Unfair Taxation of Private Roads in Barrington NH
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For three months now, we’ve been reporting to you about the taxation of Private Roads in Barrington NH. If you’ve missed our past reporting, you should know that Conner MacIver, the Town Administrator in Barrington stated in October 2019 that Private and Class VI roads were receiving a 10% adjustment on land values from the Town. An adjustment like this on the land value of your property decreases your tax liability to the Town, which means that you end up paying less in taxes.

However, we discovered through investigative journalism, that the claims made by Mr. MacIver were only partially correct. Class VI Roads are getting the adjustment, but Private Roads, which make up the largest portion of Town Roads in Barrington, are not receiving the 10% adjustment on land values.  The Town Assessor has clearly stated that the 10% adjustment is granted because Class VI Roads are not maintained by the Town (or the State).

This is, in our opinion, a patently unfair situation and a violation of the rights of Private Road Taxpayers under the NH Constitution.  If Class VI Roads receive a market adjustment for not being maintained by the Town, Private Roads should receive the same market adjustment, which the Town Administrator said they did. Private Road Taxpayers of Barrington – are you ok with unequal taxation, or do you want to do something about it? The average household could save hundreds of dollars/year if the Town were to respect the words of the Town Administrator and apply the 10% adjustment to Private Road Properties.  The ball is now in the court of Barrington’s Private Road Taxpayers.

Barrington Town News is hosting an event to formulate a plan for action. Private Road Taxpayers are invited to the event, which will be held on January 13th, 2020 at the Pepperidge Woods Cooperative’s Community Center at 73 Pheasant Lane in Barrington, NH, just off Hall Road. The event will be from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. If you’re going to attend the event, please RSVP by filling out the RSVP form that can be found at https://www.barringtontownnews.com/index.php/rsvp-for-1-13-2020-private-roads-event, so we can get an accurate headcount for the event venue. If you haven’t read our past articles about Private Road Taxes, you may want to read them now:

Joel Sherburne – 2019 Barrington Resident of the Year
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Joel Sherburne is very well-known in Barrington, New Hampshire and in other communities for being the guy that has cut the cheese at Calef’s Famous Country Store for over 60 years now, but he’s a lot more than that. Joel is also the President of the Barrington Historical Society, Ambassador and Announcer for the Rochester Fair, the Founder and Ambassador for the New Hampshire Lighthouse Week, and has been the Barrington Citizen of the Year before, awarded by the Greater Barrington Chamber of Commerce. We all know Joel, and we all know about all the great work that he does in this community. Joel connects all of us to one thought, and that is giving.

Joel Sherburne – 2019 Barrington Resident of the YearJoel has given his entire life to making Barrington, New Hampshire a better place. Recently, he presented two checks from proceeds from the Barrington Variety Show to the American Legion Post 114, and the Barrington Community Food Pantry.

As the chair of the Barrington Do-Gooders Committee, Joel has organized and hosted the annual Barrington Variety Show now for many years, and for each of those years, he’s split the proceeds from the event down the middle for the American Legion Post 114 and the Barrington Community Food Pantry, providing assistance to veterans and families in need that live in Barrington.

Joel is a very respected person, who volunteers his time at the Barrington Historical Society, keeping the history of Barrington in its records and photographs in pristine condition. This is someone who ultimately loves Barrington as a lifelong resident and employee at our most famous Calef’s Country Store.

As you’re all preparing for the New Year with friends and family, I want you to remember how lucky we are to have Joel in the community – someone who has spent his entire life waiting on us, taking our orders, and contributing to the greater Barrington community.

The next time you see Joel, be sure to tell him how much he means to all of us. So, from all of us at Barrington Town News, we’ve picked Joel Sherburne to be our Resident of the Year for 2019. With this award comes all of the fame and benefits of being cherished by the community he has served for over 60 years. So head on down to Calef’s Country Store to wish Joel a Happy New Year, and to pick up some of that Famous Calef’s Snappy Old Cheese – when every bite tastes just right.

Yoga and Pilates Start Again on 1/2/2020
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The Yoga and Pilates sessions start again through the Barrington Recreation Department on 1/2/2020.

New Hampshire Local Area Unemployment Statistics November 2019
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New Hampshire Local Area Unemployment Statistics

Highlights – November 2019 Estimates

(Note: Rates are not seasonally adjusted)

  • The November 2019 not seasonally adjusted State unemployment rate was 2.3 percent. This was unchanged from the October rate. The November 2018 rate was 2.2 percent.
  • New Hampshire’s November 2019 not seasonally adjusted labor force estimates show 12,230 more employed and 1,250 more unemployed than in November 2018 for a year-to-year net gain in the labor force of 13,480.

Eighteen areas recorded rates below the statewide not seasonally adjusted average of 2.3 percent:

  • Concord NH Micropolitan New England City and Town Area – 1.9 percent
  • New Hampshire portion of the Lebanon NH-VT Micropolitan New England City and Town Area – 1.9 percent
  • Charlestown NH Labor Market Area – 2.0 percent
  • Haverhill NH Labor Market Area – 2.0 percent
  • New Hampshire portion of the Littleton NH-VT Labor Market Area – 2.0 percent
  • Belmont NH Labor Market Area – 2.1 percent
  • New Hampshire portion of the Conway NH-ME Labor Market Area – 2.1 percent
  • New Hampshire portion of the Dover-Durham NH-ME Metropolitan New England City and Town Area – 2.1 percent
  • Newport NH Labor Market Area – 2.1 percent
  • Plymouth NH Labor Market Area – 2.1 percent
  • New Hampshire portion of the Portsmouth NH-ME Metropolitan New England City and Town Area – 2.1 percent
  • Claremont, NH Micropolitan New England City, and Town Area – 2.2 percent
  • Franklin NH Labor Market Area – 2.2 percent
  • Keene NH Micropolitan New England City and Town Area – 2.2 percent
  • Manchester NH Metropolitan New England City and Town Area – 2.2 percent
  • Meredith NH Labor Market Area – 2.2 percent
  • New London NH Labor Market Area – 2.2 percent
  • Raymond NH Labor Market Area – 2.2 percent

Eight areas recorded rates at or above the statewide not seasonally adjusted average of 2.3 percent:

  • Peterborough NH Labor Market Area – 2.3 percent
  • New Hampshire portion of the Colebrook NH-VT Labor Market Area – 2.4 percent
  • Hillsborough NH Labor Market Area – 2.4 percent
  • Laconia NH Micropolitan New England City and Town Area – 2.4 percent
  • New Hampshire portion of the Nashua NH-MA New England City and Town Area Division – 2.5 percent
  • Wolfeboro NH Labor Market Area – 2.5 percent
  • New Hampshire portion of the Haverhill-Newburyport-Amesbury MA-NH New England City and Town Area Division – 2.7 percent
  • Berlin NH Micropolitan New England City and Town Area – 3.1 percent

The New Hampshire portion of three interstate labor market areas contain only one town:

  • New Hampshire portion of the Brattleboro VT-NH Labor Market Area (Hinsdale town) – 2.9 percent
  • New Hampshire portion of the Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford MA-NH New England City and Town Area Division (Pelham town) – 3.0 percent
  • New Hampshire portion of the Lawrence-Methuen-Salem MA-NH New England City and Town Area Division (Salem town) – 3.0 percent