Business View Magazine | May 2019

204 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE MAY 2019 NHMA Board chair then appoints legislative policy committees which meet during the spring to discuss these ideas, as well as the ideas committee members bring to the table. The full Legislative Policy Conference then takes place in September. Each member municipality, regardless of size, has one vote and is asked to appoint a voting delegate to cast its votes at the policy conference. As with a town meeting, conference attendees engage in lively debate on many issues, culminating in votes to establish the final policy positions, which must be adopted by a two-thirds majority. To address the many legislative issues of concern to municipalities, NHMA has also adopted legislative principles that guide staff in setting priorities during any legislative biennium—a set of standing “core” principles. NHMA’s core legislative principles include supporting issues that provide greater authority to govern more effectively, efficiently, and flexibly at the local level, including local option legislation; advocating for maintaining existing local authority; supporting efforts that maintain existing revenue streams to municipalities; and being watchful of proposals to downshift or reduce local aid in order to meet other funding commitments. Because NHMA seeks to enhance the ability of New Hampshire cities and towns to serve the public, much of our advocacy is focused on money, particularly state-local government partnerships. Every two years—2019 being one of those years—the New Hampshire Legislature crafts a budget to fund state responsibilities and priorities, including public education, highway maintenance, prisons, environmental protection, health care, and more. For decades, the state has been a partner with municipalities in different “revenue sharing” and “cost sharing” programs critical to the economic health and well-being of both our communities and the entire state. These have included programs that fund infrastructure improvements for roads and bridges, and for water and wastewater facilities; contributions to the cost of public safety personnel and teachers;