Special Board of Aldermen 06-21-2021 Page 24
Chairman Dowd
30 seconds.
Ms. Ortolano | think it was a disaster and next I’ll come back on IT.
Laura Colquhoun 30 Greenwood Drive. | am speaking against the Assessing Budget. The Assessing
Department is currently hiring a commercial appraiser for $150,000.00 to do commercial appraisals. The
sad part is the Mayor and the other city officials are trying to hide this expense from the public by putting
this expense against an asset account. In 2011, there was an account that residents could see to see how
much money was being returned on abatements, however the City no longer shows that item. Both the
Mayor and the Assessing Department knew that they needed a commercial appraiser before the budget
was finished, however, they chose not to include it in the budget. Just like the City is not telling the
residents that the City has already returned over $3.3 million dollars to commercial property owners and
that does not include interest. It also has brought down the commercial property assessments by over $65
million dollars. Nashua residents must realize that what the commercial properties do not pay in property
taxes, the residential property taxes must pick up the tab. The City needs to be upfront with the residents
and therefore the additional $150,000.00 should be charged to Assessing. If the City wants to change the
budget to simply eliminate maybe the $150 that’s going to Downtown Improvements and the $50,000.00
going to Great American Downtown, that would keep the budget flat. Thank you.
Beth Scaer 111 East Hobart Street. So again the Director of Arlington Street Community Center was out
for 18 months and you are correct Mayor the salary is $58,488.00 plus her benefits to come to about over
$80,000.00 and she is going to be out from 18 months. All the other City employees were called back to
their positions, she wasn’t. | don’t understand. This is like a school teacher not teaching her kids. | mean
these school teachers work insane hours teaching virtual classes and later in person combined with virtual
and here she’s at the Center putting together kits and putting on videos. When you say you cut the budget
to the bone, this is just one example and | am sure, | am guessing if people comb through this they could
find a lot of other ones but this is just really ridiculous. | don’t understand, you know, you said you hired
your friends and then you were telling Mr. Richardson that you didn’t want to have your influence over the
donations to the Human Services organizations. Well | think your influence, your friends, shouldn’t be
involved in any of these decisions. These should be made based on what is good for the City and | don’t
think this is good for the kids of Crown Hill to have the center closed for 18 months. It was created for a
reason and it’s not fulfilling that reason. Thank you.
Paula Johnson Nashua, New Hampshire. Risk Management. I’ve got a concern and this has to do with the
downtown with the eating out, the dining out on Main Street. | have a problem with that. | have a problem is
that you have eliminated again, | am going to talk about it, you eliminated the handicapped parking. | have
gone back and forth with Legal and Risk Management said — | had a chance to walk Main Street this
afternoon. There is currently 1 handicapped space in front of Persian Rug Gallery and 1 almost directly
across the street in front of St. Patrick Catholic Church. The only other space posted was in front of San
Frisco Kitchen which there was more on the other side because I’ve got a handicapped plate so | know
where | would park on Main Street when | would go down to Wingates and other places. Concord block
which is currently blocked by Jersey Barriers. There very well may have been more spaces located near
ongoing construction, PAC, | believe there was down there, the Performing Arts Center, isn’t that the same
building that was a non-binding referendum on the ballot and somehow we the people are going to pay for
this? Although | was unable to access this area during my walk, last year | remember there being concern
regarding transition and accessibility from the sidewalk to the extended dining area which was rectified with
the use of portable ramps allowing for a smooth transition to the street. Again, handicap, | know in parking
lots it is 1 per 25, 2 per 50 because when | was an Alderman that $250.00 fine if you park in a handicapped
spot and you don’t have the placard or you don’t have a plate, | did that to help the people who have a
disability because some people are just lazy and they would just park there. | attached last year’s
downtown dining revision which | don’t care about. | am unaware of the amount of the spots that needed to
be provided versus what is available for the on-street parking. Given the current expansion for outdoor
dining and ongoing construction, | have reached to my ADA contact with the State to obtain some
