#HB1279 voting rights of certain budget committee members KILLED 227 to 84 #nhhouse

HB 1279-L, relative to voting rights of certain budget committee members.  MAJORITY:  INEXPEDIENT TO LEGISLATE.  MINORITY:  OUGHT TO PASS.

Rep. James E Coffey for the Majority of  Municipal and County Government:  This bill significantly alters the character of the budget committees in municipal budget act towns by changing the representatives to the committee from the governing body, a school district wholly within the town and a village district wholly within the town from voting to non-voting members. This proposed change seems to assume that the members associated with the other boards would form a voting block that would work against the goals of the budget committee. In many towns only the selectmen have a voting representative. The members of the three boards, that could furnish a representative, often have diverse interests from each other and do not always represent a “stacking” of the board. What they can bring to a budget committee is better understanding of their boards needs and goals which should be used to produce a constructive consensus. Having a board member toil on a committee assigned to accomplish a difficult task of assembling a good budget without a voting voice in the outcome would be detrimental to budgeting process. It is the opinion of a bi-partisan majority of the committee that problems with local budget committees should be resolved at the local level and not by a global fix that would have negative unintended consequences in the many communities where the present process works well. Vote 11-3.      

Rep. John A Burt for the Minority of  Municipal and County Government:  This bill is intended to unify the provisions of RSA 32 and RSA 669:7 which read in part; “No selectman, town manager, school board member, full-time town, village district, school district or other associated agency employee or village district commissioner shall at the same time serve as a budget committee member-at-large under RSA 32.” At-large members are elected to serve in their positions. However, some members are appointed from the town selectmen and school board membership and have full voting rights on the budget committee; a position they were not, and cannot be elected to. This bill would make those positions advisory only and not allow them to continue to exercise two votes on town matters; one each in two incompatible positions.