Dateline: Nov. 11, 2024

John Harrington was hired as the new Town Administrator in August 2024, replacing Derik Goodine who relocated to a new position in Maine. Mr. Harrington had been the Town Administrator for Deerfield, NH for several years so he brings a great deal of experience to the position. In late October, he agreed to an interview with reporter Michael Frascinella.

MF: What motivated you to seek the TA position in Allenstown?

JH: When I saw the position come up, I was very interested. I had heard about the assisted living facility and the refurbishing of the China Mill. These indicated to me a community that very much wanted to be a place that everyone wanted to live in. I wanted to be part of that.

MF: What have you observed with respect to the Allenstown government since starting in August?

JH: We have several positions with new people in them but I see positive attitudes, people who are willing to learn, wanting to excel and get better in their roles. Even though they are new, this is a very positive attitude to me.

MF: There was a recent major upgrade in accounting software at Town Hall.

JH: Yes the select board decided before I came onboard to upgrade the accounting software. This included software for accounting, budgeting, and revenue. We will be discussing the possibility of upgrading the payroll system as well.

MF: How would you describe your role in town government?

JH: This will be no different than the town I came from. As Town Administrator, you are responsible for the day-to-day operations. There are several departments to work with as well as elected officials like the Road Agent and Town Clerk/Tax Collector. We work hand in hand as a team trying to move forward. I am here to facilitate activities, making sure that information from the departments gets to the select board and that decisions from the select board get out to the departments. I also handle any situations that come in from the residents on a daily basis.

MF: What improvements in town govt. would you like to implement?

JH: Being here only two months, I am just getting familiarize with the town's infrastructure, so I don't have anything specific to offer. It's been too short a time right now.

MF: What plans do you have for the coming year?

JH: Again, having been here only two months, I am now heavily involved in budget season. We also have two years of audits to complete and that is taking up much of my time, as well as learning the infrastructure of the town. Long range plans are important but I have not had the time to focus on those. I have pretty much hit the ground running.

MF: This is town budget season. How might the 2025 town budget compare with 2024?

JH: Most of the departments have submitted budgets. The selectmen still have a decision to make regarding COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) and whether to include a step increase for employees. Until those decisions are made, most of the line items for the departments and the budgets that I am responsible for will be level funded. I don't foresee any dramatic increases There will be an increase for the Finance Department since we have a contract for Finance Director services with MRI (Municipal Resources, Inc.). They are diligently working on completing the audits for 2022 and 2023. The audit for 2024 is right around the corner.

JH: I plan to include funding for MRI to continue the audit work into next year. We hope to complete the audit for 2022 this year. My plan is to implement a model that has worked well in Deerfield. This is to have a robust full-time position called a Finance Administrator onsite with a remote contracted Finance Director through MRI who can visit the town as needed but does most of the work remotely. This will dramatically reduce the need for a full-time Finance Director's salary.

MF: What is the status of negotiations with the Allenstown School District regarding the AES and ARD school buildings? The voters have already approved accepting the two schools for town uses.

JH: I have been in contact with the school district for the past two months and recently was informed by the SAU Superintendent that we should have a concrete decision by the first week of November. Things are still moving in a positive direction for the elementary school (AES), but we are not planning anything regarding the AR Dupont School (ARD).

MF: Has the school building committee determined a cost and a schedule for moving town offices to AES?

JH: My understanding is that money has been set aside for rehabilitating the AES school and moving town offices there. How quickly that can happen is uncertain. It depends on the availability of contractors and vendors to do the work. We also need to reconstitute the building committee and find out where they left off and what plans they had developed and whether they are still viable.

MF: Do you have any other comments you would like to offer to the residents?

JH: I would like to thank all the residents who have been very welcoming to me in my short time here. People have been very helpful and stop by to say "Hi" when they are here. I look forward to meeting people in their different roles in town. But I am very happy to be here.

What You Can Do

When you go to Town Hall for any business, ask if Mr. Harrington is available and welcome him to town. If you have any town-related concerns, you might ask him who to contact to get your concerns resolved.