Gilford Taxpayers Coalition Reference:

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 This year we decided to run an advertisement in the local paper with a QR Code to direct you here. In addition to being a cost saving measure for us, we hope to gain more readership and gather more like-minded conservatives to use more critical thinking on deciding the outcome of our Town and School Budgets. Please respond to our email address by giving us your email so we can create an email list and stay in touch throughout the year. Presently you can access occasional postings at “gilfordtaxpayers.org.”

We ask you to reflect on the Property Tax Bill you received this year. If you liked your tax bill this year, wait until next year if all items pass as budgeted. We need to cut back on our spending just as the County, State and Federal Government is doing. Vote for the default Budgets!

We face the same overbudgeting scenario every year. The budget is up but DOES NOT include Warrant or Bond Issue Costs. More money than needed is requested and passed. Each year we have a huge fund balance. And instead of this excess being refunded to the taxpayers it is, via warrant articles, going into fund balances for a current or future expenditure. This cycle of overbudgeting needs to stop. We need to go back to the good old Town Meeting Days when a need was identified, and it was debated vigorously. This money is our money. Remember that vigorous debate occurs at the Deliberative Sessions for Town and School that are woefully under attended. Shockingly, there are no more than a handful of concerned citizens there at either meeting! Please make an effort to attend next year and every year!

It is with this in mind that we recommend voting against all items that are being funded by our previously paid tax dollars. The money being used for these purposes is not free money. We do believe the DPW needs a new facility. More scrutiny is needed. The overall cost is too high.

Our Recommendations on the Gilford Town Budget are as follows:

Article 1. – Vote your choice. We have no recommendations, but we do need members that will debate the issues seriously. We do not believe that the budget was so well conceived that there were Zero no votes on any article. We do not need rubber stamps.

Article 2. – Vote your conscience.

Article 3. – Vote NO. $11 million is too much. More scrutiny and debate is needed.

Article 4. – Vote NO. We don’t need a turf field. Porta potties have served us well for years This is an extravagance.

Article 5. – Vote NO. As stated in the opening commentary. The pattern of overbudgeting then having large balances needs to stop. The Town can be run very adequately on the default budget.

Article 6. – Police raises: Vote your conscience.

Article 7. – Fire Department raises: Vote your conscience.

Articles 8 Through 22. – We urge you to Vote NO. We recognize that many of the equipment and / or building upgrades may be needed items in the future; we as taxpayers are being abused by the habit of overbudgeting (taxation) and not having robust debate on expenditures. The current practice misleads the electorate into believing that this money is free money. It is not. We have already been taxed on these excess accruing funds each year.

Articles 23 Through 27 – Vote NO. We have opposed funding Charity Organizations via taxpayer money believing donations to charity are a personal matter not a town matter. Regardless of these organizations claims of providing

value to Gilford, they are charities and non- profits. The people that run these organizations also benefit even if the organization does not show a profit. These organizations need to do their own fundraising similar to the Salvation Army. An interesting sidenote: our selectmen had historically been neutral on these measures. Why are they now compelling taxpayers to fund these organizations? We may disagree on the need for a piece of equipment but majority voting rules as it is not a matter of conscience. Charitable organizations can be very objectionable to many and should not be a part of our taxation.

Article 28. – Vote Yes.

A new agreement is badly needed. All the lots in the business park have been sold. This article is intended to authorize the Selectmen to amend the existing agreement. It is now the responsibility of the lot owners to pay these taxes. There is $814,000 in this trust fund.

Our Recommendations for the 2025 Gilford School Budget

Article 1. – Election of Officers. Vote your conscience. We refer you to our comments on the Town Elections.

Article 2. - Vote NO. The school budget now exceeds $31 Million. It’s laughable that the default budget is only $150,000 less than the requested budget. This lesser amount is far more than needed. The School District overbudgets and has huge excesses each year. We need to rebuke these free spenders and regain control over costs.

Articles 3, 4, and 5. Vote NO on these. We refer you to the budget comments made on the Town Budget in paragraph 3. We need to vigorously debate our wants and needs and know the difference between them.

As a footnote, Article #3 has $1,148,670 in an unencumbered Capital Reserve Fund as of 12/31/24.

Article #4 has $221,995 in an unencumbered Capital Reserve Fund as of 12/31/24.

Article #5 has $60,437 in an unencumbered Capital Reserve Fund as of 12/31/24.

Thanks for participating in local politics and making sound decisions for the town. Your interest and vote is appreciated. Any contributions to the Gilford Taxpayers Coalition to help cover costs is welcome.

Please send whatever you can to the GTC at Post Office Box 7197, Gilford, New Hampshire 03247. We thank

you!

The Gilford Taxpayers Coalition

Post Office Box 7197

Gilford, New Hampshire 03247