Board Of Aldermen - Minutes - 6/28/2016 - P6
Board of Aldermen Page 6
June 28, 2016
PERIOD FOR PUBLIC COMMENT RELATIVE TO ITEMS EXPECTED TO BE ACTED
UPON THIS EVENING
Ms. Paula Johnson, 15 Westborn Drive
What I’m going to talk about quickly is the budget. | didn’t get to go to the budget meeting this year. I’m kind of
busy because I’m healthier than last year which is a good thing. I’m not just sitting around just watching TV of
all these meetings. For our taxes to go up another 2.5 %, | find it very hard that there was nothing in the
budget that can be reduced. The police is going up 2.5 %; social security went up 0 % this year. People on
social security are really behind the eight ball. | don’t Know about how many of you in here are collecting social
security, how many are on a pension. | know we’re not on a pension. My husband hasn't retired yet. But do
we ever take people into consideration? The only people that are getting increases in their pay are employees
of government. Government. Ask the average person on the street how much of an increase in pay have they
gotten over the last several years. Most people are going to say zero to nothing. My husband hasn't had a
raise in the last eight years. Everything keeps going up on us. We have to figure out how we reduce things.
My health insurance went up 35 % this year. I’m sure city employees don’t have my deductible: $2000 out-of-
pocket. | had to go from $1500 to $2000 just so | didn’t have to pay an extra $150 a month so | could keep my
costs. | had to look at ways to reduce my household. But we don’t look for ways to reduce when you send a
tax bill to us. As a matter of fact, how many aldermen here pay their tax bills at this point? How many of you
own property in this city? How many? Because my tax bill | paid today. It was close to $2500. | can’t see the
quality of services. Bob Sullivan used to say that all the time. What quality of services has improved for my
costs to go up? | am going to tell you | heard that the police got a 2.5 % increase, the highest in the budget.
They were going to stop putting them out on the street because of all the people who run the red lights. I’m
going to talk about that at the last part of public comment period because I’m tired. | almost got broadsided the
other day right off of Main Dunstable Road going on the highway. A guy just breezed right through the light.
There’s no language barrier. It was red and they keep doing it right up at Ledgewood Hills, right through those
red lights. Yet, we can’t get the police out there. | spoke about this at the Ward 5 meeting back in January. |
was the one who was complaining. | guess | shouldn’t say complaining, concerned about this because it’s just
becoming a nightmare in the city, and | don’t see the police out there watching at lights like they used to for
people violating. But | will ask to please consider about voting. | know the budget is going to pass. There’s
going to be enough votes here. But when | think about the people on fixed incomes, fixed incomes meaning
you can’t have your salary go up and there’s no other way to create that income to offset your costs here. For
one, I’m tired of all these increases. It’s getting to the point you’re running everybody out of the city eventually.
The seniors are going to be run out of the city. My house is paid for, and | liked to enjoy my house now but |
can’t because my taxes are getting out of control. Thank you.
Ms. Latha Mangipudi, 20 Salmon Brook Drive
I’m going to be speaking in favor of R-16-049, the sister city initiative that the Mayor very eloquently explained.
| thank Mayor for taking the step to bring it to the Board of Aldermen. As Mayor Donchess explained, there is a
large group of India American citizens, and they are contributing to the demographics. Not just the
demographics, the economic growth and the cultural vibrancy and diversity in our city. | am really honor and
proud to serve my community. | have lived in Nashua for over 25 years. The sister city initiative started last
year when | hosted about four different delegations coming from India. The reason is the current Prime
Minister, who took office in 2014, has really promoted this international partnership and opening up the
opportunities, cultural, economic, tourist, tourism, and education sharing. He is really promoting a lot of
international sister cities. The India Consulate in New York, each Consulate has two states in India that they
are promoting sister cities within the states that they have adopted or it’s under, they are the liaison kind of
thing. It so happens on of them has states that the Consul General, Riva Ganguly Das, who was here in June,
has Karnataka as one of the states. It just so happens, very conveniently, it’s the state that | come from and
my husband comes from, and there’s a large contingency of India American population in this city. The consul
general also has a mandate from India government as the ambassador from India government to the United
States to promote this cultural, economic, tourism, the sister city concept, which is called the Twinning City. If |
have a few minutes, Mr. President, a have a little blurb what the sister city is about that | would like to read.
There is a formal organization in the United States called the Sister City Initiative. In recent years the term city
