Revision: Jan. 8, 2026, 3:03 p.m.
HB 488 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
8Jan2026... 3045h
8Jan2026... 0029h
2025 SESSION
25-0758
07/11
HOUSE BILL 488
SPONSORS: Rep. Spilsbury, Sull. 3
COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government
-----------------------------------------------------------------
AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill limits conflicts of interest and excessive concentration of power for municipal board and committee members.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
8Jan2026... 3045h
8Jan2026... 0029h 25-0758
07/11
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five
AN ACT relative to limiting conflicts of interest and concentrations of power for municipal board and committee members.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Incompatibility of Offices. RSA 669:7 is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:
669:7 Incompatibility of Offices.
I.(a) No person shall at the same time hold any 2 of the following offices: selectman, treasurer or deputy treasurer, moderator, trustee of trust funds, collector of taxes, finance director or equivalent position, auditor, highway agent, and head of the town’s police or fire department.
(b) No town clerk or deputy town clerk shall hold any other elected or appointed office other than tax collector, if authorized as provided in RSA 41:45-a. No deputy town clerk shall hold any other elected or appointed office other than deputy tax collector, if authorized as provided in RSA 41:45-c. Notwithstanding these requirements, a town clerk or deputy town clerk may serve as a school district clerk.
(c) No town employee or department head shall at the same time hold the office of selectman.
(d) No town manager or town administrator shall at the same time hold any other office listed in subparagraph (a), other than tax collector when authorized under RSA 37:16.
(e) No selectman may also serve as a member of a board of assessors elected pursuant to RSA 41:2-c.
(f) No official handling funds of a town shall at the same time hold the office of auditor.
(g) No selectman, moderator, town clerk, deputy town clerk, or inspector of elections shall at the same time serve as a supervisor of the checklist.
(h) No selectman, town manager, town administrator, member of a school board, village district commissioner, employee, or department head of the town shall serve on their respective town or school advisory budget or finance committee under RSA 32:24. Municipal office limitations for members-at-large of a municipal budget committee shall be as expressly provided in RSA 32:15, V.
(i) No municipal employee working in a capacity that provides support for a local land use board established under RSA 673 may serve on a local land use board of the same municipality or conservation commission established under RSA 36-A of the same municipality.
(j) No municipal employee or department head shall serve on a planning board or zoning board of adjustment, except as expressly provided in RSA 673:2.
II. No person shall at the same time file a declaration of candidacy for any 2 or more elected offices that are incompatible under paragraph I. A person may file a declaration of candidacy for an elected office that is incompatible under paragraph I with an office the person currently holds only if the term of the held office does not extend beyond the date of the election for which the declaration of candidacy is filed.
III. The provisions of paragraph I shall not be construed to prevent the transfer between offices of information obtained in the regular conduct of business nor to prevent the personnel in any office from furnishing clerical assistance to any other office.
IV. This section shall not prevent a member of the governing body from serving as an ex officio on any committee over which the governing body has supervisory responsibility.
V. Alternates for any board shall be treated as a regular member in the same manner for the purposes of this section.
2 Applicability; Conflicting Positions Pursuant to RSA 669:7.
On the effective date of RSA 669:7, as amended by section 1 of this act, members of boards and committees holding conflicting positions may remain in those positions until the next municipal elections are held.