In an interview with Chris Ryan, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu responds to questions about his proposed state budget and defends the steps taken by his administration to balance the budget during the COVID pandemic.
Mayor James Donchess of Nashua, NH has claimed that 5.5% of a 7% tax increase in city taxes is caused by Sununu’s proposed budget. The Governor insists that Mayor Donchess is 100% incorrect because the downshift of state to local expenses came about from Governor Lynch’s 2010 budget. Governor Sununu maintains that his budget, which doesn’t go into effect until July 1, 2021, does not cause any downshifting of state to local costs.
Governor Sununu and Chris Ryan went back and forth over whether New Hampshire has benefitted from COVID relief spending. The Governor stated that federal money from the CARES Act and similar relief packages could only be spent for specific COVID-related expenses.
In the final analysis, both agreed that federal relief spending helped New Hampshire get through the COVID pandemic. The state’s budget is balanced. Good planning and an accurate anticipation of costs and revenues allows New Hampshire to account for every dollar.