Board of Aldermen 02-16-2021 Page 7
As a result, | have opposed three collective bargaining agreements and have vetoed two. In
January of this year, | vetoed a proposed contract for firefighters that granted 15.5% raises. At
the end of 2019, | flagged a Police supervisors contract which included 11 and 12% raises, and |
vetoed a contract for civilians in the PD which granted 11% raises. The Board of Aldermen
passed all three contracts and voted to override both of my vetoes.
Independent Commissions conduct Fire and Police negotiations. For the other negotiations over
which the City’s Finance Team and | have had more control — like in Public Works, in City Hall
and in the Library — we have successfully negotiated collective bargaining agreements which are
fairto both employees and taxpayers.
Make no mistake about it, our firefighters and police work hard for our citizens, and | appreciate
their contributions and the sacrifices they make for our City. All of our employees should be
paid fairly. However, these increases in personnel costs are not sustainable. Now it appears
that the hard choice between higher taxes and service cuts may be upon us.
For the Fiscal Year 2022 budget, starting on July 1, the City’s Finance Team projects that a tax
increase of at least 7% will be needed to make up for the State’s $11.8 million downshift and to
pay for the budgets that we expect to get from the Fire, Police, and other departments. The
hardworking taxpayers of Nashua cannot afford an 7% tax increase. The job of the Mayor and
the Board of Aldermen is to achieve a balance between the need of Nashuans for quality
services and a tax rate that is affordable. | will be submitting my Fiscal Year 2022 budget in
early May.
Because we've been hit by so much, and because many Nashua families are struggling during
the pandemic, | have issued budget guidelines that would hold most departments to 0%
increases over this year’s budget. | hope that the Board of Aldermen and our independent
commissions will help with the City’s tax rate this year.
We Have Moved Nashua Forward, Despite the Pandemic — Paving Plan of Action and A
Stronger Downtown Economy
Despite the pandemic, we are moving Nashua forward. Our Paving Plan of Action has made a
dramatic improvement in the condition of, what were just a few years ago, Nashua’s crumbling
streets. We have paved 100 miles, one third of our City’s streets, including major streets like
Amherst, Broad, the Somerset Parkway, Main Dunstable Road, and Kinsley Street, as well as
many miles of neighborhood streets. We have crack sealed an additional 70 miles. Crack sealing
is much cheaper than paving, at about 10% of the cost per mile, and it can preserve a street for
up to 5 more years.
In addition to stronger infrastructure, we are building a stronger downtown economy. This will
benefit everyone, because properties in the central business district pay far more in taxes than
they require in services, and these tax revenues help pay for schools and police and fire
protection in all of our neighborhoods. We have added 500 units of downtown housing with
more to come. The headquarters of Pennichuck Water is now back home in downtown Nashua
in the Walnut Street Oval. We're doing the groundwork necessary to create a downtown dog
park. Construction is starting on the Performing Arts Center. These steps are the
underpinnings of an even stronger downtown economic resurgence.
