Section 194-C:9-a Alternative Budget Procedure; Method of Adoption.
I. (a) Each school district, within a school administrative unit that is composed of 2 or more school districts, may vote to adopt the provisions of RSA 194-C:9-b to determine the means for adopting the school administrative unit budget by placing a question on the warrant of their next annual school district meeting. The question shall be voted on in accordance with the ballot and voting procedures in effect in that school district.
(b) The wording of the question shall be: ""Shall the voters of the __________ school district within school administrative unit number __________ adopt the provisions of RSA 194-C:9-b to allow for insertion of the school administrative unit budget as a separate warrant article at annual school district meetings?''
(c) If a majority of the voters voting in the school districts within the school administrative unit approve the question, then RSA 194-C:9-b shall apply starting with the next annual school district meeting of the school districts within that school administrative unit, and shall continue until rescinded. Each school district moderator shall cause a vote to be taken, record the number of yeas and nays, and report the results to the secretary of the school administrative unit board who shall accumulate the total vote for all the school districts within the school administrative unit. The secretary of the school administrative unit board shall announce the results and certify the same to the department of revenue administration.
II. If, in any year, the question presented to the voters in subparagraph I(b) is not adopted, the question may be resubmitted as part of the warrant of the next annual school district meeting, provided each school district within the school administrative unit complies with the petition procedure set forth in RSA 197:6.
III. In order to rescind the adoption of RSA 194-C:9-b, each school district within the school administrative unit shall comply with the petition procedure set forth in RSA 197:6 and upon such compliance, a question shall be placed on the warrant of the next annual school district meeting. The wording of the question shall be: ""Shall the voters of the ____________________ school district within school administrative unit number ____ rescind the adoption of RSA 194-C:9-b, relative to the alternative school administrative unit budget adoption procedure, and adopt the provisions of RSA 194-C:9 as the method for governing the adoption of the school administrative unit budget?'' If a majority of the voters voting in the school districts within the school administrative unit approve the question, then the provisions of RSA 194-C:9 shall govern the procedure for adopting the school administrative unit budget in such school administrative unit. Each school district moderator shall cause a vote to be taken, record the number of yeas and nays, and report the results to the secretary of the school administrative unit board who shall accumulate the total vote for all the school districts within the school administrative unit. The secretary of the school administrative unit board shall announce the results and certify the same to the department of revenue administration.
IV. For any town which has adopted a charter under RSA 49-D:3, the method of adoption shall be the manner of amending the charter as provided under RSA 49-B.
Source. 2003, 279:2. 2004, 75:1-3, eff. May 7, 2004.