Finance Committee - 01/20/2021 Page 9
Mayor Donchess
Alright please proceed.
Ms. Ortolano Yes, | just wanted to make an appeal to the group to maybe try to gather some information about
what is happening with property assessments and potentially the assessable tax base as we go through this
year and into next year so that we are paying attention to what is going to happen to the tax rate. And | would
like to appeal to the group to see if they would organize getting the new chief or the contracted chief to come in
and do a talk about what they see potentially happening between commercial and residential properties and if
we expect to see the shift that other communities are potentially looking at.
| don’t Know what the answer is to that and there hasn’t been kind of indication of what is going on through the
Assessing Board, but | think it is important. | read an article in New Hampshire Business Review where a group
of attorneys were encouraging the businesses to file under hardship due to act of nature, citing the pandemic
would fall under there to get tax reductions on businesses for what happened 2020. So | would be interested
in trying to understand it and | am hoping the Finance Committee, the Budget Committee and the Aldermen as
a body would be interested in it, because that’s where the money talk happens. Thank you.
Mayor Donchess
Alright, thank you. That is an important issue. Residential values are going up considerably; commercial
maybe not as much. Were there any other members of the public who would like to speak before we move to
that. | don’t hear anyone? Remarks by Aldermen?
REMARKS BY THE ALDERMEN
Alderwoman Kelly
Mayor Donchess, if | could?
Mayor Donchess
Go ahead, Alderwoman Kelly.
Alderwoman Kelly
| do have remarks but | also just wanted to reply to what was just brought up. | think it’s a good point. My
question would be is it more appropriate in a Budget Committee versus Finance where we are just approving
contracts, etc. whereas Budget really looks at what is happening, how is the tax rate going to happen, that kind
of thing?
Mayor Donchess
| would say either the Budget Committee or the Full Board of Aldermen.
Alderwoman Kelly
OK, thank you. And then since | have the floor if that’s ok?
Mayor Donchess
Yes, of course, go ahead.
