City Council Update

Hi All,

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying our weather. I think in recent years the only thing predictable about our weather is how unpredictable it is.

So it’s time for another update from our last council meeting and looking forward to some of the issues we will be discussing and voting on in April.

On our March consent agent I pulled item #31, which discussed funding for cataloging buildings that have been demolished as well using the remaining funding to document buildings that may be demolished this year. My concern isn’t the funding, but the demolition of these buildings and the loss to our city’s living history.

Our current ordinances that outline the review process for demolition of a building have little ability to provide for alternatives to a building being torn down. Since the mid 1960’s when the railroad station was demolished we have seen our city’s history dismantled piece by piece. Over 60 years have transpired since the railroad station came down and since that time we have not taken the necessary steps to preserve our history.

It is time to enact ordinances that will give us an opportunity to save the history we have left for future generations. If this concerns you and much as it does me, I urge you to write to our Heritage Commission, Planning Board and City Councilors.

Some good news. The city council voted to go ahead with a solar array at the Hall Street waste water plant. Should all the details wok out, this has the potential for significant savings for our city over the next 20 years. As you are aware energy costs in New England are among the highest in the country. Anything we can do to lower these costs not only helps you and me, but also makes us more attractive when looking to bring more businesses to our city.

Next month we will be voting on expanding areas in the city where we can offer tax abatements (RSA 79-E), burying power lines on Main Street and funding for a community center on the Heights.

While I have voted for tax abatements through RSA 79-E for the Remi Block project, I am concerned about expanding the areas in the city where we should offer this program. My concern centers around the ability of the city to clearly determine both benefit and need. Is there a benefit to the city and is it clear that the project is unable to move forward without receiving a tax break from the city. It appears the city administration is as concerned about these issues as I am and will develop rules to insure that only projects that benefit the city and would not be able to move forward without this abatement will be considered.

Burying power lines on Main Street has been discussed approved and then had the funding transferred to pay for the current Main Street project. Burying the lines from Pleasant to Thompson are estimated to cost $2 million and burying them from Thompson to Concord Streets will cost an additional $1 million. I have suggested that the costs for this should be paid for by our downtown or at a minimum there should be cost sharing for this project between the downtown and the rest of the city. I am not comfortable either including this cost in the Sears Block tif District (should it be able to absorb these added expenses) or having your tax dollars provide the only source of funding for this project.

We will also be voting on funding for a Heights Community Center. The current proposal from the administration is more in line with what is potentially affordable to the community. As always there are concerns. It is projected that construction costs will add $33 for a house assessed at $200,000. While this is not a lot of money, I believe it has to be looked at in the full context of all the costs for those paying property taxes. If you live in the MV school district you will see an almost $150 increase just for the school portion of your taxes this year. We have been told the neighborhood paving program will add .5% to the city portion of the budget. And there are increases in health care and wages for our employees along with other items that can increase your property taxes.

Take into account that for many years the value of residential property has outpaced the value of commercial properties and we see a continuing shift of property taxes towards those owning homes. When spending your money, I will - as always - balance needs vs wants vs our ability to pay for it as a community.

I will be asking our code department to look into reinstating inspections for residential rental units. The recent fire on Rumford street where one of the tenants lost their life had not been inspected for 7 1/2 years and had no working smoke detector in the area where the tenant slept. My goal isn’t to burden landlords with more costs and regulations, but to insure that tenants are provided a safe place to live that meets our current code regulations.

And in our end of town, the final work for Rte 3 will start on April 11th and take about 3 months to complete. More information about this project can be found in the April 1st City Manager’s Newsletter.

Well as usual I have gone on longer than even I anticipated when I started this update. So any questions suggestions or concerns, you can contact me at: aherschlag@concordnh.gov or 224-6086 - Allan