Stop the cost shift
The issue that has most of us concerned along with our selectboards and school boards is the increase in property taxes over the years. To be fair, some is because of inflation that none of our New Hampshire elected officials can do much about. But over the last 10 to 20 years a significant portion of the increase in local property taxes has come from the State downshifting costs to our towns and cities. Here are some examples:
• Until 2010 the State paid 35% of the retirement costs for teachers, police and firefighters. Now the State contribution is effectively zero.
• Until 2011 the State helped pay for local school construction projects. That aid was suspended and now there is a competitive grant program that is capped at $50 million statewide, providing nowhere near the funding needed to repair or replace aging school buildings.
• In 2004 the base State student adequacy grant was $3,390 which would be about $6,000 today but the actual amount the State provides today is only about $4,300.
• State highway block grants and road aid have remained relatively flat while the cost of paving, maintenance , equipment and salaries have risen dramatically.
• The State once shared tax revenue with towns to support local services and reduce pressure on local property taxes, but this sharing was suspended in 2010 and eventually repealed.
All of this to say that our efforts to reduce local property taxes need to focus a lot more on what our State government is doing and understand that local officials have very limited options as we are required to educate our children and need well maintained roads and bridges to be safe.
I urge you to support the candidates that will work to stop the cost shift and tame our property taxes. Please vote for Cinde Warmington for Governor, Karen Liot Hill for Executive Council, Sue Prentiss for the Senate and Jenny Ramsey and Dr. Larry Schofield for the House of Representatives.