Glossary

Words that come up in agendas, minutes, and their summaries, and what they mean.

abatement: A reduction or cancellation of a property tax bill, granted by the assessors, for example after an error in the assessment.
ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act, the federal law on access for people with disabilities.
BPW: Board of Public Works, the elected board that oversees the city's Division of Public Works, with the mayor as its chair.
CBA: Collective bargaining agreement: a contract between the city or town and a union of its employees, setting pay and working conditions.
CDBG: Community Development Block Grant: federal money, from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, for housing and neighborhood projects that serve low- and moderate-income residents.
CIP: Capital Improvement Program: the plan for buildings, roads, equipment, and other long-lasting purchases over the next several years, and how to pay for them.
COLA: Cost-of-living adjustment: a raise in pay or a pension to keep up with rising prices.
Committee of the Whole: The full council or board meeting as a committee, to discuss a matter before voting on it at a regular meeting.
consent agenda: Routine items, such as minutes and reports, voted on together in one motion without discussion. A member can ask to take any of them up separately.
first reading: The first time the Board of Aldermen takes up a new resolution or ordinance. The President usually then assigns it to a committee to review before the Board votes on it. As used by: Board of Aldermen.
joint convention: The Board of Aldermen meeting together with another board, such as the Library Trustees or a cemetery's trustees, to elect that board's members, as the City Charter provides.
mill rate: The property tax rate, in dollars for each $1,000 of a property's assessed value. A mill is a tenth of a cent.
non-public session: A part of a meeting closed to the public. New Hampshire's Right-to-Know Law (RSA 91-A) allows it only for certain reasons, such as buying or selling property, personnel matters, or labor negotiations.
NRO: Nashua Revised Ordinances, the city's local laws.
ordinance: A city law passed by the Board of Aldermen. Numbered O- with the year, as in O-26-017.
ought to pass: A committee's recommendation that the full board or council approve an item. "Ought not to pass" recommends voting it down.
Pennichuck: Pennichuck Corporation, the water utility the city owns as its sole shareholder. It reports to the Board of Aldermen every quarter.
quitclaim deed: A deed in which the city or town gives up whatever claim it has to a property, such as one it took for unpaid taxes.
receive and file: To accept a letter, report, or other document into the record, without taking any other action on it.
resolution: A formal decision of the Board of Aldermen, such as approving spending, a bond, or a budget. Numbered R- with the year, as in R-26-053.
RSA: Revised Statutes Annotated, New Hampshire's state laws.
Select Board: The board of three to five elected residents that runs a town between town meetings: it sets policy, hires the town manager or administrator, and calls town meeting. Also called the Board of Selectmen or the Selectboard.
tabled: Set aside by a vote, to take up later. A tabled item comes back when the board votes to take it off the table.
TIF: Tax increment financing: a district where some of the new property tax from development is set aside, for public projects or for the development itself.
town meeting: A meeting of a town's voters that acts as its legislature: it votes on the budget, local laws, and the other articles of the warrant. In a representative town meeting, elected members vote.
variance: Permission from the zoning board to use or build on a property in a way the zoning doesn't allow, such as closer to a lot line, because of a hardship particular to the property.
warrant article: One item on the warrant, the list of what a town meeting will vote on. Each article is voted on separately.
ZBA: Zoning Board of Adjustment.