Portsmouth City Council — What's on the Table

This is the second reading of the parking-rate ordinance first read on June 22, now with a public hearing. Reading the actual redline matters here, because the ordinance does something different from what a rate increase would look like: it strikes the specific dollar amounts out of the law — the nonresident rates ($2 for the first three hours, $5 after) and the resident rates ($1.25 / $2.25) are all marked for deletion — and adds language stating that meter rates "are fees" set through the Administrative Code's fee-adoption procedure (the fee schedule).

In other words, passing this ordinance doesn't itself set a price. The actual increase — the Parking Division recommends $3 for the first three hours and $6 after for nonresidents, with resident rates unchanged — is a staff recommendation that would be adopted through the fee schedule. The Division's rationale is to keep on-street parking priced above the garages (Hanover rising to $3/hr, Foundry to $2/hr on July 1) so it doesn't pull demand away from them.

The encumbrance-fee ordinance change carried over from June 22 gets its first reading. As covered previously, the fee increases themselves (license charges from $.05 to $.10 per square foot, permits from $50 to $150, and a new $300 extension fee) were already adopted through the FY27 Fee Schedule on June 8; this ordinance adds the cross-reference to that process.

A full rewrite of Chapter 12 (Sections 1201–1209), replacing the existing building-code chapter in its entirety. The new version is largely structural: it establishes the Inspection Department as the city's Code Compliance Agency, ties the governing standard to the New Hampshire State Building Code (RSA 155-A) and its administrative amendments, names the Chief Building Official (appointed by the City Manager), and keeps the Zoning Board of Adjustment as the Building Code Board of Appeals. Its fee section routes building-code fees to the same fee-adoption procedure used in the parking and encumbrance items.

The yearly cleanup of the traffic ordinance, amending the 15-minute limited-parking section (§7.326), a no-parking section (§7.330A), and limited-hours loading zones (§7.601). The packet notes these are mostly changes the Parking & Traffic Safety Committee tested on a trial basis or routine improvements, each shown on attached diagrams.

Staff and the Parking & Traffic Safety Committee (which recommended approval May 7) propose making Fleet Street one-way from Congress Street to Hanover Street. The stated reason is to fit ADA-accessible sidewalks into the reconstruction while preserving on-street parking. The Council had pulled this out of the PTSC minutes earlier for a separate staff report back.

The Planning Board approved a site plan (May 21) for Double MC LLC to reuse and expand structures at 134 Pleasant Street for mixed residential/commercial use, plus a conditional-use permit for a drain line crossing the city-owned Parrott Avenue Parking Lot to reach existing drainage — there's no drainage in the adjacent stretch of Pleasant Street, and DPW recommended this route as most efficient. Because the line crosses city land, the developer needs a license. The Planning Board conditioned it on the owner repairing, removing, or relocating the infrastructure at its own expense on the City's request; Legal has reviewed the license to that effect.

A request to set August 3 public hearings on a slate of FY27 capital projects to be bonded. As presented, the bonding requests group by fund: School projects $6,500,000 (including $5M for elementary-school upgrades and $700K for facilities); Various city projects $6,485,000 (including $2.8M for the police/municipal complex design, $800K for the Creek Neighborhood, and $500K each for Vaughan Mall restoration and a municipal-building audit); Fire apparatus $600,000 (Marine 1 replacement); Water projects $4,900,000; and Sewer projects $3,100,000.

Bundled for one vote: five pole license requests and the Active City Encumbrances Report. Any councilor may pull an item for separate discussion.

Nine residents wrote in through the City Council website contact form between June 22 and July 6, to be accepted and placed on file. Most marked their comments for the public record. They cluster into three themes — and parking dominates, tracking closely with what's on tonight's agenda.

Parking (four submissions). Charlie Brickham ("Parrot ave") and Sophia Campbell ("Parking Along Parrott") both object to paid parking along Parrott Avenue — Campbell writing as a downtown employee who says free spaces are disappearing. Carol Lahan ("New Parking Regulations"), who pays taxes on a second home but has out-of-state plates, objects to being told she doesn't qualify for resident parking. Hamilton Stevens objects to a no-parking arrangement on Little Harbor–area streets for the July 3 fireworks. These sit alongside the parking-rate ordinance (Item 10A) and the Parrott Avenue lot items (Item 11C).

Traffic & road safety (two). Julie Robb ("Scooters and mopeds—oh my!") describes near-misses involving scooters, mopeds, and e-bikes weaving through post-fireworks traffic. Christine Bastianelli ("Cass St accidents/speeding continues") reports another crash at Chevrolet and Cass and asks what recourse residents have after an earlier traffic-calming petition was denied. These bear on the omnibus traffic ordinance (Item 11A) and the Fleet Street change (Item 11B).

City services (three). Mike Hartnett ("DPW Thanks") praises a Public Works crew for clearing storm-downed limbs on Sherburne Avenue after the microburst. Stephen Philp urges the City to add downtown public restrooms. Eileen Doyon ("Rat infested yard") submits a rodent complaint; the packet includes a Health Department reply noting that Portsmouth has no property-maintenance code, so overgrown lawns aren't a violation, though staff surveyed nearby properties for rodent harborage.

To be voted: Gary Dozier to the Police Commission, effective August 1, 2026 until the November 2027 municipal election — the appointment previewed on June 22. To be considered (a first step before a later vote): reappointing Stephen Buzzell to the Cemetery Committee and appointing John (Jack) Holzman to the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

A verbal update from Assistant Mayor Kelley and Councilor Tabor. Per the agenda, the Housing Committee has narrowed an initial list of 135 possible actions down to 19 priorities, with Planning Board review and public hearings to follow. No written detail accompanies the item.

Two requests from Councilor Cook: schedule a Council work session on the Vaughan Mall design before August 3; and ask the Planning Board to study whether Portsmouth should establish a Heritage Commission — a state-enabled body (RSA 673:4-a) that advises other boards on matters affecting cultural and historic resources and can accept gifts of money and property — reporting back by September 28.

The Energy Advisory Committee recommends allowing the September "customer refresh" — the default enrollment of the next batch of residents (currently 1,172) into Portsmouth Community Power. The committee weighed, but did not adopt, a policy of holding back enrollment when Community Power's rate runs above Eversource's, reasoning that a hold-back would build a two-tiered system at odds with the default-power model. It attaches two conditions it feels strongly about: any enrollment mailing must show the Eversource rate comparison and the option to stay with Eversource, and it urges the supplier (CPCNH) to move from twice-a-year to monthly refreshes. Per the committee, CPCNH has confirmed it will include the rate comparison and is working on a monthly cycle.

Councilor Bagley asks the City Manager to work with Planning & Sustainability, Inspection, and the chairs of the Zoning Board, Planning Board, and Historic District Commission to draft "one-page," plain-language guides for residents facing a land-use board or the permitting process for the first time — what each board does, when you'd appear before it, where to find applications and deadlines, and who to call. The memo cites Dover's property-owner handbook as a model.

Councilor Hopkins presents the report of a 23-member, cross-sector working group and asks the Council to adopt five recommendations, all framed as low-cost, near-term, and within existing authority: (1) free advisory pre-inspections from Building and Fire; (2) a plain-language zoning guide for what care is permitted where; (3) a review of parking and drop-off standards for childcare facilities; (4) naming childcare explicitly in the FY28 Community Development Block Grant process; and (5) a state-level resolution aligning local steps with recently signed state childcare legislation.

A $500 donation from resident and center member Karen Parnes toward senior luncheon funds.

New Hampshire reached settlements with PFAS manufacturers and set up compensation for affected public water systems. Through the state's PFAS Compensation Fund (administered by NHDES under the Drinking Water & Groundwater Trust Fund), the City has been allocated $3,062,540 for the Portsmouth Water Works system and $1,563,527 for the Pease Tradeport system — two separate motions.

At the Sister City Committee's request, and in consultation with Finance and Legal, the City would create a special revenue fund to accept donations for Sister City work, with the City Manager approving purchases. Donors could dedicate gifts to a specific Sister or Friendship city or to general use.

Complete Streets policy (17B): a report back on the 2013 policy and 2017 design guidelines, including the policy's built-in exceptions (where users are barred by law, where the right-of-way can't fit all users, or where accommodations would be disproportionate to the need). This follows the resident presentation on Complete Streets compliance at the June 22 meeting.

Arts & Cultural Banner Program (17A): a legal report back on the pilot banner program. SchoolCare (17C) and Banfield (17D): verbal litigation updates from the City Attorney; the Banfield item concerns a settlement. FY28–33 CIP (17E): citizen project requests are due September 18. Also under Mayor's items: report backs on sidewalk encumbrance permits and CIP rolling stock, and reestablishment of the Veteran Organization Committee.

A recognition of Parks and Recreation Month.