best practices

New Hampshire is home to numerous wildlife species, many of which are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. The northern long-eared bat (NLEB) is the latest native species to be reclassified as endangered, requiring additional impact assessments, regulatory consultation and mitigation measures. Several recent projects in NH have navigated this new process to avoid potential delays in project development and construction.

Thomas F. Kehr, New Hampshire’s Right-to-Know Law Ombudsman, officially opened his office to receive complaints on January 27, 2023.  The first filing he received was within hours of his being sworn in.  The Ombudsman goes by the acronym RKO.

By decision dated July 12, 2023, the New Hampshire Federal District Court has re-affirmed that a person may not be sued for defamation if they bring concerns regarding potential employee criminal conduct to the attention of prosecuting authorities.

Pursuant to RSA 91-A:3, III, minutes of non-public sessions “may be withheld” (commonly called “sealed”) “until, in the opinion of a majority of members, the [reason for withholding the minutes] no longer apply.” The question that naturally arises out of statutory provision is what obligation the public body is under to evaluate whether the reason for withholding the minutes continues to exist.

LEARN MORE IN COURSE DETAILS

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services is reminding owners and operators of public bathing facilities (PBFs), including cities and towns, they are required by New Hampshire law to register all existing and new public pools or spas with the state, conduct an annual fee-based self-certification of each existing facility and certify that the PBF is operated under the supervision of a certified pool operator.

In today's digital age, government organizations are facing unprecedented security threats.  The sensitive information they handle, such as personal data of citizens, ongoing investigations, financial records, and other personal data is highly valuable to hackers and cybercriminals.  Therefore, it is crucial for government organizations to implement robust security measures to protect their systems and applications from unauthorized access and data breaches.

Regional planning commissions play a major role in organizing and carrying out household hazardous waste collections. Many events occur throughout the year around the state. Two of the most active regional planning commissions in carrying out hazardous household hazardous waste collections are Lakes Region Planning Commission and Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission.  The primary benefits to RPC membership communities are reduced cost, protection against illegal dumping, protected water resources along with the health and safety of the community.