Shall the Town of Hampton vote to raise and appropriate as an operating budget, not including appropriations by special warrant articles and other appropriations voted separately, the amounts set forth on the budget posted with the warrant as amended by vote of the first session, for the purposes set forth therein, totaling $26,599,431.00? Should this article be defeated, the default budget shall be $26,528,092.00, which is the same as last year, with certain adjustments required by previous action of the Town of Hampton or by law or the governing body may hold one special meeting in accordance with RSA 40:13, X and XVI to take up the issue of a revised operating budget only. (Majority vote required).
What it means: The proposed budget of $26,599,431, if approved by voters, will be the Operating Budget for the fiscal year beginning January 2016. This represents less than one-tenth of 1% increase over 2015, which was a Default Budget
A “No” vote means: The Default Budget of $26,528,092 will be the Operating Budget for the fiscal year beginning January 2016. This is essentially the same as last year’s budget, which was a Default Budget. The Default Budget is defined as the prior year’s budget increased by contractual obligations, debt service and any Warrant Articles passed by the voters.
Those in favor of approving the proposed budget say: The Town’s Department heads did a good job of managing as best they could with the dollars provided last year, including cutting back where possible to make sure there was a reasonable amount for contingencies. A certain amount of excess for unforeseen events is prudent. Increases were absorbed; and line items were changed as needed, and as legally allowed. Any further cutback will affect the departments and what they can accomplish for the town.
Those against say: Even last year’s Default Budget had excesses. The Board of Selectmen moved money around without voter approval. New items were added to circumvent voter approval.
Fiscal Impact: The average Hampton home valued at $329,000 would bear an increased annual tax cost of $11.19 if this Article passes, and $2.63 if it were defeated. The difference is $8.56.
To calculate the effect on your property tax (for your specific property):
- Divide the Tax Assessor’s Valuation of your home by 1,000. (Example: for a $329,000 assessment, the number to use would be 329.) Use your latest tax bill, or go to: http://gis.vgsi.com/hamptonnh/Search.aspx Enter your street address to get your valuation.
- Multiply the result in #1 by .034 to get the tax impact of the proposed Operating Budget. Multiply the result in #1 by .008 to determine the tax impact of the Default Budget.