Board of Aldermen Page 3
May 10, 2016
READING MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING AND PUBLIC HEARING
MOTION BY ALDERMAN WILSHIRE THAT THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING OF
APRIL 26, 2016, AND THE PUBLIC HEARING CONDUCTED BY THE BUDGET REVIEW COMMITTEE ON
APRIL 25, 2016 BE ACCEPTED, PLACED ON FILE, AND THE READINGS SUSPENDED
MOTION CARRIED
COMMUNICATIONS
MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN MELIZZI-GOLJA THAT THE RULES BE SO FAR SUSPENDED AS TO
ALLOW FOR THE ACCEPTANCE OF A COMMUNICATION PLACED ON OUR DESKS THIS EVENING
MOTION CARRIED
From: Homeowners of Sagamore Road and MacDonald Drive
Re: 396 Main Dunstable Road
MOTION BY ALDERWOMAN MELIZZI-GOLJA TO ACCEPT AND PLACE ON FILE
MOTION CARRIED
PERIOD FOR PUBLIC COMMENT RELATIVE TO ITEMS EXPECTED TO BE ACTED
UPON THIS EVENING
Mr. Paul Garant, 163 Harris Street
| appreciate the opportunity to speak tonight. | think we need to go back to an understanding of how this CBA
compares to one that you recently voted on for the police officers of this city. In fiscal 16, °17 and ’18 police
officers will receive 2.5% every year. The contract before you tonight, over the next four years members of the
fire department will received 2.0% in fiscal 16, 0% in 17 and 2.5% in each °18 and °19. | know this doesn’t
compare equally to the police since they don’t have a figure for ’°19 but | can assure you that it will be back
probably looking for 2.5%. | urge you to consider that in the concept of fairness to our firefighters. | was
listening to the news Friday morning when the labor statistics were published and | heard that the average
increase of salaries in the private sector in the past 12 months is 2.6%. So for anyone that says this is out-of-
bounds, the firefighters will receive an average of 1.7% over the next four fiscal years while in the private
sector salaries are going up higher than that. | ask you to please pass this item before you tonight.
Ms. Mary Gorman, 44 % Amherst Street
| represent Ward 4 in the New Hampshire House and | am a member of the Education Committee. The issue
of school funding has arisen in the debate of proposed ordinance O-16-011. Proponents claim that public
schools receive about $13,000 per pupil and that charter schools receive $6,500 per pupil. This comparison is
misleading and erroneous. The amount quoted as being received by public schools is the average cost per
public school pupil. The amount quoted as being received by charter schools is what is called the adequacy
payment. This represents the states obligation to provide an adequate education to all pupils, whether public
or charter. Public schools also receive adequacy payment; currently it is $2,000 less per pupil than the amount
received by the charter schools. Beginning in July it will be $3,000 less per pupil. To compare the average
cost for public school pupil with the states’ adequacy funding is false. It is a comparison with two unrelated
quantities. No superintendent is receiving $13,000 per pupil from the state and to imply otherwise is just
wrong.
Chief Steve Galipeau, Chief, Nashua Fire Rescue
| urge the Board to support 16-026, the CBA for the firefighters because that document represents 170 of the
most dedicated men and women that | have ever worked with in my life. They are out there on the front lines
day in and day out. They have negotiated fairly with the city; we negotiated for many months and we ended up
