The New Hampshire Governor and Executive Council meets approximately twice monthly to vote on state contracts, grants, appointments, and other governmental actions. Every agenda item — from a $50 million highway contract to a library board appointment — passes through the same pipeline: it appears on the Agenda before the meeting, shows the outcome in Quick Results afterward, and is recorded in full detail in the Minutes.
This dictionary defines every type of action we track, where each piece of data comes from, and how our extraction pipeline parses the original PDF documents into searchable database records. Use this as a reference when reading the tracker tables.
Data Sources
Agenda PDF
The meeting agenda published before each G&C meeting. Contains every item up for a vote, organized by agenda number (#1–#N). Items #1–#4 are consent calendar batch items; #5 onward are individual action items. Each item includes the department, vendor or recipient name, dollar amount, and description.
Quick Results PDF
A 1–3 page summary published after each meeting. Lists which items were approved (as batch ranges), which failed, were tabled, or withdrawn. Also contains the full appointments section: resignations, confirmations, and new nominations with person names, towns, board assignments, and term dates.
Minutes PDF
The full meeting transcript, typically 15–40 pages. Contains the procedural record: who made motions, who seconded, who voted no on contested items, tabling actions, and removals from the table. Most items pass by unanimous consent; only contested items have named dissenters.
Contracts & Agreements Contract
new_contract
Authorization to enter into a new contract with a vendor. Example: "Authorize to enter into a contract with X, City, State, in the amount of $Y for Z services." Source: Agenda.
sole_source
A contract awarded without competitive bidding because the vendor is the only source for the product or service. These are of particular interest for accountability reporting. Source: Agenda.
amendment
A modification to an existing, previously-approved contract — typically increasing the price limitation or extending the completion date. Source: Agenda.
agreement
An agreement that doesn't fit the standard contract format — highway maintenance agreements, use of premises agreements, project agreements. Source: Agenda.
contract renewal
Exercise of a renewal option in an existing contract, extending the term and/or increasing the price. Source: Agenda.
subgrant
A subgrant from a state agency to a municipality or organization, often pass-through federal funds. Source: Agenda.
MOU
Memorandum of Understanding — a formal but non-binding agreement between state entities or with external organizations. Source: Agenda.
Grants & Funding Grant
grant award
Authorization to award a grant to a recipient. Example: "Authorize to award a grant to the Town of X, in the amount of $Y for Z purpose." Source: Agenda.
grant amendment
Modification to an existing grant — increasing the grant limitation or extending the completion date. Source: Agenda.
acceptance
Authorization to accept and expend federal funds, donations, or other external money. These are not contracts with vendors but rather the state's acceptance of incoming funds. Source: Agenda.
loan agreement
A state revolving fund loan to a municipality for water, sewer, or other infrastructure projects. Source: Agenda.
fund transfer
Authorization to transfer funds among accounts within a department, or to reallocate ARPA/SFRF funds between class lines. Source: Agenda.
Appointments & Personnel People
nomination
The Governor submits a person's name for appointment to a board, commission, or position. Nominations must be confirmed by the Executive Council. Source: Quick Results.
confirmation
The Council votes to confirm a nominee, making the appointment official. Includes the effective date and term length. Source: Quick Results.
resignation
The Council accepts a person's resignation from a board or position. Creates a vacancy to be filled by future nomination. Source: Quick Results.
salary action
Authorization for a salary step increase, grade adjustment, or salary increment for a specific position or person. Source: Agenda.
position action
Authorization to create, continue, reclassify, or abolish a government position. Source: Agenda.
Governance Actions Governance
motion
A councilor formally proposes an action. Pattern: "On motion of Councilor X, seconded by Councilor Y." Most items pass by unanimous consent without a recorded roll call. Source: Minutes.
dissenting vote
A named councilor voting against an item. Pattern: "with Councilors X and Y voting no." Only contested items have named dissenters; unanimous items have no individual vote record. Source: Minutes.
batch approval
The standard approval mechanism: items are approved as a group (e.g., "APPROVED ITEMS #s 1A–137"). Individual votes are not recorded for batch-approved items. Source: Quick Results.
tabled
An item is set aside for later discussion. It can be removed from the table at the same or a future meeting. Source: Quick Results / Minutes.
failed
An item that did not pass — typically because a majority of councilors voted no. Source: Quick Results.
withdrawn
An item withdrawn by the Governor before a vote. Source: Quick Results.
recusal
A councilor recuses themselves from voting on an item, typically due to a conflict of interest. Source: Minutes.
pardon petition
A petition for executive pardon submitted to the Governor and Council. Source: Agenda.
Financial Actions Financial
working capital warrant
A monthly authorization for the State Treasury to cover anticipated cash flow needs. These are very large ($850M–$1.1B) but are not contracts — they are routine treasury operations. Source: Agenda.
retroactive payment
Authorization to make a payment that should have been made in a prior fiscal period. Source: Agenda.
membership dues
Authorization to pay annual membership dues to professional organizations, associations, or accreditation bodies. Source: Agenda.
Property & Permits Property
permit action
Authorization for a private party to perform work on wetlands, shorelands, or water bodies. Includes the applicant name and location. Source: Agenda.
land sale
Authorization to sell state-owned land to a municipality or private buyer. Source: Agenda.
donation acceptance
Authorization to accept a donated item (vehicles, equipment, funds) from an external party. Source: Agenda.
lease
Authorization to enter into or amend a lease agreement for office space, property use, or equipment. Source: Agenda.