Concord City Council Approves FY12 Budgets

In a relatively quiet meeting that lasted slightly more than an hour, the Concord City Council approved its $51 million fiscal 2012 budget on June 27. The Council also approved its capital budget and water and sewer budgets, with just a couple "no" votes. 

According to Mayor Jim Bouley, a number of minor structural changes made to the budget since it was first released in May, allowed the city to lower expenses by about $177,000. This, in turn, allowed the property tax rate increase to be lowered from 2.5 percent to 1.9.

During the public hearing section of the budget, only a handful of people chose to speak.

Roy Schweiker, a city budget hawk and frequent commenter at meetings, spoke about the need to change the way the general services department plowed snow in the winter. He said the work left a lot to be desired and was making it difficult for walkers to navigate on city sidewalks during the winter.

“They push so much snow up on the walk even the sidewalk [plows] can’t move it,” he said.

Schweiker suggested having part-time workers during the winter to work on Saturday and Sunday to properly clear the snow. He said the change would make the city more pedestrian friendly.

“Every place else in the country are trying to make cities pedestrian friendly,” he said.

On taxpayer subsidies for a cold weather shelter, Schweiker suggested users of the shelter be made to make a contribution to the cost of running the shelter. Maybe volunteering to shovel snow, he sadi.

“A lot of people have more money than I do,” he said. “They like to spend their money on beer and drugs. But they should make a contribution to the shelter.”

Kim Murdoch, of the Concord Public Safety Foundation, reiterated thoughts the councilors had already received from the organization in May, including the need to preserve funding in the police traffic safety department, which will now have no officers working in it, the replacement of a ladder truck, and funding of equipment and training for the fire department.

“There is a concern that it will never come back,” she said, in speaking about the traffic safety department.

Kevin Curdie, a resident who uses the CAT buses, commended city councilors for preserving service despite concerns about the costs. Another woman also commented on the need to preserve the bus system since she used it to go everywhere around the city because she couldn’t drive due to health reasons.

A number of the councilors used the Rule 6A notice informing the public and the press that they may have conflict of interests when voting on the entire budget. For example, at-large Councilor Michael DelloIacono noted that he was on the Concord TV board, which receives funding from the city. Ward 8 Councilor Dick Patten hosts a show on the channels so he also noted the potential conflict. J. Allen Bennett, who also serves on the Concord TV board, however, did not note the 6A.

The councilors then went through a series of votes to approve the main budgets, in bulk. All were approved although votes about water and sewer rates received “no” votes for ward councilors Liz Blanchard and William Stetson.