GRAFTON COUNTY FACTS
DECADES OF DEMOCRAT CONTROL OF GRAFTON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
SOURCE: Public records including https://www.sos.nh.gov/elections
Democrats have held either a majority or all seats on the Grafton County Board of Commissioners since at least 2004, with the only exception in that time being 2010-2012.
14 YEARS OF DEMOCRAT CONTROL OF GRAFTON COUNTY DELEGATION
SOURCES: Public records including https://www.sos.nh.gov/elections
Democrats have held a majority of the Grafton County Delegation since 2010 when there was a tie - 13 Democrats and 13 Republicans.
REVERSE DISASTROUS MOODY'S DOWNGRADES
SOURCE: July 28, 2026 Commissioners' Meeting Minutes
Moody’s – Bond Rating
Asst. CA Elsholz explained that periodically, if Moody’s sees a change in the county’s financial status, they will do a review. She stated that she and CA Libby had an interview with Moody’s to talk about the financial changes. She read the following statement from Moody’s as a result of that meeting:
“Moody’s Ratings has downgraded Grafton County, NH’s issuer and general obligation unlimited tax (GOULT) ratings to A1 from Aa3. The county had approximately $11.5 million of debt outstanding at the end of fiscal 2025. The downgrade reflects recent fund balance draws that are expected to stabilize in fiscal 2027 but at levels much lower than sector peers”
Asst. CA Elsholz stated that if the county were to go out to bond, this would affect the rate they receive.
HALT THE $80M+ COURTHOUSE MADNESS
SOURCE: 2 issue 25 year Bond Schedule
Totaling $72,685,500.00 (figures as of 2025 so the prices will have increased AND the borrowing rate will have increased due to Moody's downgrade)
Summary Budget with EC changes for 2027 Budget
Grafton County taxpayers, beware: The proposed courthouse bond could make an already significant tax increase substantially worse. The attached documents reveal the impact of the FY2027 budget increase before accounting for the proposed courthouse bond. If approved, approximately $2.7 million in annual bond payments could push the combined first-year household county tax increase well above 20%. Taxpayers would face 25 years of bond payments, on top of future annual budget increases. Without meaningful fiscal restraint, this financial burden could continue to grow. This isn't just about the cost of a new courthouse, it's about committing taxpayers to decades of additional debt while county spending continues to rise. Taxpayers deserve full transparency, fiscal accountability, and a clear understanding of the long-term costs before being asked to foot the bill.
BLOCK THE $100M+ FACILITY WISHLIST
SOURCE: September 1, 2026 Commissioners' Meeting Minutes
Commissioner McLeod asked about other possibilities through the Rural Health Transformation program, noting in the past they have looked at assisted living facilities. She stated that there are planning funds available and asked if there was any interest in looking at doing a study of some type to look at the feasibility of an assisted living facility. NHA Labore stated that from a feasibility standpoint, they did have someone come, through the use of ARPA funds, to review this. His thought has always been that, if they were to look at assisted living, to remodel the 2003 portion of the nursing home and turn those into assisted living apartments, then build a new nursing home. He stated that after discussing this with that individual, it was a sound idea and therefore what they would look at from a planning standpoint would be the finer details. NHA Labore noted that the bigger thing to focus on if they were to look into this would be what a new nursing home would look like. He further discussed the idea with the Commissioners. Commissioner McLeod noted that funds are available for renovations and remodeling of existing buildings as well. She encouraged NHA Labore to look into these funds and see what could be available for a project like this after the planning phase, noting that these funding opportunities do not always come around.
If the projected cost of a new courthouse was $72.6 million TWO years ago and with a higher credit rating, what will a new nursing home and assisting living apartments cost? Easily 100+ million dollars. When will the paying for their WANTS (not needs) ever stop?
VOTE YES ON QUESTION 2 (HB1300)
