Bill > HB1355

This bill eliminates the concept of a "default budget" from the official ballot referenda process for towns, which previously was an alternative budget amount calculated based on the previous year's budget with certain adjustments. Under the new law, if an operating budget is not adopted during the first ballot vote, the governing body must hold a special meeting to revise and vote on the budget. If the budget is again not approved during this special meeting's second session, the adopted budget will automatically be set at 10 percent lower than the previous year's adopted operating budget. The bill removes multiple existing provisions related to default budgets, including requirements for calculating and disclosing default budget details, and modifies ballot language to reflect these changes. Specifically, the bill amends several sections of New Hampshire Revised Statutes to streamline the budget approval process for towns using the official ballot referendum method, with the goal of simplifying budget discussions and creating a more straightforward mechanism for budget adoption when initial proposals are not approved.

Government Affairs

https://gc.nh.gov/bill_Status/billinfo.aspx?id=2272&inflect=2