annual reports

Despite immense challenges municipal governments have faced in the last two years, the state of America’s cities is strong, according to the National League of Cities’ 2022 State of the Cities report, released in June.

NHMA's 2021 Annual Report

By the time you are reading this, the House will have held its three-day marathon session, the Senate be working on the State budget, and Crossover will have passed. As you have hopefully read in the Legislative Bulletin and our separate Legislative alert emails, there are many bills in the House this year that are damaging to local government.

2020 Annual Member Report

By Kimberly A. Hallquist

The annual report is as much of a town meeting tradition as the moderator’s gavel, the old wooden ballot box and the rows of chairs facing the moderator’s podium. Prominently depicted in the 1942 Norman Rockwell painting Freedom of Speech, the annual report plays an important role before, during and after the annual town meeting.

Most municipalities in New Hampshire meet annually and govern themselves through the traditional town meeting. The meeting is the “legislative body" of the town, and performs the important tasks of appropriating funds in the operating budget, and considering “special" warrant articles for projects that may be the culmination of months or years of preparation by interested citizens or other stakeholders.

The annual report is an opportunity for towns and cities to showcase their community, describing what makes it special and why people like to call it home. When reading the annual report, people want to know what has happened in their community during the past year and what is planned to occur in the future. Rather than merely stating facts and figures that are indistinguishable from those of another town, a good annual report will reflect this sense of community by including historic photographs, informative narrative reports and relevant financial information.