We at CNHT cannot hammer away enough on the importance of attending your town and school deliberative sessions and subsequent March 9 ballot votes on warrant articles this spring, and every spring. In NH, it is here, locally, that counts the most when it comes to keeping taxes in check.
It is very sad that in towns like Alton, where there are 4,024 registered voters, only 102 showed up to help shape their property tax bills for the upcoming year.
“With 102 residents in attendance out of a total of 4,024 registered voters (more than double last year’s audience), Saturday’s four-and-a-half-hour deliberative session (which offered voters a final opportunity to discuss and amend this year’s list of Warrant articles before heading to the polls in March) was marked by intense debate over a proposed three-year teacher’s contract at the Alton Central School and a pair of petitioned articles aimed at launching a study into the possibility of a joint middle school with Barnstead and giving the high school’s joint budget committee the final say on Prospect Mountain High School’s operating budget.”
In Wolfboro, only 20 citizens showed up.
“February 04, 2010 WOLFEBORO — According to Attorney Barbara Loughman, Governor Wentworth Regional School District’s attorney, no district compares to Governor Wentworth when it comes to holding an efficient, well-thought-out Deliberative Session. Held last Saturday morning, Jan. 30, in the Kingswood Regional High School auditorium, board members and SAU 49 administration convened with approximately 20 interested citizens, in what may have been the quickest deliberative session the district has seen yet, concluding in little over one hour.
The purpose of this annual meeting, as explained by Moderator Randy Walker, was to vote on the form of each warrant article proposed by the district, not the substance, which is ultimately voted on in March. After hearing a beautiful rendition of the national an-them, sung by the high school’s own Route 28 a cappella group, and a favorable State of the Schools address spoken by School Board Chair Jim Rines, the board introduced each of the six warrant articles proposed for inclusion on the ballot for March vote.”
Avoiding your duty to attend these sessions is NOT the best way to keep control over skyrocketing taxes. In fact, by not attending these sessions you are giving your town officials a free pass to do whatever they please to increase spending and taxation.