NH House committee rejects property tax incentive for hotel sprinkler installation

Panel votes down bill to make ‘technical’ changes

The House Municipal and County Government Committee has voted to kill a bill that would have enabled enable municipalities to give property tax relief to lodging establishments seeking to add sprinkler systems.

The bill was filed in the wake of the fire last April at the Red Jacket Mountain View Resort in North Conway. The fire wound up destroying the entire south wing of the hotel, and a subsequent investigation found that there were no sprinklers in the wing because it had been built in 1971, before the fire suppression systems were required.

Under the proposed bill, the owner of a qualifying structure that installed the systems would be able to apply for property tax relief for up to a five-year period.

The committee unanimously voted to recommend that the bill was inexpedient to legislate, meaning that it recommends the full House reject the bill. Opponents said the measure required some “technical” work that may be addressed next session.