§ 49-B:13 — Separability; Preservation

I. The provisions of this chapter and of charters created under this chapter are separable. If any portion of this chapter, or of any charter adopted under the provisions of this chapter, or if the application of the chapter or such charter to any person or circumstance shall be invalid, the remainder of the chapter or such charter or the application of such invalid portions to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected by such invalidation.
II. All town and city charters which have been adopted, revised, or amended; all charter commissions which have been properly established and elected; all elections properly held; and actions properly taken pursuant to such charters are hereby legalized, provided that such charters at the time of their adoption were not contrary to the general laws and constitution of the state.
II-a. Notwithstanding RSA 49-B:1, all town or city charters which have been adopted, revised, or amended before July 5, 2011 to include a tax or spending cap of any kind and all charter commissions which have been properly established and elected; all elections properly held; and all actions properly taken related to the tax or spending cap in such charters are hereby endorsed, ratified, validated, and legalized and are fully enforceable.
III. RSA 32 shall not apply to a municipality adopting, revising, or amending a charter under RSA 49-C or RSA 49-D unless that municipality adopts a budgetary town meeting, official ballot town meeting, an official ballot town council, or representative town meeting pursuant to RSA 49-D:3, I-a, II, II-a and III. Except that a municipality may adopt a tax cap as provided in RSA 49-C:33, I(d) or RSA 49-D:3, I(e), notwithstanding the provisions of RSA 32:5-b and RSA 32:5-c.

Legislative History

1991, 304:10. 1993, 332:4. 2008, 243:2. 2011, 234:7, eff. July 5, 2011. 2021, 88:1, eff. Aug. 20, 2021.