I just got my latest tax bill in the mail – once again, I’m working on TMEW to allow me out of my “never run for BudComm again if you let me serve a 3rd term,” as it seems that the Progressive-captured BudComm in my hamlet didn’t see a funding request it disliked.
SideNote: Bruce Curry would have been proud – he of the “It’s Government’s money first” persuasion. Yes, a years long running discussion/joke here at the ‘Grok until I threw him out as a troll. However, it now being many years in the wilderness for him, he’s welcome back…if anyone can find him.
So, there’s a very lengthy topic in the SDGA (School District Government Association) email distro that’s going on right now (the kind called “you guys are blowing up my inbox!”) on a few topics, but this from Bob Hatcher (“Community organizer and rabble-rouser working for the people of Thornton NH. We keep tabs on the School Board and the Board of Selectmen and hold them publicly accountable at WWW.THORNTONTAXPAYERS.COM “), and I figured I’d pass it along as he has run into the kind of problem/tactic that is so infuriating to us all.
And he’s pointing out a relatively new solution for this overspending / ratcheting up your property taxes.
Many of you know the legislature approved and the governor signed a law allowing towns and school districts to enact a local tax cap. (I have formatted the new RSAs for reading here -> https://www.thorntontaxpayers.com/wp-content/uploads/RSA-32-5-Tax-Cap.pdf. ) To pass, it requires 60% approval.
[snip]
IV. The wording of the question shall be: “Shall we adopt the provisions of RSA 32:5-b, and
implement a tax cap whereby the governing body (or budget committee) shall not submit a
recommended budget that increases the amount to be raised by local taxes, based on the
prior fiscal year’s actual amount of local taxes raised, by more than _______ (insert either a
fixed dollar amount or a fixed percentage)?”Much more at the link.
I am wondering if any of you are going to move forward with this for your school district? Given the havoc in our school district where they voted in a $4.5 million bond to fix a $300k issue and taxes went up more than 10% the time is ripe here in Thornton.
And, I bet, in other places as well.
To be truthful, I had forgotten about this bill / new tool. This kind of action, in the past, was only available to Cities as they had Charter documents that could be amended to institute tax caps (and yes, I helped several groups get them passed). However, “mere” towns had no such luck. A few of us tried, mainly as a political stunt, to put in a Warrant Article to enact such a deal on our own. Of course, it failed, but showing the divide between the High Spenders and the Frugalists in town was interesting. That ALONE was worth the price of admission as they self-identified themselves publicly.
Now, you have this new avenue to take better control of what the schools and municipalities can take from you. You know that for all of the state-level talk of “Lowering local property taxes” by either the Governor or your State Reps and Senators, it IS the local people who control how much you spend. Let the Spenders capture the “financial” Levers of Power, and you will continue to scream with anger as you open up that Tax Bill envelope UNTIL YOU DO SOMETHING about it.
It wouldn’t be an easy lift by any means – I’m thinking, like putting SB2 (vote by ballot replacing the traditional Town Meeting (where hijinks can abound) into place, it may take years to implement because those that are used to doing “the cash register dive” for all kinds of unneeded spending will gird their loins up to protect that $$$ turf. But then again, anything worth doing will take effort – and a sustained effort over time.
Be Brave – DO SOMETHING!
