2026 Annual Town Meeting

RSA 40:13 Use of Official Ballot (https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/III/40/40-13.htm)  lays out the procedure for holding a Town Meeting under SB2. For complete information on the procedure follow the link provided.  For the short version, read on.

The Town Meeting will be held in two sessions.

First Session – is for the transaction of all business other than voting by official ballot and will be held between the first and second Saturdays following the last Monday in January, inclusive of those Saturdays.  Under SB2 in 2026 the first session would be held on or between January 31 and February 7.

At the first session the meeting will consist of explanation, discussion and debate of each warrant article, including warrant articles pertaining to the operating budget and default budget.  Warrant articles may be amended at this first session subject to the following limitations:

• Warrant articles whose wording is prescribed by law shall not be amended
• Warrant articles that are amended shall be placed on the official ballot for a final vote on the main motion, as amended,
• No warrant article shall be amended to eliminate the subject matter of the article.  An amendment that changes the dollar amount of an appropriation in a warrant article shall not be deemed to violate this subparagraph.

All Warrants articles shall be placed on the official ballot for a final vote, including articles as amended at the first session. 

For adoption or amendment of an ordinance, the Enfield Zoning Ordinance for instance, the ballot may contain a topical description of the substance of the ordinance or amendment instead of the full text.  When a topical description is used on the official ballot, an official copy of the proposed ordinance or amendment will be made publicly available not later than one week before the second session and will be on display at the second session.

Second Session – is the official ballot voting day to elect officers of the Town, to vote on questions required by law, and to vote on all warrant articles from the first session.  The second session shall be held on the second Tuesday in March. 

Voting at the second session will be held using the same procedures as are currently used for voting by official ballot at Town Meeting, including all requirements pertaining to absentee voting, polling place and polling hours.

Approval of all warrant articles are by simple majority except for questions which require a 3/5 vote by law, contract or written agreement.

Default Budget – If the operating budget article fails, the Town shall be deemed to have approved the default budget, or the Select Board may hold a special meeting to take up the issue of a revised operating budget.  The “Default Budget”  means the amount of the same appropriations as contained in the operating budget authorized for the previous year, reduced and increased, as the case may be, by debt service, contracts, and other obligations previously incurred or mandated by law, and reduced by one-time expenditures contained in the operating budget and by salaries and benefits of positions that have been eliminated in the proposed budget.  In calculating the default budget amount, the Select Board, as the governing body, shall follow the statutory formula which may result in a higher or lower amount than the proposed operating budget.  The default budget shall be disclosed and presented for questions and discussion at the first budget hearing. 

The Select Board will provide to the voters line-item details for changes, including at minimum:

• Appropriations contained in the previous years’ operating budget
• Reductions and increases to the previous year’s operating budget
• One-time expenditures
• Reductions for eliminated positions and benefit expenditures

The question on the ballot concerning the operating budget will include the proposed budget as well as disclosure of the default budget in the event the article is defeated.