To the editor,
Another day and lo and behold another anti-gun/NRA rant that is long on rhetoric and short on facts. Mr. Maloof of Plymouth made a lot of statements in Wednesday's letter but didn't back them up with any facts, which I find to be a common occurrence when people from the anti-gun crowd submit letters to this paper. I am going to take the liberty to make a statement that I can't prove and that is, if these people weren't rallying against firearms they would find another issue du jour to vent their pent-up anger on.
First off let me say factually that firearms don't last forever because if they did there would be no market for antique firearms that is booming at this time. Secondly, I doubt if Mr. Maloof still drives his first car or pedals his first bike. Also,think of all the new tools that come to market on almost a daily basis. I could go on and on but I think you get the drift. Another non-fact in his letter was seeing assault weapons of all kinds on the streets. What an idiotic statement! When are you people going to learn what an assault rifle is before making these statements that show your ignorance of the subject that you are writing about.
"Don't think for a minute that the NRA doesn't get a cut from every firearm sold" Mr. Maloof's words. Where's the beef? Please fax the proof of that statement to The Sun so that it can be published for everyone to see. Does the NRA get donations from the gun industry? Yes they do, just as Obama gets political donations from the NEA (teachers) and other unions. The bulk of the donations from the gun industry go to finance the firearms safety courses which the NRA sponsors all over the country. Where does the NEA's money go?
He also states "way over a million of us have been killed by their products since the Kennedy assassination." Again, all noise and no facts. I think if you included the Vietnam War and other battles since JFK's assassination, the number would still be well below his.
" So it's never been the right to keep and bear arms and maintaining a state militia aka negro slave patrols." What the heck is he talking about? He claims the NRA has a distorted view of the 2nd Amendment and a hunter's right to kill four legged creatures and for children to attend school without being riddled by assault rifles. (See 2nd. paragraph.) The NRA has the same view of the 2nd Amendment as the Supreme Court does.
So Mr. Maloof, if you can back up your statements with facts I will gladly retract all of mine. In the meantime I suggest you sit down with someone and discuss your penchant for maligning the truth which you seem to be proficient at. You certainly could use the help. Oh, by the way, I hope you have a large supply of chicken wings to protect yourself with in case of a home invasion.
Dave Schwotzer
Meredith

To the editor,
The Belknap County Commissioners have remained silent, generally preferring to discuss these issues in open public meetings, but at some point the correct information must be provided to those who are unable to attend the meetings.
Each year the commissioners prepare a recommended budget, based on the knowledge and experience of the professionals who are hired or elected to manage their departments and to provide county services. This budget is presented to the delegation with the expectation that it will be thoroughly reviewed, challenged, and revised. It is further expected that the delegation will take the time to learn about county operations and the costs and challenges associated with providing these particular public services. From the beginning stages of budget preparation (departmental requests) and through every revision, the impact on taxes is the primary concern. At the point in the process where the commissioners receive the departmental requests, mid–late September, every discussion regarding the budget is held in open, public meetings. There are minutes posted on the county's website, usually reporters are present, and some are televised on public access tv. The commissioners encourage public participation at every meeting.
It is always difficult when each biennium, a new delegation is elected and one of their first tasks is to appropriate a county budget. Often they have no prior knowledge of county operations, very little time to devote to attending county meetings, and all of the state's issues on their plate to contend with. So yes, it is concerning when a brand new delegation makes it's first order of business to exert it's statutory right to restrict the governing body's ability to transfer any funds from department to department. For many years past delegations have allowed commissioners to use their discretion up to $10,000 for transfers of this nature. There has been no problem, concern, or even a question asked about this process.
The commissioners spend all year planning, forecasting, and monitoring the budget. They encourage employees to reduce spending where they can, consolidate, cooperate, and conserve. They also acknowledge the employees for the work they do on behalf of the 65,000 residents of the county, who only become aware of these services when something goes very wrong for them or their families. All of this goes on all year long, with little to no input or involvement by the delegation. Every year the commissioners request, invite, and encourage delegation participation at meetings, on committees, and in consultation regarding the impacts of their work in Concord on the county's property tax payers.
This year's 8.9 percent tax increase comes after five years of level funded or decreased county taxes. No elected body wants to be the one to allow for an increase, however, this is a trend that cannot continue without significant impact on county operations and therefore county services. An operation of this size and responsibility, with approximately $30 million dollars coming in and $30 million dollars going out, with over 200 employees providing public services, requires general personnel, finance, and administrative oversight and accountability. In addition to an elected governing body to provide policy direction, long range planning and stewardship over taxpayer money and property. All of this depends upon a legislative body to appropriate responsible funding.
With tighter revenue and expense budgets, comes reduced undesignated fund balance. The ability to maintain a stable fund balance at a reasonable level has long been recognized as a governmental accounting best practice. For many years the county has maintained a stable level of fund balance, while continuing to hold the tax rate level. We have been able to make significant infrastructure improvements, implement energy efficiency strategies, reduce the county's workforce by 37 full time employees, and are well into a very public planning process for a new community corrections facility and jail. As the fund balance deteriorates, our ability to plan for controlled, stable, necessary tax increases is diminished, along with our credit rating. We believe that this is the point (after five years) at which a tax increase at the county level is finally unavoidable.
At this delegation's insistence that county taxes shall not increase under their watch, the commissioners have gone back to the drawing board and identified the areas of least impact to the provision of services. This will not be without sacrifice by the county employees and will certainly slow the progress of some programs. The commissioner's initial recommended budget increase would have cost an average homeowner approximately $25 in 2013. The majority of the delegation has chosen to pass that entire cost onto 200 of their constituents who happen to be county employees at a rate of approximately $2,000 each in 2013.
The Belknap County Board of Commissioners
John H. Thomas
Stephen H. Nedeau
Edward D. Philpot, Jr.

To the editor,
Dear fellow residents of Meredith:
As I approach the end of my first year as a member of your selectboard, I want to take this opportunity to thank you. I am very pleased to be a member and I am thoroughly enjoying it!
I have experienced much this year and I have learned so much about municipal government and the responsibilities that come with it. There will always be difficult decisions from time to time and I will continue to do my very best for the good of our town. Thank you again for the opportunity to serve you. Please feel free to contact me and I look forward to hearing from you.
Carla Horne
Meredith

To the editor,
Rep. Cormier of Alton has characterized the actions of the Belknap County Republican caucus' incredibly partisan invocation of RSA 24:14 as an effort toward checks and balances to the budget, giving voice to the people. What she fails to mention is the damage that this action has created, and the dictatorial and undemocratic character of it.
What dire emergency has come to pass that this extreme measure was brought to bear? Has the relationship between the commissioners and the county delegation somehow slipped into chaos? Is the delegation so bereft of management skills that this disagreement could not be settled in negotiation? If so, woe betides the legislature. This kind of blunt force action is an unconscionably poor choice that is indicative of either a total failure in leadership (most evident at the hearing) or a grandstand political stunt.
Speaking to the issue of "giving voice to the people", every Belknap County voter who participated in the last election indicated a choice for who they wanted to run the county. This delegation's usurpation of commissioner's responsibility negates the voter's choice, and is more than troubling; it is trampling on democracy itself. Who are you to so lightly negate the will of the people as they voted? You have broken faith with your constituents, skewed the working governance of the county, and created a partisan impasse with the minority delegates. All of this over a fiscal problem that should have been solved with elementary administrative skills. But I forget, to this caucus, proclaiming principle is more important than problem solving.
Call your delegate and demand that the delegation rescind the 24:14 motion. It may be legal, but it is wrong, inappropriate, and unproductive. Tell them that your vote is not theirs to caste aside. If there were a disaster that destroyed the county commission, it would be an appropriate act. Under this circumstance, it represents the worst in governance.
Andrew Sanborn
Sanbornton