Town Meeting Day

As New Hampshire voters head the polls for our annual rite of democracy, the Union Leader editorial page urges fiscal restraint:

Last week he changed that plan. He now says federal stimulus money will pay for the increased education aid, and he'll let localities keep $120 million of the money he was going to take for the state. But that still leaves towns with less money than they normally would have received from the state this year.

That loss comes on top of whatever losses local governments already experience because of the recession.

The safest assumption for voters is that their towns have less money than local budgets project. Therefore, the safest bet is to cut spending.

A good plan for the future would be to set firm restraints on the growth of local government. Voters in 10 towns have the chance to request such restraints today. Warrant articles on the ballot in Allenstown, Conway, Hampstead, Hudson, Kingston, Plymouth, Rindge, Rumney, Salem and Strafford urge town officials to limit the growth of spending.