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Attorney: court found property-tax ballot language unlawful; AG may rewrite
Summary
Town attorney Scott Simpson said a July 29 ruling found a property-tax amendment's ballot title and language unlawful and misleading; the attorney general has 10 days to rewrite the language and plaintiffs then have 10 days to respond.
Town attorney Scott Simpson briefed the council on a recent court ruling involving statewide property-tax amendment ballot language. Simpson said a July 29 decision concluded the ballot title and summary were unlawful and, as written, advocated a position and contained misleading phrasing.
He explained the statutory process for correcting the ballot language: the attorney general has 10 days from the ruling to submit revised language to the secretary of state, and the plaintiffs then have 10 days to challenge the new language before the judge. "They have an opportunity to amend it," Simpson said, noting the ruling identified language the court viewed as advocacy and misleading wording.
Simpson advised the council the town might see press or social-media coverage about the decision and recommended following state actions; the ruling does not directly change the town's charter ordinance action but affects the state-level ballot-language process.
