"Town" vs. "City" vs. "County" in NH (Columbia: co-op)

[scone]

Not such a great title, I know. What I mean is, NH seems to divide all the land in the counties into towns and cities, such that there is no separate "county" land, as there is in other places. For example, I live in Columbia County, Oregon, which has several towns, with legally defined boundaries. But all the other land that isn't inside a city boundary is "county," with a different tax structure, different zoning, etc. In NH, there doesn't seem to be any such land that's not included within the boundary of some town or city. Is that right?

If that's the case, does it imply the county government has no power? Is it just a sort of historical artifact, so to speak? Does that also imply that each town is somewhat distinct and separate, and governs itself according to its own body of law?

And if that's true, how does the state reconcile all the different tax rules, building codes, zoning regulations, etc.? It seems pretty complex, to an outsider like me. TIA, just wondering!

[WannaComeHome]

Hi scone, welcome to the forum!

Yep, that's pretty much the case. And I understand what you mean, because down here in MD we have lots of land that isn't within town boundaries but often considered part of a town, or land that is just county land, or a large town that doesn't feel like incorporating (that would cost money for FD and PD, when the county will cover it otherwise...).

In NH, all land is within some town boundary somehow. All towns abut other towns. there is no 'county land' as you and I know it. Yes, there are 9 counties in NH, they don't do a great deal - probably mostly for dealing with court stuff.

Because all towns are independent (some banding together for school districts, some not), taxes are all at the local level - with some state added in, and I believe the same with vehicle tax (the town gets a cut and the state gets some - but I could be confused here).

If you go to 2007
you can download a doc file showing the tax breakdown for all towns in the state. Pretty much it's the town's probably to get it all sent to the right places.

[dognh]

Just to confuse things a little more, there are still a few "un-incorporated" places, too. Which if I'm correct have very little if an local taxes, services, schools etc. But don't get too excited, most of these are around the White Mountain National Forrest and have very little residential sustainability

[WannaComeHome]

Originally Posted by dognh

Just to confuse things a little more, there are still a few "un-incorporated" places, too. Which if I'm correct have very little if an local taxes, services, schools etc. But don't get too excited, most of these are around the White Mountain National Forrest and have very little residential sustainability

I'm guessing those would be like Bean's Grant & Bean's Grant Purchase and the teeny bits around there? yeah, I think I read somewhere they were unincorporated, although they still seem to have town borders. I'm sure they send their kids to a co-op school.

[bryfry]

Wanna's description is correct. The counties in the New England states all seem to work similarly. The county jobs usually include courthouses, sheriff dept's, attorney, and houses of corrections (jails). Many of these jobs may seem like figureheads, but there is much to do within a county, especially when it comes to matters of the law. You've got commisioners, registry of deeds, superintendents, nursing homes, etc. They all pick up where the towns leave off. They don't control large tracts of land, save for some buildings, so it's not a huge deal.

[scone]

Thanks, everyone. I was wondering, how is the county funded? Is each county given cash equally by the state, or does each town in the county earmark a portion of the property taxes to the county? Or, does each household pay a county tax on top of the town tax? TIA!

[buck naked]

Most of NH's government is funded solely by property taxes. Your property tax covers town, school, state and county taxes.

[buck naked]

In addition to property taxes, NH receives some federal funding and grants.