The information contained in this article is not intended as legal advice and may no longer be accurate due to changes in the law. Consult NHMA's legal services or your municipal attorney.
Ah, town meeting month! What could be more New Hampshire than that? Recently, I was reflecting on a time in my life when the only “town meeting” I was familiar with was depicted on the TV show Gilmore Girls (although, I suppose, the two types of town meetings aren’t entirely dissimilar). For the over 200
towns with meetings in March—and those with April and May meetings to follow shortly thereafter—may your town meetings be smooth, productive, and civil, and for fans of the show, with as few “Taylors” and “Kirks” as possible.
Town meeting also means that NHMA’s “spring training” is almost here. From our classic one-day Local Officials Workshop to training on road law and management (Hard Road to Travel) and employment law, there is so much available for new and returning elected and appointed officials. Visit our events & training calendar for the most up-to-date information and to register.
Meanwhile, in Concord, the end of March also means Crossover: the day bills in the legislature must cross over from their originating chamber to the other chamber (i.e., House bills must go to the Senate and Senate bills must go to the House). Unfortunately, as you’ve probably noticed if you’re following our Legislative Bulletin, the theme of State v. Locals continues to permeate, most recently on display in a hearing on a mandated tax cap question where the prime sponsor referred to town meeting—which is, literally, the purest form of direct democracy in the country—as “voter suppression.”
This theme also continues to dominate the housing debate, although we are pleased to see that both legislators and even the media are starting to appreciate the local perspective. To shed even more light on that perspective, NHMA produced a new whitepaper, Room for Everyone. This publication is not only a key informational document for legislators, local officials, and taxpayers, it also reflects a commitment in our strategic plan to amplify the local government voice by producing more educational and informational public policy materials. The whitepaper, which was featured on WMUR’s NH Business with Fred Kocher in February, shows that the zoning preemption and “blame municipalities” approach to addressing the housing crisis is a smokescreen. We
will continue to work to roll back or fix poorly drafted and burdensome mandates that are already affecting many of your communities.
And don't forget: time is also running out to volunteer for NHMA’s Legislative Policy Process! This member-driven process establishes the legislative policy positions that guide staff advocacy activities over the coming legislative biennium. If you are a city or town official, please consider volunteering for one of the legislative policy committees: General Governance & Administration, Finance & Revenue, and Infrastructure, Development & Land Use. The organizational meeting is on April 3 at 9:00 AM.
Last, but certainly not least, this issue also features NHMA annual report. It is always an exhausting (and sometimes
bewildering) but an ultimately satisfying experience to look back over the past year. Enjoy!