’26 Article 22 – Hire an Economic Development Director – $121,578 in 2026

To see if the Town of Hampton will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $121,578, including salary and benefits, for the purpose of employing  an Economic Development Director to advance Hampton’s Master Plan, coordinate communications, secure and manage grants, and foster partnerships with businesses, not-for-profits, developers, and state agencies, starting on April 1, 2026? The estimated full year cost in 2027 for this position is $162,018, including salary and benefits; all future costs for this position will be included in Town operating budget and default budget going forward.

What it means: This Article asks to create a new position of Economic Development Director to manage and advance the implementation of Hampton’s Master Plan and work to increase non-residential sources of tax revenue.  Currently, interactions with potential developers are spread among the Town’s departments.  The job description can be found here:

https://intheknowhampton.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026-Article-22Economic-Development-Director-2.pdf

Those in favor say: This position will be the interface between the Town Departments and prospective developers and businesses, and will help increase the value of business presence in Hampton.  It was expressed that this position would result in the expansion of the Town’s commercial presence, to ease the tax burden on residential properties (which currently account for 90% of the tax base).  Other towns have established this position, and have experienced positive growth to tax revenue from business properties.  Hampton won’t know what the offsets might be until it is tried.

Those opposed say:  It was expressed that this was a good idea but that the job description was too vague and perhaps not ready to implement. The cost could easily grow with the need for support staff for the position. It was also noted that land for development in Hampton is scarce and that recent proposals to develop or redevelop were met with resistance from residents. One person said that more data is needed to justify the added headcount.

Fiscal impact: The estimated tax rate impact in 2026 is roughly $.02 per thousand. The estimated tax impact for a home valued at $600,000 is $11.98.  Thereafter, the costs of salaries and benefits would be included in future proposed and default budgets.