relative to eliminating the default budget from the official ballot referenda.
What changed between versions
The 'default budget' concept (a calculated amount with specific line-item adjustments) is replaced throughout with a simpler rule: if no operating budget is adopted, the previous year's approved operating budget is deemed approved. This appears in sections X and XI of RSA 40:13.
The 10 percent reduction penalty is eliminated. The introduced version stated that if no budget article was adopted at a special meeting, the adopted budget would be 'the previous year's adopted budget reduced by 10 percent.' The amended version instead defaults to the same amount as the previous year's approved operating budget with no reduction.
New timing requirements are added for special meetings called under paragraph XVI: the first session must be held 20 to 30 days after the second session of the annual meeting, and the second session of the special meeting must be held 15 to 30 days after its first session.
The restriction on amending warrant articles to change their purpose is narrowed from applying to all warrant articles to only 'petitioned warrant articles,' giving legislative bodies more flexibility to amend non-petitioned articles.
Section XVI is restructured from a flat paragraph with sub-paragraphs (a)-(c) into a more detailed structure with sub-paragraphs (a)-(f), separating the meeting exemption, timing rules, budget cap restriction, default outcome, and ballot question wording into distinct provisions.
