑361 (Resident Parking Permits) – first reading passed, public hearing set for Oct. 14, 2025.
- **Resolution 2025‑32 (TIF funds for Pumpkin Fest) – first reading passed, public hearing set for Oct. 14, 2025. The city manager noted that a Pumpkin Fest presentation will be made at the October 14 meeting.
- **Impact fee allocation ($20,000 for capital facilities study) – approved unanimously without a public hearing requirement.
- **Ordinance 2025‑235‑21 (Housing Redevelopment Overlay) – tabled by motion (6‑0) until the council meeting following the October 6, 2025 master plan workshop (likely October 14, 2025).
- **Social Districts Ballot Question – the council approved placing the question on the November 2025 ballot (vote not explicitly tallied in transcript, but previous votes were 6‑0 and no opposition noted).
- Administrative action: A temporary traffic order was issued for a 65th high school reunion on Friday using 12‑13 parking spots.
- Upcoming dates: Master Plan Workshop – October 6, 2025, 6 p.m. at Belknap Mill; next regular council meeting – October 14, 2025 (with public hearings).
Meeting Transcript
But the OPG Park, she's reaching out to Amy. I also asked her to reach out to Wears Action Committee because I knew they wanted to do something. Okay, thank you, Counselor. Okay, well, I'm sure this will pick up speed and and steam as we move along here. Okay. That finishes that. Are there any interviews tonight? No. Okay. Any nominations or appointments? No. Okay. Communications. No. Moving right along. Okay, with uh I'm not sure if I need a uh a motion on this or not, but we'd like to move up uh 21.a to this part on the agenda. As long as there's no objection to it. Without objection. Okay, we'll do that. Go ahead. The other thing I would recommend on this one though, on the 21A is after you've spoken to Marv and we've talked about this. Um because we haven't had comments on the agenda, I would just ask if anybody wants to speak on it from the public. Fair enough. Okay, is there this is on um request for the city manager to sign a lease agreement between the City of Laconia Airport Authority and Yankee Aviation Services Incorporated. Uh is there somebody here to speak to that? Yes, yeah, yes, Marv. I can just give us your name and Marv Everson, the airport manager. Thank you. This is the final of the nine leaseable lots. Uh we have developed or uh prepared for development of the closed runway at the airport. And we managed to rather quickly get eight of the nine lots under lease agreement. It's being advertised. But the first meeting is October 6th at the Bellnut Mill at 6 p.m. Um it is a public meeting, and it also includes the council, the planning board, and the zoning board of adjustment to all be together to talk about the master plan and what what we're looking at. Uh and it will like I said, there will be the company will be there that's doing it, as well as the uh the public. So it'll it you know it's really a good way to kick this off. Um, you know, we're talking about almost a year-long project. Uh and lastly, the uh the state school update. We're just waiting on the traffic study, um, which looks like it will be in at any time. Um that will be that's really something I think everybody's interested in seeing what that study really entails. Um, knowing what any traffic study looks like, they're usually pretty in-depth. So uh we'll we'll be receiving that. Uh and uh the only other thing I have for you is I'm gonna flip the page over to the CPI number that we talk about, um annualized out at uh 2.65 percent so far this year. We'll see what happens with the interest rate dropping. Usually the CPI drops with it a little bit. Um wasn't a huge change in the in the interest rate, so I don't think it's gonna have affected too much. Um, but we have still uh four months left to go in the year to see how this will play out for the uh which is one of our budget numbers. Uh I I lied, I do have one other thing for you. Uh I did an administrative approval today on a temporary traffic order uh to use some parking spots out here on Friday uh in our city lot and a couple on the street. I think there's a total of 12 or 13 um out front here for um uh in a uh 65th high school reunion over here at the Bellknap Mill on Friday during the day, and they were just hopefully being able to park a little bit closer was their goal.
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