About NHMA
The New Hampshire Municipal Association (NHMA) is a nonprofit, non-partisan membership organization of municipalities. Founded in 1941 for the purpose of exchanging information in the interest of facilitating more efficient and effective local government, NHMA was reorganized in July 2003 under the umbrella of the New Hampshire Local Government Center (LGC). In 2012, at the urging of municipalities and board members, NHMA reorganized again to encompass not only legislative advocacy, but also legal advisory services and training programs for officials and employees of member municipalities.
NHMA Government Affairs staff members represent members’ interests before the New Hampshire General Court (House and Senate) and various state agencies. At the September 21, 2012, Legislative Policy Conference, NHMA members adopted legislative policy positions for the 2013-2014 biennium. Review NHMA's 2013-2014 Legislative Policy Positions (PDF).
NHMA’s Legal Services attorneys are available to answer inquiries and provide general legal assistance to elected and appointed officials from member towns, cities and village districts. Visit the Legal Inquiries page for an overview of scope, attorney/client relationships and how to submit inquiries.
NHMA’s Finance Services assist municipal officials and staff with understanding issues related to municipal finance operations, including accounting, auditing, budgeting, financial reporting, fraud prevention and detection, financial policies, internal controls, property taxation, and state and federal regulations. Visit the Finance Services page for more information and to review resources for developing financial policies and audit guidance.
NHMA staff produce a number of publications including Knowing the Territory: A Survey of Municipal Law for New Hampshire Local Officials; The Basic Law of Budgeting; Town Meeting and School Meeting Handbook; Guidebook for New Hampshire Elected City Officials; and other publications. They also write a variety of articles for NHMA’s New Hampshire Town and City magazine. Visit the Available Publications page for more information and a complete list of NHMA publications.
NHMA staff also present workshops and educational programs on a broad range of municipal matters, including the Moderators Workshop, Local Officials Workshops and Budget and Finance Workshops, as well as the Municipal Law Lecture Series, the NHMA Annual Conference and The Academy. Visit the Presentations page for a complete overview of legal services workshops and training options.
Visit our web pages to learn more about NHMA Government Affairs services and NHMA Legal services, or download our Government Affairs brochure (PDF) or our Legal Services brochure. For more information, contact Government Affairs staff at 800.852.3358, ext. 3408, or governmentaffairs@nhlgc.org. Contact the Legal Services attorneys at 800.852.3358, ext. 3408, or email legalinquiries@nhlgc.org. For more information about municipal finance matters, contact the NHMA Government Finance Advisor.
Governing Committees
Municipal advocacy and government affairs are the primary focus of the New Hampshire Municipal Association. NHMA advocacy activities are overseen by the NHMA Board of Directors, comprised of 31 local officials elected by NHMA member municipalties.
The 75-member Committee on Government Affairs (CGA) is responsible for recommending legislative policy positions to the NHMA membership at the biennial Legislative Policy Conference and for providing support during the legislative session. For complete details of the NHMA policy setting process, visit the NHMA Policy-Setting Process page.
Both the Board and CGA are comprised of elected and appointed local officials of member municipalities from across the state. Potential new committee members may be self-nominated, put forward by the nominating committees of the Board, or nominated by local officials in member municipalities.