Quote:
Originally Posted by secondcurve
AW:
Property taxes are going up because local officials refuse to cut pensions and 100% free health care benefits in the face of rising costs and slowing revenues (taxes). It is disappointing when local officials feel it is a god given right that tax payers provide benefits to town and state workers that the tax payers themselves do not receive from their employers.
I wish I could get involved but out of state property owners have no rights in the process.
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SC, as AW suggests get involved and in the process read what she is saying more carefully.
1) Local officials have NO control over the NH pension system that is controlled SOLELY by our wonderful legislators in Concord. Do you know that in an effort to balance the state budget the Democrats running things in Concord DECREASED the amount the state contributes to the municipal workers pension fund. In addition, they stipulated in the legislation that Towns could not, repeat could not pass on any of the towns' additional pension costs to employees! Most town officials are very upset at this arbitrary move by Concord.
2) Health benefit costs jumped 17% which many towns are NOT passing on to employees. This act of charity by town officials does no sit well with taxpayers.
3) Keep in mind that there are two sides to the increase in the tax rate. If there is a corresponding decrease in property valuations there will be little or no change in the dollar amount paid by each taxpayers. This situation is supposedly what happened in Meredith. Tuftonboro, according to various officials, did not have sufficient reserves as determined by the DRA and was forced to raise taxes.