In The Know Hampton

Your Source For Unbiased Town Information

Article 35: Expand Veterans Tax Credit

Shall the Town of Hampton vote to adopt the provisions of the All Service Veterans’ Tax Credit contained in RSA 72:28-b in accordance with the provisions of RSA 72:27-a that provides for a $500 annual tax credit that is the same amount as the optional veterans tax credit under RSA 72:28 that has already been adopted by the Town.  A person shall qualify for the all veterans’ tax credit if the person is a resident of this state who served not less than 90-days on active service in the armed forces of the United States and was honorably discharged, or an officer honorably separated from service, or the spouse or surviving spouse of said resident, provided that Title 10 training for active duty by a member of a national guard or reserve shall be included as service under this paragraph; provided however that the person is not eligible for and is not receiving a credit under RSA 72:28 or RSA 72:35?

What it means:  Currently, a qualifying veteran (or surviving spouse) can claim a $500 credit against property taxes by way of service in specific wars or armed conflicts.  RSA 72:28-b, which would be adopted in Hampton if Article 35 passes, provides that credit to all veterans with at least 90 days service time and an honorable discharge, regardless of whether they were engaged in armed conflict.

Those in favor say: All who spoke at Deliberative Session were in favor of this Article, stating that it is another way to support our veterans.

Those against say: No one spoke against Article 35 at Deliberative Session.

Fiscal Impact:  The property tax base will be slightly reduced to the degree that Veterans take advantage of the tax credit (which must be applied for).  However, there will be no direct impact to taxpayers if this Article passes

Article 36: Amending the Entertainment Activities Ordinance

Shall the Town of Hampton vote to amend Entertainment Activities Ordinance Chapter 149 of the Code of the Town of Hampton as follows:

Section 149-15. A. (1) by striking the items in the box labeled Day/Night and substituting therefore the following: 12Noon to 11PM* Monday through Thursday 75 dB

Section 149-15. A. (1) by striking the items in the box labeled Late Night and substituting therefore the following 11PM to 11:59 PM Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and legal holidays defined in RSA 288, 75 dB

Section 149-16.  Police Attendance.  by removing the figures 30% in the last line and substituting the figures 50% so that the last line in Section 149:16 reads “Payment for services of these personnel shall be borne by the licensee at current wage rates, plus 50%.

What it means: Passage of Article 36 would change the days and hours at which establishments could play music or any other entertainment above the noted decibels.  It also increases the costs for businesses to utilize police detail when such additional support is deemed necessary.

Those in favor say: This is a good compromise between allowing the businesses to thrive and contribute to the tax base, while allowing their residential neighbors to enjoy their homes in peace.

Those against say: The ordinance would cause the entertainmenet businesses at the beach to essentially shut down after 11 pm.  Considering that many of the businesses are only open for a limited number of months, removing hours of operation represents a significant revenue cutback for the owners, the employees and the bands or other entertainment sources.  It will also reduce after-show options for those who attend an event at the Casino.Those who are against this Article point to Articles 39 or 40 as viable alternatives.

Fiscal Impact:  No direct tax impact.

Absentee Registering and/or Voting

If you are a Hampton resident but temporarily out of town you may register to vote by mail, and may also vote by absentee ballot. Contact the town Clerk’s office 603-926-0406.

If you are unable to register in person for other reasons contact the Clerk’s office 603-926-0406.

Here is a copy of the Absentee Ballot request form.

Declared Candidates for Open Town Positions

These candidates will be on your ballot for Article 1:

Select Board (1 opening, 3 year term): Regina Barnes (unopposed)

Town Clerk (1 opening, 2-year term): Shirley Doheny, Patricia LaFlamme, Michelle L O’Brien-Hansen

Trustee of the Trust Funds (1 opening, 3-year term): 
No one declared – vacancy will eventually be filled by appointment of the Board of Selectmen

Library Trustee (1 opening, 3-year term): Christopher Hendry (unopposed)

Cemetery Trustee ((1 opening, 3-year term): Sue Erwin, Ute Pineo

Planning Board (2 openings, 3-year terms): Fran McMahon, Keith Lessard, Anne “Tocky” Bialobrzeski, Alena Degan, Chris D. McPherron

Budget Committee (2 openings, 3-year terms): Steven D Henderson, Joyce Skaperdas (unopposed)

Zoning Board (1 opening, 3-year term):Bryan “Provo” Provencal (unopposed)

Thank you to all for your willingness to serve! Good luck!

Data for the Savvy Voter

Our “Savvy Soup” page is meant for background information relevant to decision-making for local issues.  Data presented on this page do not necessarily relate to a specific issue, but rather provide context to assist the savvy voter in understanding the larger picture related to Hampton finances and the way the town is organized and run.

What influences the decisions of Hampton voters in local elections?

There is often controversy surrounding the degree of influence of the recommendations of the Board of Selectmen and the Budget Committee, and how those opinions align with the “yellow sheet” published by the Rational Taxpayers of Hampton. One of the surprising findings of a recent study is that, despite the angst that goes along with these recommendations, the Budget Committee agreed with the Board of Selectmen on 81% of the Articles and the Rational Taxpayers of Hampton agreed with the Board of Selectmen on 71% of the Articles.  Two-thirds of the Articles had the same point of view from all three groups, representing 101 out of 154 Articles over the 5-year period. Not surprisingly, the outcome of the vote was in line with the recommendations in virtually all cases where there was across-the-board agreement

For the roughly one-third of the Articles where there was disagreement among the recommending bodies, the voters agreed with the Board of Selectmen on 41% of the Articles, with the Budget Committee on 56% and with RTOH on 54%. The conclusion is that the voters do study these declarations by other bodies but, true to New Hampshire independence, they make their own choices after weighing all the available information. No one group dictates results at the polls.

Other findings:

  • The Deliberative Session has historically been the one place where voters can get comprehensive information for all of the Articles that will be on the ballot. However, this “first session” of Town Meeting is poorly attended, with only about 100 people attending out of a range of about 2500-3500 people who cast a vote.
  • Other sources of information can be influential, including presentations by department heads and dedicated efforts by proponents of petitioned Articles. However, this information is sporadic. Voters cannot count on finding information on all Warrant Articles via this type of input.

There are interesting statistics in the study itself not presented in this summary.  Click here for a peek at the full report.

Coming Soon!

Town Meeting Session 1, otherwise known as Deliberative Session will take place on Saturday, February 4th starting at 8:30 at the Winnicunnet High School Auditorium.  In The Know Hampton will be there, and we hope you will be too!  Starting the following week, we will start populating these pages.

What is a Cadillac Tax?

Several discussions about the Collective Bargaining Agreements for the Town and also for the School Districts have mentioned a slightly higher rate of pay increase to make up for the fact that the Unions have agreed to “give backs” on health insurance to avoid the “cadillac tax”. We’ve all heard the term, but what does it mean?

The tax will require employers to pay a 40 percent levy, starting in 2020*, on the amount by which the total costs of health plans exceeds an annual limit of $10,200 for an individual and $27,500 for a family. Although it is not effective for several years, the Town gave the negotiating teams a mandate to reduce the Health Insurance plans to avoid the penalty in the out years.

The Town is far from alone. A survey of Fortune 1000 companies by a top benefits consulting firm, found that the majority of companies indicated that the looming excise tax is having a “moderate” or “significant” influence on benefits decisions.

The Unions represented in Articles 14, 15 and 16 as well as the Teachers’ Union on the School District ballots have agreed to the give-backs and their contracts are for three years. The Fire Unions (Articles 12 and 13) have not yet come to terms with the issue. That’s why they have a one-year agreement, to give everyone time to sort out the health insurance terms.

* Thanks to a commenter for flagging that we had outdated information.  The implementation date was changed from 2018 to 2020 last December.  This post reflected the new information as of 3/4/16.

Boards with Open Positions for March Ballot

If you ever thought you might consider serving the Town of Hampton in the capacity of elected office, below are the expiring terms that will be filled by ballot on March 8th, 2016.  Most are 3 year terms.
Board of Selectmen: One position (expiring term: MaryLouise Woolsley)
Planning Board: Three positions (expiring terms: Fran McMahon, Keith Lessard and Mark Olson).
Town Clerk: One position (Expiring term: Jane Cypher)
Trustee of the Trust Funds: (Expiring term: William Hartley)
Zoning Board of Adjustments: One position (expiring term: Bryan Provencal)
SAU 90: Two positions (expiring terms: Ginny Bridle Russell and Jerry Znoj)
Winincunnet Cooperative, SAU 21: One position (expiring term: Henry Marsh)

Additional town positions open this year:

Budget Committee: Two positions – 3 year term
Budget Committee: One position – 2 year term
Budget Committee: One position – 1 year term
Town Moderator: One position – 2 year term
Supervisor of the Checklist: One position – 6 year term
Library Trustee: One position – 3 year term
Cemetery Trustee: One position – 3 year term


If you are unsure about the role of each of these boards, you can read about them in the Hampton Handbook.