Board of Aldermen 07-13-2021 Page 7
we didn’t get the money to buy the software. So this doesn’t even cover the software. So we are not asking
for the load of $17,000.00, we are asking for $10,000.00 of it to help us through this.
The Fire Marshal for the six month period equals the $41,054.50 for the salary for six months. To bring this
into some context for you, | did some research and | went back and found the meeting notes of this very same
meeting on August 1° of 2005; this was a Budget Meeting. There are some people in the Chamber who were
members of that Board at that time and | will quote from the esteemed Alderman Richard LaRose, God Rest
His Soul:
"| wasn’t going to say anything but | guess | must. We all have different ideas of what the budget should be
and there are some of us who want to see this. Well | have to say all of us would certainly like to see this
budget a lot less than it is but that may not be practical. Some of the people who want to see this budget at no
higher than 2% to 3% yet are not coming forward with any solutions or reductions in the budget, they are just
saying we want to come in at 2% or 3%. The other thing if we are cut that drastically what does that really do
to the services and what does that do to the City of Nashua for the future, because if you cut the budget so
deep that you take away a lot of services it will take us a long time to get back to where we need to be and it
will be more costly than an increase in taxes this year over the long run. Yes | would love to be able to say to
the citizens of Nashua we were able to keep this budget at no extra cost to taxpayers. But that is not going to
happen. All you have to do is look around. Look at other cities and towns, their budgets are going up. Their
increases are going up just like ours. We provide services, we are not a service industry, we are nota
restaurant or a hotel. We are not here to make a profit. If we were here to make a profit we certainly could
operate in that fashion but government doesn’t work in that fashion, government provides services that aren’t
geared for a profit. They are geared to provide the services that citizens need and at a cost that is as close as
we can get for them to afford the services. Yes, there are some people that this is difficult for them, there is no
doubt about it. But! think that is always going to be the way. Thank you’.
And this was 16 years ago and this was the budget meeting that resulted in the cut, the job that we are
respectfully asking you to restore 16 years later. Thank you.
COMMUNICATIONS REQUIRING FINAL APPROVAL
From: Susan K. Lovering, City Clerk
Re: — Issuance of Warrant to Chief of Police for Unlicensed Dogs
MOTION BY ALDERMAN CARON FOR FINAL PASSAGE OF ISSUANCE OF WARRANT TO CHIEF OF POLICE FOR
UNLICENSED DOGS EFFECTIVE AUGUST 10, 2021, BY ROLL CALL.
A viva voce roll call was taken which resulted as follows:
Yea: Alderman O’Brien, Alderman Klee, Alderwoman Kelly, Alderman Dowd,
Alderman Caron, Alderman Clemons, Alderman Lopez, Alderman Tencza,
Alderwoman Lu, Alderman Jette, Alderman Schmidt, Alderman Laws,
Alderman Cleaver, Alderwoman Harriott-Gathright, Alderman Wilshire 15
Nay: 0
MOTION CARRIED
President Wilshire
That motion carries. We are going to go back to public comment. Ms. Colquhoun?
Laura Colquhoun It is Laura Colquhoun at 30 Greenwood Drive. | first want to say | do not blame the State.
But the Mayor and the Board of Aldermen on the spending habits of Nashua. In doing my research back to
2016 the Police have gone from $28 million dollars to $35 million dollars; that is a 21% increase in their
funding. The Fire has gone from $22 million to $28 million; that is another 21% increase. The Fire and the
