If you’re interested in reducing property taxes in your town, there are several key events that you need to be aware of (and participate in!)  These typically happen in early- to mid-March.  They are:

• Town/School Elections
• Town Meeting
• School District Meeting

1. The Town/School Elections are like any other election insofar as registered voters come to the polling place (e.g. town hall) and vote on candidates for Selectman, School Board, Planning Board, School Budget Committee, etc.  Those town officials, in turn, have considerable discretion in how money is spent.
2. Town Meeting is where spending is decided and local laws are adopted or repealed via “warrant articles”.  A warrant article is a proposed law or spending initiative that typically needs to pass by a majority vote of the town’s registered voters who are attending the meeting.  If you don’t attend the meeting, you will have no voice in the spending decisions that affect your property taxes!  The proposed warrant articles are determined by the Board of Selectmen.  There is also a way for citizens to add a warrant article to the Town Meeting agenda “by petition”.  Town meeting is held once a year in March, and usually lasts for several hours.  There is also a “snow date” scheduled, so that the meeting can be held on the alternate date in the event of inclement weather.
3. School District Meeting is similar to town meeting, but in our case, it is a joint meeting of registered voters in Wilton and Lyndeborough.  Voters make decisions on a series of warrant articles that are drafted by the School Board.  Just as in the case of the Town Meeting, if you don’t attend, you will have no voice in the spending decisions that affect your property taxes!

Stay tuned and watch this blog for more information on the key issues and candidates coming up this year.

If you’re interested in getting involved or receiving regular updates, please send us an e-mail.