The Hancock Select Board unanimously approved the resignation of Kevin Murphy as chair of the Planning Board on Monday.
“With deep regret,” Elisabeth Villaume, chair of the board, said.
Murphy has decided to step down due to the recent backlash at the public hearings on the cell tower.
His resignation letter read, “The contentious nature of these proceedings, including personal attacks, has impacted my wife’s health and I am choosing to prioritize her. I have also been impacted by a lack of support to mitigate this issue.”
A couple of residents requested his recusal from the decision, arguing he demonstrated bias toward Industrial Tower & Wireless LLC, the company proposing the cell tower.
Murphy denied these claims at the public hearing on August 5, and the planning board unanimously voted he did not need to recuse, according to past reporting by the Ledger-Transcript. He sent his resignation to the select board two days later on August 7.
Police department update
At the meeting, Villaume presented ballpark numbers for the cost to provide 24-hour police coverage by the Hancock Police Department. She recommended continuing the deal with Peterborough for coverage.
Since June 1, the Peterborough Police Department has provided 24-hour coverage on a month-to-month basis in the interim while Hancock decides their next move.
Virginia Smith, select board member, noted that this is the first time in a long time that Hancock has had full coverage and access to a prosecutor, which is expensive.
Currently, the town has its own part-time officers, but Villaume crunched the numbers to compare the price of funding a police chief and two full-time officers in Hancock.
“I thought it was going to come out pretty close to the same amount of money,” Villaume said.
Funding the town’s own department, based on her numbers, would cost 18% more than what the town is paying Peterborough.
The deal with Peterborough costs $522,000; Villaume’s numbers total $623,939 to fund Hancock’s department.
“It is a very strong option as we go into the budget season to keep the Peterborough arrangement as it is,” Villaume said.
Human defecation
The select board has received notice of a person allegedly defecating in multiple locations around town. Complaints have come from dog owners about their pets eating it and getting sick.
After some discussion, Villaume explained that there is no action the select board or police can take because it is not illegal, since no one has reported any indecent exposure.
The board recommends leashing all pets.
“We expect people to pick up after their dogs; they should pick up after themselves,” Villaume said.