Chester board tables American flag issue til fall Sets tax rate, approves zoning office shuffle

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Before being elected to the Chester Select Board, Tim Roper complained to that body a couple of times about the state of the flags displayed on Main Street. They can be found wrapped around their poles, sometimes tattered and even snared on splinters from the utility poles where they are mounted.  Now, as a member of the board, Roper asked fellow members what can be done about the issue.

But the town does not put up the flags. It’s the Chester American Legion that, for a number of years, has purchased and mounted the flags. At Wednesday’s board meeting, former Select Board member and Legion member Jeff Holden came to discuss the problem. He started by saying that he didn’t think the town needed to have an ordinance about flags. He noted there is already a federal flag code that guides people on how to display their American flags.

Holden noted that the Legion has been putting up the flags for years and it’s difficult to keep up with the problems with flags especially as we seem to be having heavier winds these days. He said there are places where flags are destroyed by the winds.

Town Manager Julie Hance suggested not hanging the flags in those locations. Holden said he didn’t disagree with that suggestion, but added that he hasn’t been involved with the flag program this year.

The board discussed the possibility of the Legion periodically checking on the flags, an idea that Holden said he would bring up at the next Legion meeting.

“We’re just trying to be patriotic,” said Holden. “We need a little more understanding and help.”

Board member Arianna Knapp told the board to be careful in how they approach this because they don’t want to discourage people who volunteer to do things in the town. Later she suggested that if Holden is going to talk with others at the Legion, the board should table the issue until the September meeting and see where the conversation takes them by then. The board holds only one meeting per month during the summer as opposed to two.

Zoning office shuffle, tax rate set

Preston is looking forward to getting off the front line,” quipped Hugh Quinn after the board appointed Quinn to be the town’s Zoning Administrator for the next three years beginning on July 1. Quinn has been serving as Assistant Zoning Administrator and part-time Lister. Current Zoning Administrator Preston Bristow will be cutting back on hours and swapping roles with Quinn as Assistant Zoning Administrator. Bristow will continue in his role of Town Planner while Quinn will continue to serve on the town’s planning commission.

The board set the municipal tax rate at $1.0419/$100 of assessed value. This raises the money to cover the town budget and voted articles that were approved at Town Meeting in March.

Last year, the municipal tax rate was $0.987. The board is not able to set the “local agreement” rate until the state announces the education tax rate. The local agreement rate generates the education tax that is lost when the town agrees to exempt an entity from all of its property tax. Chester voters exempted three properties from taxation and because the education tax on the grand list must be paid, the exempted tax is divided among the rest of the taxpayers on the grand list. Last year the local agreement rate was $0.0054.