Learning About SB2
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| February 14, 2008 To the Editor: In the past several weeks you have heard from all sides of the SB2 arguments. There are those of us that have praised the genius of its simplicity in allowing all registered voters to have a say in their town. There are those that would have you believe it is the end of life as we know it; budgets will be slashed; department heads will face huge cuts; the selectmen's hands will be tied. All this back and forth… what is the truth about SB2? Let me give you some perspective of where SB2 is in New Hampshire and just how popular it has become in the short decade or so that it has been available vs. the 250 yrs of town meetings. • Excluding those larger cities that have no meetings, there are more people living in SB2 towns than Town Meeting towns. (427,942 vs. 421,091) Ref. NHCPPS • Of the 69 school districts that have adopted SB2 not one school district has rescinded. • Of the 60 towns that have opted for SB2, only three have rescinded. Two of them have a population of less than 380 souls. This indicates that town meetings there are social events and their budgets are very small. ($417,000 and $190,000) • Gilford, Alton, Wolfeboro, Ashland, New Hampton, Conway, Wakefield are local SB2 towns… no sky falling there. • Gov. Wentworth, Alton, Gilford, Madison, Mascoma Regional, Newfound Area, Rumney and Wakefield are local school districts with SB2… all good schools. In a 2000 study by the NH Center for Public Policy Studies, they discovered: • Voting on town spending issues increased by three fold with SB2. • Voting on school spending issues increased by five fold with SB2. • In two of the three years available for this study, towns and schools with SB2 "showed slightly greater rates of increase in voted appropriations." No slashed budgets here. Go to www.moultonborocitizensalliance.com for info and links to where you can find out more. Rick Heath Moultonboro |
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