122:4. Reimbursement to Cities and Towns.
I. On a date not later than 30 days following the establishment and approval of tax rates for each city and town affected by and subject to the provisions of this chapter, the state treasurer shall pay to each town and city in which any taxable real estate or interest therein has been acquired under this chapter by the United States and thus become tax exempt for such year, a sum equal to the taxes which would have been assessed against the real estate or interest therein in such town or city if the same had been included in the list of taxable property as proposed by the commissioner of revenue administration in RSA 122:6. For land acquired by the United States under this chapter, reimbursement shall be made upon a valuation determined as provided herein on a permanently continuing basis, and if growing wood and timber was taxable as real estate on the date of acquisition by the United States of the land on which it stood, it shall be deemed to be land hereunder. For all artificial improvements on land acquired by the United States under this chapter, including buildings, structures and other artificial real estate fixtures of any kind, reimbursement shall be made upon a valuation determined initially as provided herein and thereafter annually reduced by 2-1/2 percent so that at the end of 40 years reimbursement therefor shall have terminated. On land and improvements thereon acquired by the United States under this chapter the initial assessed valuation of the land and improvements for purposes of reimbursement shall be the locally assessed valuation thereon for the tax year in which acquired as adjusted by the assessors and the commissioner of revenue administration acting as a joint board, so as to make such valuation proportional to the value of all other property in such town or city subject to taxation. For purposes of this section the joint board may subdivide such assessment equitably between land and improvements thereon or between real estate acquired and that not acquired, if the official assessment was not thus subdivided. The valuations of improvements thus determined shall thereafter be annually reduced over a 40-year period as above provided. On land, and artificial improvements, the valuations initially established as above provided in a town or city shall be reviewed by the commissioner at least once in every 5 years and more frequently if reasonably necessary and be changed as necessary to make them proportional with the assessed value of all other taxable property in such town or city. The amount of the reimbursement due to each town and city hereunder shall be determined by the commissioner and certified by it to the state treasurer not later than 30 days following the establishment and approval of the tax rates of each town and city under this chapter. The commissioner shall reduce the amount of reimbursement thus determined by any amount paid or due that town or city for that year by or from the United States, another state, an interstate flood control agency or other source, because of such loss of taxable valuation. The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for the payment of such reimbursements out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated. Provided, however, that reimbursement payments for loss of taxes on account of the acquisition of railroad or public utility property shall be reduced to the extent that such railroad or public utility property is relocated and reconstructed in the same town or city as a result of such acquisition, and thereby is included to that extent in the list of taxable property in said town or city as relocated.
II. [Repealed.]
Source. 1939, 204:1. 1941, 81:1. L 4:4. 1945, 41:1. 1949, 260:1. 1953, 128:1. RSA 122:4. 1955, 315:1. 1969, 278:1. 1973, 544:8. 1989, 50:11; 350:1. 2011, 224:195. 2012, 286:1, eff. July 1, 2013.
