This bill proposes to expand the number of Grafton County commissioners from three to five, establishing specific districts for each commissioner. The new districts are defined as follows: District 1 includes the towns of Hanover, Lyme, Orford, Piermont, Warren, and Wentworth; District 2 consists of the town of Enfield and the city of Lebanon; District 3 encompasses the towns of Bath, Benton, Bethlehem, Easton, Franconia, Haverhill, Landaff, Lisbon, Littleton, Lyman, Monroe, and Sugar Hill; District 4 includes the towns of Campton, Holderness, Lincoln, Plymouth, Thornton, Woodstock, Waterville Valley, and the unincorporated place of Livermore; and District 5 comprises the towns of Alexandria, Ashland, Bridgewater, Bristol, Canaan, Dorchester, Ellsworth, Grafton, Groton, Hebron, Orange, and Rumney. The bill also amends the election terms for the commissioners, stipulating that all commissioners will be elected to two-year terms, with specific provisions for the 2026 state general election.

Additionally, the bill includes provisions that ensure the changes in commissioner districts will not affect the current commissioners' constituencies or terms of office. The new districts will be in effect for the purpose of electing commissioners at the 2028 state general election, and any vacancies prior to that election will be filled according to existing laws. The fiscal impact of this bill is estimated to increase county expenditures by approximately $39,000 in FY 2028 due to the addition of two commissioners, with ongoing costs expected to be indeterminable in subsequent years.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 653:1
HB1693 text: 653:1