Board of Aldermen 6-23-2020 Page 36
Alderman Dowd
Yes, as was mentioned | have received e-mails and read Facebook comments making the inference that if
we don’t approve the current contract that is before us that we disrespect the members of the Fire
Department, we don’t feel that we deserve this raise. Speaking strictly for myself this is as far from the
truth and it pains me to hear it. | have always and still do respect the members of the Nashua Fire Rescue
and feel proud to stand by them when | can. | fully believe that they deserve a fair raise for their continued
efforts to protect the citizens of Nashua and make Nashua one of the best cities to live in this country.
They have always gone the extra mile to do an outstanding job, protecting us as professionals who save
lives and property daily.
Unfortunately the City of Nashua is in the middle of a pandemic through no fault of the members of Nashua
Fire & Rescue and Nashua has many people out of work and many people who have taken a serious hit in
their finances due to this outbreak. Many of us that are familiar with the pandemic and its financial issues
understand there are so many unknowns in FY21 that we have to take a serious look at the Budget and
that’s why we reduced is significantly to get the proposed tax rate down from 4.5, it is around probably 3.7
and even that’s high. But there are so many things that we don’t know that might happen in 2021.
First of all, | want to say that if the contract passes, | won’t be upset, | think you know they certainly deserve
to be compensated well. However, | think that if they restructured their contract a little bit and looked
towards a higher increase in 2022 and 23 when the economy is going to recover, because it has to if it
doesn’t we are all in more trouble. That | would be more in favor of it and still get the endpoint | think that
they are shooting for or close to it.
As Chairman of the Budget we looked at the property tax rate for FY21 and as | said, it didn’t look good and
we’ve done things to try and get that impact down. Now we are hearing that we are going to have issues in
2022. But! agree with Aldermen Clemons that we need to dig our heels in and do something to reduce
these impacts that we are going to feel in 2022, whatever we need to do. But this contract, just the way it is
structured right now, with the percentages and the fact that the percentage increases in ’20 and ’21 impact
pensions and other benefits that add to the cost, that’s why the over all cost is about 17%. If we can just
reduce that impact in the short term and help them make it up more in the long term, | would be more in
favor of that. As | said, if the Board feels that they want to pass it, | am not going to be upset, | fully think
the Firemen deserve an increase. | am just concerned, really concerned that if we get into FY21 and we
start having issues, that we may not be able to afford the salaries that we just passed. And that’s a bigger
issue. | for one would not like to see that. I’ve been on the fence, but right now, they way it’s structured
and we can’t do anything to change the structure of the contract it has to go back and be discussed if it’s
not passed, and | for one just think that restructuring a little bit and bringing it back to us would get enough
support if it doesn’t pass tonight. So having said that, |’ll listen to anyone else, as well.
Alderwoman Kelly
Thank you, President Wilshire and thank you for the debate from everyone on the Board here. | think there
have been very valid arguments on both sides with this. | want to start by saying | appreciate our firefighters
very much. We are very lucky to live in Nashua where we have such an incredible force. 2020 is full of a
lot of uncertainty, | think we have been living day by day and week by week in terms of what things are
happening in our City, in our houses, with our own jobs. | currently, after listening to all of this cannot
support something that puts us directly in a way where we are locked into a Budget that we may not be
able to support in the future. | think, | am not as confident as my other Aldermen who have said that, you
know, “we will figure it out”.
Things are changing every single day, we are in the middle of a global pandemic and | think we have the
responsibility to our taxpayers to make sure that we can sustain a reasonable tax rate. And 3.75 is nothing
to you know, it’s not low and we are working on it. But! think that we can’t just throw caution to the wind
and say we are going to pass this and figure it out later. Thank you.
