Special Board of Aldermen 07-01-2021 Page 18
that we had even two years ago against the opioid crisis which was people getting high, people being
sedentary, not people getting animated and attacking each other and using weapons on each other. We
are in a very different risk phase right now.
| don’t know if anybody was not paying attention last year, but tensions got a little bit with the pandemic.
There was a little bit of political friction that was taking place; you guys may have noticed it. And that
hasn’t exactly gone away. There are organized groups that are, as a result of that, operating in Nashua
that Nashua PD is concerned about, Nashua PD is intervening in. Some Wards get a little bit more of it
than others. So | will grant that probably Ward 4 and maybe Ward 3 and maybe Alderman Caron’s Ward
see a little bit more Police activity and need than other Aldermen who feel comfortable cutting the Police. |
don’t, | think it is a very important Department to fund and we can’t look at it being fair to expect them to
take the exact same cut in budget on a numerical basis as like the GIS Department or any of the services
that are really nice for us to have and do contribute overall to the City’s services to constituents but are
more amenities, not requirements. It doesn’t matter how quick with respect to City Clerk Lovering, how
quickly our City Clerk’s Office is able to process your motor vehicle if your car gets stolen.
So | think it is important that we recognize the importance of the Police Department with more than rhetoric
and not cut them any further. And finally | would remind my fellow Aldermen that the Police Department
were the ones who found the solution to their overages and figured out the CERF strategy in the first
place. It’s not like they are not trying to work on this and they are not making recommendations. | think we
should listen to the recommendations instead of accepting them and pushing for more despite what they
are telling us.
President Wilshire
All set Alderman Lopez?
Alderman Lopez
Yes.
President Wilshire
Alderman Tencza.
Alderman Tencza
Thank you Madam President. | just wanted to make a couple of points on Alderman Jette’s motion, just
generally. | think when we speak about percentage increases | think it is important to look at what those
percentages mean really for the tax rate because we throw out numbers like 3% or 4% and none of us like
to raise people’s taxes and we all, | think, understand that any tax increase some members of our
community more than others. But just as an example | want to use my house at 10 Monica Drive about
what a 4% or 3% tax increase would be for me and my family. So if | do the math at 3.5% tax increase
would amount to about an additional $250.00 for us next year added on to our tax bill or about $21.00 a
month extra that we would pay. And then a 4% increase in the tax bill would be about $280.00 or $23.00
per month that we would pay in additional taxes.
And so when we say we think of 4% as being an outrageous number, you know, | can confidently speak
for myself, for many of my neighbors when | say that we are fortunate and we gladly would pay the extra
$23.00 a month to keep our City services where they are. Not just Police and Fire but School, DPW, City
Hall, everyone who does a fantastic job to make Nashua such an attractive place to live. One of the things
that we forget about when we are having this discussion is not only what the tax increases are but the
values of property have increased in the City and how that affects folks as well. There are certainly people
who are benefiting because Nashua is an attractive place to live and more and more people want to move
here and be part of our community.
