Below is a LTE I have written about the Municipal Association's comments on the state downshifting costs to counties and towns-NOT. The Municpal Association is essentially an information source for municipalities and promotes their interests with the state. If they don't feel the state budget created downshifting, it did not.
As I campaign for re-election as your state Representative in Rockingham District 1, I often hear questions about the state legislature “downshifting” huge costs to the cities and towns. The following paragraph from the NH Municipal Association newsletter should make clear this is not the case:
Addressing a state budget shortfall of this magnitude was
an extremely onerous task, with difficult choices having
to be made every step of the way. Although there may
be some indirect impact on municipal budgets from the
significant reductions at the Department of Health and
Human Services, overall the adoption of SSHB 1 did
not result in a direct downshift of state budget shortfalls
onto cities and towns, and ultimately property taxpayers.
For this, your legislators should be commended. Please
express your appreciation to them.
The entire article can be found at http://www.nhlgc.org/attachments/nhma/Bulletins/2010Bulletin-24.pdf. The article also confirms that there was no reduction in the rooms and meals distribution tax nor was there any change in the state retirement contribution of 25 percent for fiscal 2011.
Finally, it has now been confirmed that a surplus of about 70 million dollars remains after the close of fiscal 2010. Predictions for what will happen in fiscal 2011 are just that, predictions. We can all make them and, because it is an election year, probably will. But the catastrophic deficit predicted by Republicans for 2010 did not occur. And, it is also important to remember that every single tax and most fees in New Hampshire were enacted under Republican leadership.
No comments:
Post a Comment