CONCORD, NH – “I am deeply disappointed that New Hampshire will likely continue to operate under congressional maps originally drawn in the 1860s. Those lines no longer reflect the state we live in today, but the reality is that the political will does not exist in Concord to fix them right now. Rather than continue a symbolic fight that goes nowhere, I am choosing to replace this bill with one that delivers results on issues voters are consistently telling us matter far more to them, starting with the crushing burden of property taxes.” Said Election Law Chairman Ross Berry (R-Weare)
The Chairman continued: “In that spirit, I have filed a non-germane amendment that replaces congressional redistricting language with a property tax protection framework. This is not a final proposal and negotiations are ongoing, particularly with Republicans who were not prepared to support HB 675, but I am encouraged by the progress being made and cautiously confident we can reach a meaningful agreement.”
The framework currently under discussion includes the following:
• Voters would decide whether to adopt a local property tax cap at the November General Election, when turnout is highest, using the same three fifths approval threshold currently required in town elections.
• The cap would be formula based and tied to the current budget plus inflation and development driven growth.
• The cap would apply only to property taxes and would not function as a spending cap, preserving flexibility for local governments.
• Other revenue sources, including state funding, would remain available to municipalities, school districts, and counties.
• Any cap would apply only in jurisdictions where voters choose to adopt it and would remain in place unless and until voters reauthorize it at a future general election.
• By design, adoption would result in a patchwork of local control decisions across towns, school districts, and counties.
• A high threshold override mechanism would exist but would be structured so it cannot easily overturn the will of voters expressed in November.
• Capital projects would be excluded from the cap calculation.
• Bonding could not be used as an end run around the cap.
Chairman Berry continued: “I want to specifically thank Rep. Lorie Ball for her willingness to come to the table and engage constructively. Balancing the principles of local control with the need to protect property taxpayers is not easy, but it is necessary, and this framework reflects a serious effort to do both.”
Background
Rep. Ross Berry (R-Weare) has filed Amendment #2026-0093 to HB 1300 (Congressional Redistricting). The amendment removes the congressional redistricting language in the bill and replaces it with a property tax protection framework that is currently under negotiation to address the issues of crushing property taxes in New Hampshire.
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