2001 SESSION

01-0365

10/09

HOUSE BILL 689

COMMITTEE: Municipal and County Government

ANALYSIS

This bill establishes a committee to study the effectiveness and fairness of county government.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

01-0365

10/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand One

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Committee Established. There is established a committee to study the effectiveness and fairness of county government.

2 Membership and Compensation.

I. The members of the committee shall be as follows:

(a) Three members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house.

(b) Three members of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate.

II. Members of the committee shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when attending to the duties of the committee.

3 Duties. The committee shall:

I. Compare current functions of county government with the functions originally intended in this state.

II. Determine whether some county government tasks can be better accomplished by the state, or vice versa.

III. Analyze county government services for any duplication of services available elsewhere.

IV. Review the funding of county government for the purpose of determining the equitable allocation of the costs of county government and county services to the towns and cities in the county. This may include a recommendation for legislation to allow articles of agreement to set county tax liability rather than solely using equalized valuation of real property.

V. Evaluate the assessment process for real property to determine if the process is consistent and fair. The committee shall specifically examine the process in Sullivan county and the 15 communities of that county. The committee shall investigate:

(a) Whether the assessment process is sufficiently monitored by the department of revenue administration.

(b) Whether legally and professionally acceptable assessment practices are in effect and applied fairly throughout the county.

(c) Whether all property classifications across a county and within each community of the county are properly assessed for determination of county taxes.

4 Chairperson; Quorum. The members of the study committee shall elect a chairperson from among the members. The first meeting of the committee shall be called by the first-named house member. The first meeting of the committee shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this section. Four members of the committee shall constitute a quorum.

5 Report. The committee shall report its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation to the speaker of the house of representatives, the senate president, the house clerk, the senate clerk, the governor, and the state library on or before November 1, 2001.

6 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.