Dover Board of Health Delegates Deed Authority, Defers Nicotine Hearing

DOVER — September 8, 2025 — Dover Board of Health delays nicotine-free generation hearing, votes to streamline deed restrictions. Meeting on September 8, the board voted three to zero to grant Health Agent Jason Belmont authority to sign deed restrictions independently, replacing a process that required board members to come in for each transaction; he will report every modification to the board. A planned public hearing on a local nicotine-free generation regulation was tabled after Belmont confirmed the draft has not yet been returned by town counsel, prompting Chair K. Peterson to push the item to October. Board member Stephen Cresco said he had spoken with roughly 20 Dover residents and found none in support of the tobacco initiative, while Peterson and Public Health Nurse Gail both cited school administrators, coaches, and individual residents as supporters. The board also heard that Lyme disease cases in Dover reached 30 through August 27, up from 17 at the same point in 2024, and that the town's 15-year deer culling program harvested 13 of Dover's 28 total deer taken in 2024, with the 2025 season opening October 6.