Debate about re-establishing a Tax Increment Financing (TIF)  district in downtown Antrim dominated discussion at Town Meeting Thursday night before both articles related to the district passed, as several residents cited a previous district in town which had been unsuccessful. 

TIF districts earn revenue for towns by capturing tax funds from increases in property values over a 10-year period. Establishment of a district would reduce the town’s tax obligation to the state, county and school district, which accounts for 65% of the town’s taxes. The district would include Main Street from Goodell Park to Maplewood Cemetery, and from Great Brook School in the west to the Contoocook River in the east. 

Article 3 authorized the town of Antrim to establish a TIF district, while Article 4 specified the location of the TIF district, authorized the Select Board to create a five member advisory board to oversee the development plan along with the district administrator and specified that no funds from the TIF shall be expended until a subsequent Town Meeting vote and “comprehensive and specific plan.” 

Select Board member Bob Edwards spoke about the previous TIF district in Antrim, which had been established in 1999-2000, primarily for downtown beautification. Edwards has stated previously that the earlier TIF district had not succeeded because the town had not voted in  the necessary funding needed at the time. 

“We are doing it the right way this time,” Edwards said. “It will have funding and we will create a comprehensive plan.” 

Gordon Webber, a former member of the Select Board, reiterated that the  previous TIF district had problems, and that he was not in favor of establishing a new one. 

“I don’t like it, and I don’t think we should do it,” Webber said. 

Resident Frank Gorga agreed, stating that he did not feel Antrim needed another TIF district. 

John Anderson of the Antrim Planning Board, who initially proposed creating the new TIF district, explained how the TIF would benefit Antrim.

“Right now, three-quarters of our taxes leave Antrim,” he said. “If you look at your tax bill, three-quarters goes to county, state, and the school district. With the TIF, we would capture those funds and they would stay in Antrim and could be utilized for projects in town.”

Anderson noted that Peterborough currently has three TIF districts, and that Harrisville also has a TIF in its village district.  

Edwards gave the example of a community “gathering place”  as possible use of TIF funds.

“People have cited the need for a community center as one example,” he said. “There are a lot of possibilities for the TIF funds. They will be used to benefit the whole town by improving our downtown area.” 

Solar article raises questions

Article 6, Antrim’s solar exemption clause, elicited questions and discussion about the potential for commercial solar arrays falling under the variance, which exempts residential  solar arrays from property value assessments. The article, which was first introduced as a petition warrant article in 2019, was later updated to include net metering, enabling residents selling energy back to the grid if they have excess supply. 

Edwards questioned whether the article would protect a commercial solar array. 

“Could someone built a huge solar array and not have to pay tax on it?” he asked. 

Frank Gorga, the owner of a solar array, said that state law limits how much a household can sell back to the grid, which prevents commercial developments in residential settings.

“Trust me, you don’t make very much money on it,” he said. 

Jennifer Adams spoke in favor of the article.

“This was the warmest winter ever recorded in New Hampshire. Discouraging people form having solar is the wrong thing to do,” she said. 

The article passed.

Edwards gave an explanation of  Article 10, which appropriated $40,000 for a fire department command vehicle. 

“Chief (Marshall) Gale has been driving around in the same green truck forever.  You’ve all seen it. He has never, not once,  once put in for mileage. We begged him to get a new vehicle, and he found a used one,” Bob Edwards said, noting that Gale is Antrim’s fire and ambulance chief as well as the health officer. 

The crowd applauded Gale’s service to Antrim. 

All warrant articles passed. The warrant is available at antrimnh.org.