In what is most likely the first public action involving the recently unveiled spending cap pledge promoted by the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition, members of the Gilford Municipal Budget Committee found themselves voting on a motion to adopt such a cap at its initial meeting of the 2009 FY budget season. As reported by the Citizen (Laconia) newspaper,

Budget committee member Doug Lambert has challenged the elected officials in Gilford with imposing a voluntary tax cap on governmental spending.

The idea for a voluntary tax cap came out of an initiative started by the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition. The reason the coalition began the challenge is two-fold: first to lower the burden on New Hampshire families and secondly to encourage government to maximize the value of every dollar.

Lambert took the pledge and modified it slightly, though the principle is the same.

The Gilford Pledge to Defend the New Hampshire Advantage reads, "I believe that low taxes are the result of low spending. I believe that a government can only be fair to its taxpayers when it is actively looking for ways to run more efficiently. I hereby pledge: Not to vote for — or lend my support to — any budget raising government spending that causes taxes to be raised more than the rate of inflation, as it is defined by the Consumer Price Index-Urban, plus new construction growth."

[snip]

"I printed it; I signed it; I will adhere to it. That will be my actions on the committee," promised Lambert.

Skip Murphy, a budget committee member and chair of the Gilford Republican Town Committee, also signed and promised to follow the voluntary tax cap pledge.

Recognize those two guys? While it turned out we weren’t able to convince a majority of the Budcom to adopt the voluntary cap, besides myself and Skip, two other members agreed to conduct all of our actions in line with the "cap." We will be working on a spreadsheet program in order to keep a running account of the budget process, identifying exactly how much the school, town, and (hopefully) county portions can increase under such a cap.

Please read the whole Citizen article, as reporter Cutter Mitchell does an excellent job in his reporting of what went down last night. It’s my belief that this is but the first salvo in what will be a rising movement here in the Granite State as we seek to preserve and protect our special "New Hampshire Advantage".

Below is the pledge as I submitted, signed, to the chair of our committee. I shared a copy with every member, and will be presenting them to the school board and selectmen for them to sign as well.

Read more

"Communication breakdown?"

Regular readers know that when it comes to funding government during tough fiscal times, we favor spending reductions over tax increases. (Heck, we feel that way even when the economy’s good…) With the advent of the Official Ballot form of government– or, as it’s better known, "SB2"– voters in NH towns that have adopted it have more of a direct say in the final budget and get a direct up or down vote in all-day balloting that follows the deliberative session. With a larger percentage of voters participating, the special interests that formerly controlled the process (mostly the employees of the town and school) and the spending proposers must now work extra hard to make their case. In those fortunate towns that have chosen SB2, they must EARN the vote of the citizens on a particular spending issue or matter. Here in our little town in Central NH, the school budget got defeated by voters several years running until this year when the District finally proposed a smaller, more sensible spending plan, which earned overwhelming support.

Each spring, as sure as the trees bud, and the lawns turn from brown to green, we hear politicians and public employees whining and complaining about SB2. Whether it’s those seeking to block its adoption in yet more towns, or those upset at its results in the latest election held using the method, the refrain is always the same: the voters won’t make the "right" choices. (You know, by saying "yes" to everything government desires) Unfortunately, those that run things are in a position to do more than just complain…

An article appearing in this past Sunday’s Concord Monitor was a good example of this process. In the piece titled Towns Grapple With Default Budget Reality– Voters Caution Will Mean Fewer Services, we find that, reacting to "no" votes, those in charge will make those voters "pay" in other ways:

If you live in Allenstown, don’t plan on paying your property taxes on a Friday. Town hall will be closed. You can’t get a pistol permit after work, either, because the police department laid off the evening secretary. In Weare, some summer school classes will be gone and, when driving through Epsom, mind your undercarriage. Many of those flood-ravaged roads won’t be repaired.

These are just some of the consequences of voters’ unwillingness to approve budgets in their communities this spring. Now, more than a month after town meeting day, municipal leaders are struggling to make ends meet. In some cases, they’ve curtailed services and cut staff. In others, they’re delaying paving and eliminating overtime.

Town leaders blame crummy economic conditions, but they also point to SB2. The system allows residents to cast ballots on budgets rather than attend a traditional town meeting. Some cash-strapped officials say the system makes it simpler for voters to say "no."

The Allenstown Fire Chief makes no bones about how he feels, and what he’ll do to make sure citizens understand the error of their ways:

Read more

As we face uncertain economic times here in New Hampshire, there is one politician that stands head and shoulders above all others: Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta. Unlike many of his fellow elected Republicans who have apparently hunkered down, not wishing to make too many "waves" headed into an election year, Guinta is providing the type of leadership that sets him apart from the rest. Oh sure, many Republicans pay lip service to the old GOP mantra of smaller government, less taxes, and less regulation, but those who actually work to turn such notions into reality are few and far between.  

Most Granite Staters that pay attention to the news know that Mayor Guinta and his budget team are working to reduce spending in an effort to keep property taxes in check, taking into account the economy and the taxpayers ability to pay. Let me say that again: Mayor Guinta is seeking to keep taxes from increasing by, (gasp!)

REDUCING SPENDING!!!!

When was the last time you heard a politician say that, and actually MEAN IT? Regular readers know that here in Belknap County, it is REPUBLICANS that run the show lock, stock, and barrel. Unlike Guinta, the local GOP, led by phoney conservatives like Convention member Representative Fran Wedleboe and Commission Chair Phil "Buddy" Daigneault, claims that, when it comes to county finance, “The problem with the budget is not spending. We just don’t have the revenue to support our expenses.” And of course their solution is to simply raise our taxes. These clowns could do well to look to Mayor Guinta for some guidance and a refresher on what it means to be a Republican.

Oh sure, it’s not always easy. The big spenders do not give up without a fight. The attacks and threats that assuredly follow any cutback proposal, whether large or small, are not for the faint of heart. Case in point is the reaction of the various characters within Manchester’s public school system. For several weeks we’ve been hearing the whining and moaning as the Mayor rolls out the proposed spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year. And naturally, the overarching theme is one of gloom and doom… according to the Chicken Littles of the public school system,

THE SKY IS ABOUT TO FALL!

Color me unsurprised. Today’s New Hampshire Sunday News has the latest prediction of catastrophe in what will undoubtedly a refrain we’ll hear again and again:

Read more