Fires decimated North Conway in April of 2022, while another fire rampaged through a building in Wolfeboro in January of 2023. Because of these extreme circumstances, a bill called the HB 265 was proposed to allow towns to offer hotels certain incentives that will boost their safety assurance capabilities in the years to come. Devin Doyle of Newport Beach discusses what is so important about this bill.
The HB 265 Bill is proposed to the Wolfeboro House Municipal and County Government in order to give towns the ability to offer property tax relief to establishments that provide lodging, such as hotels. This tax relief would enable the hotels to put the money toward sprinkler systems, which would lower the risk of fire damage to the building and loss of life for guests.
Why is the HB 265 Bill Important
In April of 2022 and January of 2023, Wolfeboro experienced two radical fires in hotel buildings. According to a report done by the Conway Daily Sun, when a fire broke out at the Red Jacket hotel, guests were forced to flee by jumping from balcony to balcony to escape being engulfed in the flames.
Additionally, a business that was majorly important both to the economy and the enjoyment of residents in the community of Wolfeboro was burnt completely to the ground in 2023. This establishment, known as Hunter’s Shop ‘n Save, did not have to be destroyed, if a sprinkler was installed, and running.
Neither of these unfortunate circumstances would have happened if the correct preventative systems had been in place: namely, commercial sprinkler systems.
The HB 265 Bill has been described by proponents as vitally important because it may place more capability on the town legislatures to offer financial aid to businesses. That financial aid can then be put toward fire sprinkler systems to save both lives and property.
What The Bill Does
The HB 265 Bill will be put into effect in April of 2024. It takes into account the high and costly measures it might take for businesses, particularly small family-owned businesses, to install sprinkler systems.
After all, despite their effectiveness, sprinkler systems are sometimes costly to implement that business owners would rather take the risk. This can sometimes be because of the older or less structurally efficient buildings that the businesses find themselves in.
The HB 265 Bill allows the governing body to grant tax assessment relief for as many as five years as long as these begin with the completion of installing a commercial sprinkler system or automatic fire suppression.
Of course, business owners who want to install the fire suppression measures or commercial sprinkler systems must first actually apply to a municipality or governing body before they will be allowed to have this tax assessment relief.
In Conclusion
In summary, commercial sprinkler systems are proven to save lives, but those in the Wolfeboro County have sometimes neglected to install them for various reasons; one such reason is high cost for smaller businesses to cover.
In order to prevent the damages and possible loss of life a fire poses after the incidents of April and January, the HB 265 Bill, if passed, will offer town authorities the ability to give businesses tax assessment relief if they are trying to install commercial sprinkler systems. This way, businesses have more incentive to make their buildings safe against fire.
