For the full wording of the Article, see this link: Link to the Warrant as Amended following Deliberative Session
What it means: Each of the listed agencies will receive a donation from the town in the noted amount. The funds raised and donated last year are provided for comparison. This is an “all or none” Warrant Article. If the Article passes, all the listed agencies receive the specified donations. If it fails, none do.
Those in Favor Say: Several people at Deliberative Session rose to support this Article, noting that the people of Hampton benefit from the efforts of these agencies. The services provided would not be as easily attainable, and would certainly be more expensive, if the Town had to step in to fill even a portion of the roles currently provided by these non-profits. However, one speaker did suggest that the report submitted by the agencies at the end of the year should be made more readily available (as opposed to having to go to Town Hall to see it.)
Those Opposed Say: No one spoke against this Article at Deliberative Session. However, Article 36 also addresses this funding mechanism for the Social Services Agencies. The reader is advised to review the discussion for that Petitioned Article.
Fiscal impact: Cost per $1,000 valuation is $0.03. A household valued at $650,000 would see $19.50 incorporated in the tax bill for 2025. However, since a similar cost has been part of the tax base for some time, there is essentially no increased tax (and in fact a slight reduction in the tax bill.)
Note: We use the average cost per property for Hampton. There is “Cost per Warrant Article Calculator” on the Town’s website that allows you to enter your specific property value, and the see the cost for all Warrant Articles. You can access the Calculator here.