Meredith SB-2 petition

[wifi]

Wow... I don't like change for the sake of change, but from the letter here it seems the main reasons to shoot down SB-2 in Meredith are:

1) Meetings are the way its always been done

2) SB-2 would impede town spending, because voters wouldn't approve the spending article

Ummmm... tell me there is something I am missing?

Are Meredith town meetings represented by a quorum of voters? If its like Moultonboro, for sure not. If the voters shoot down something because they are misinformed, its the town Selectpersons fault, not the fault of 'letting' all the voters vote. Lets find ways to balance the budget rather than reasons to increase it.

With that kind of attitude, I wish you success, FLL

[Irish mist]

If SB-2 was so bad NH towns would be voting it right out at the next election.....that's not happening. It enjoys overwhelming success all over NH.

[fatlazyless]

Our New Hampshire property tax bill has four different items; town, school, state school, and county.

All four items are on the increase and all four items are being litigated, petitioned, warranted, and cost-shifted in an effort to lower the tax bill, and at the same time the next Meredith property tax bill should be about 4%, or more, larger than the last one due December 2007.

Governor Lynch wants a constitutional amendment to control the state school costs. A number of towns including Meredith are pooling town money to pay the lawyers to sue the state to keep the state from shifting its' county expenses onto the towns. SB-2, which requires a 60% majority vote at a town meeting, has been passed by about 60 different NH towns since SB-2 was created in 1996.

SB-2 will not do all that much to control the town and school costs as most expenses are contractual and do not come up for a warrant vote. Typically, warrant votes are for big capital items like community centers, police stations, fire stations, and football fields.

What SB-2 really is, is an expression of anger by property tax payers who have seen their taxes go up, big-time.

People grow old, pay off their mortgages, and get annoyed and frustrated as their six month, semi-annual property tax bill grows and grows. You can pay off a mortgage, but that property tax bill, it never gets paid off, and it just keeps on a-grow'n, and a-grow'n, and a-grow'n!

[SAMIAM]

I was just thinking how nice it would be if I could bring my whole crew to a town meeting and wait until later in the evening to vote for a big addition to my building,a nice cost of living increase for everyone,a couple of paid holidays and ,hmmm,let's see....oh yes,maybe some nice retirement packages for everyone. All to be paid for by the taxpayers.

[ITD]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

People grow old, pay off their mortgages, and get annoyed and frustrated as their six month, semi-annual property tax bill grows and grows. You can pay off a mortgage, but that property tax bill, it never gets paid off, and it just keeps on a-grow'n, and a-grow'n, and a-grow'n!

And why do you think that is Less, why it's because they keep a-spendin' a-spendin' a-spendin', hopefully if SB2 goes thru people will start votin' down those a-spendin' articles.