Keene budget meeting tonight

[jgmaynard]

7pm, at the city hall, the city council is going to try to explain why they are proposing a tax increase.
Not sure if I can make it, but will try.
If we had known before, we could have had a protest outside. 

JM

[Kat Kanning]

Ok, we have a protest set up   See you there!

[Kat Kanning]

We'll show up at 6:45 so we can catch people walking into the building.

[Kat Kanning]

Thursday, June 02, 2005

Taxpayers to get their say tonight
   
KAREN SANBORN
Sentinel Staff

Keene taxpayers, tonight?s your night.

The numbers on your next tax bill rely in large part on what happens with the city?s $46.6 spending proposal, which is up for your input before the Keene City Council at city hall at 7 p.m.

Here?s a breakdown of what?s happened in budget discussions so far and what goes into the budget.

The review process

The city council?s finance committee took three meetings to discuss the individual budget requests of each city department.

Finance committee Chairman Randy L. Filiault called this year?s budget the toughest he?s seen in 15 years, because there aren?t any ?red flags? or major spending requests that the committee could cut.

At the committee?s wrap-up meeting last Thursday, City Manager John A. MacLean recommended taking $225,000 out of a savings account to offset the amount raised by property taxes.

But the committee voted to leave that amount in savings and added it to the property taxes to be raised. They made that move to keep a certain amount in reserve, which is a factor in how bond agencies rate the health of the city?s finances and ultimately, what interest rates the city pays when it borrows money.

The committee then made some changes that ultimately reduced the $225,000 to $71,106, which makes the total amount to be raised by property taxes $17,985,296. That?s a $3.2 million increase from what the council approved last year.

It also snipped and added a few things.

The changes include the following cuts: $5,000 for a commerce coordinator for the Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce; $5,000 for the Keene Partner City Committee; $1,701 as part of a retirement account; $55,000 for lights at the Water Street basketball courts; and $59,000 for a second phase of improvements on the west end of Roxbury Street.

It added: $4,000 for the conservation commission, after a typographical error listed its budget at $1,000; $1,840 in energy efficient lighting at Dillant-Hopkins Airport, half to be covered in grants; $3,000 for roof repairs to the Keene Recreation Center; and $3,880 for a planning department intern.

After tonight?s hearing, the finance committee meets again next Thursday to discuss what happened at the public hearing and vote on a recommendation to the city council.

The council can make more changes before a budget is adopted. All this has to happen before the next fiscal year starts on July 1.

Budget breakdown

The city?s $46,662,499 spending proposal can be divided into three parts: the general fund, other operating funds and the capital fund.

The general fund covers the cost to run the city government and city departments, everything from employee wages and benefits to pencils and paper clips. The proposed general fund budget totals $27,348,743.

The general fund is paid for mostly by property taxes. The finance committee proposes raising $17,985,296 in property taxes for the fund. That?s about 22 percent more from the $14,770,314 taxpayers contributed to the general fund last year.

MacLean attributes the increase to welfare, rising costs in fuel, energy and equipment, as well as up-ticks in retirement, benefits and wages.

Finance Director Martha M. Landry said another factor is that other, non-property tax revenues that pay for the general fund are down $620,353. Those sources include land-use change tax, use of surplus, and construction projects refunds.

The rest of the general fund ? $9,363,447 ? is covered by other sources, such as taxes paid to the city when undeveloped land is put on the tax rolls because of a change of use; motor-vehicle registrations; highway money from the state government; ambulance fees; trust fund interest; and various other sources.

A second section of the budget is made up of various funds paid for by user fees and don?t affect the tax rate.

Those funds include parking, computer replacement, solid waste, sewer, water, and equipment. That part of the budget, $14,275,929 is paid for by people who use those services and are separate from taxes.

A third piece of the budget covers ?capital funds? ? money to be spent on big construction projects and equipment.

In this section, the city council votes to set aside money in savings accounts for future spending. For example, $250,000 is proposed for a savings account for sewer improvements.

The council also votes to set aside money for projects that will be started in the next fiscal year, such as $434,681 proposed for equipment replacement.

This fund, proposed at $5,037,827, has no tax impact because the savings accounts and projects are covered by user fees and loans that will be paid back over several years.

Effect on taxes


A number of factors affect the tax increase on individual property, such as what neighborhood it?s in, improvements to the parcel and assessment rates.

The Keene finance department has developed the following breakdown of how the city manager?s proposed budget would affect taxes.

This list doesn?t include changes made to the proposal last Thursday by the city?s finance committee. Those changes would increase the overall taxes to be raised.

Property values are reassessed yearly in Keene. City officials expect property in Keene to increase in value by 10 percent overall, but individual properties will be affected differently.


If a property worth $150,000 is unaffected by the reassessment, its taxes will be $4,208.60, down $42.40 from this year.

If a property worth $150,000 this year is increased in value by 5 percent, taxes will be $4,419, up $168 from this year.

If a property worth $150,000 this year is increased in value by 10 percent, taxes will be $4,629, up $378 from this year.

If a property worth $150,000 this year is increased in value by 15 percent, taxes will be $4,840, up $589 from this year.

At an earlier city council finance committee meeting, Chairman Randy L. Filiault said taxes on a $100,000 house would increase by about $400 if the budget passes. He was referring to a house that was worth $100,000 in 1998.

That same house would be worth $178,584 in 2005, based on the percentage of overall property value increases since 1998, meaning the overall tax impact on a house worth $100,000 in 2005 would be substantially less than $400.

[Kat Kanning]

We had a nice little protest outside city hall.  There were 4 of us, and we had a huge number of honks/thumbs up/smiles about it.  Steve from the Sentinel came and took our picture and talked us a bit.  He was on his way to a concert at the middle school when he saw us.  And, we finally got to meet citizen_142002 who came to help us out.    We were out with signs for maybe two hours.  I'll upload some photos.

[Russell Kanning]

a coworker just showed me our big picture on page 3......the council is still discussing what to do with the budget....I think thursday night.

[Kat Kanning]

The photo's not in the online version:

Friday, June 03, 2005

Weigh-in on Keene budget
Adds, savings suggested
   

KAREN SANBORN
Sentinel Staff


There was no shortage of ideas when it came to cutting ? and even adding ? to the city?s $46.6 million budget proposal for the coming year.

Residents got a crack at the numbers Thursday at a Keene City Council hearing, and the city?s finance committee will get one more chance next week to fine-tune the proposal it presents to the city council, which must adopt a budget before the new fiscal year begins July 1.

The $46.6 million proposal covers city government expenses and services paid for with user fees, such as water and sewer service. The city?s finance committee proposes raising $17,985,286 from property taxes ? about a 22 percent increase over last year.

For the last few years, the Keene City Council has directed City Manager John A. MacLean to craft a budget that doesn?t outpace inflation and increases in the city?s tax base from new construction.


      


Now, with increases in welfare, fuel, energy and equipment costs, as well as surges in retirement, benefits and wages, city officials have said they can hold the line no longer.

But to finance committee Chairman Randy L. Filiault?s surprise, he said, more people asked to shovel money back into the budget Thursday than to slice out of it.

Four people urged the council to put back $5,000 for a commerce coordinator at the Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce, money that the finance committee recommends cutting.

The coordinator has been essential in planning the Keene Pumpkin Festival, First Fridays and other major city events, said Thomas K. Dowling, president of the chamber of commerce.

Roger T. Weinreich, chairman of The Keene Downtown Group, which represents downtown business owners, merchants and residents, also stood in favor of fully funding the coordinator.

He said that the group welcomes change and even competition from Monadnock Marketplace, but that it would stand behind a coordinator to ?ensure our downtown vitality.?

?As entrepreneurs, we roll up our sleeves,? Weinreich said. ?We do what it takes to run our businesses.?

Members of the Keene Community Kitchen?s board of directors asked that their original $50,000 request be reconsidered. MacLean recommended shaving it down to $39,000.

David Lesser, vice president of the kitchen?s board of directors, said that between the food pantry and daily hot meals, the kitchen served 327,000 meals to Keene residents last year.

Resident George M. Gline had a laundry list of suggestions, including restoring the $59,000 for further improvements to Roxbury Street in front of the Keene Family YMCA.

The finance committee recommended cutting the improvements because the YMCA is considering a move, and because an initial phase of safety changes is already in place.

Gline also suggested ways to save, including holding off a year on sidewalk construction and repairs.

Other questions surfaced about the city-owned Dillant-Hopkins Airport in Swanzey. There?s a $112,000 shortfall between revenue the airport brings in and the expense of running the airport.

Resident F. Rene Lamothe suggested that ?people who can afford private aviation? pay for the difference.

MacLean said that while the airport hasn?t generated the exact revenue to match expenses, it helps in other ways. For example, C&S Wholesale Grocers, which moved its headquarters to Keene in 2002, may not have done so if the city didn?t have the airport.

Resident Andrew O?Brien encouraged the council to look into getting more money for services from Keene State College, especially for the police and fire departments.

?The college is swallowing up the community at the expense of taxpayers,? O?Brien said.

Several residents suggested scrimping by putting off construction of the scheduled roundabout at Main, Marlboro and Winchester streets, plus its corresponding median, that?s slated for spring 2006.

Resident Judith W. Bright asked the council to be careful about how much it asks for in loans and the growth of government personnel.

And she talked about accountability: if department heads ask the finance committee for items they believe will save the city money in the long run, the committee should follow up on those promises, she said.

?I just hope you all engage in the community and see what we?re willing to forego ... and take some creative measures, because at this point, it?s getting out of control,? said resident Stephanie Hunter, a Keene Board of Education member.

The finance committee will consider the public?s comments next Thursday and make a final recommendation to the council. The following Thursday, June 16, the council can make any last changes before adopting a budget.

[Kat Kanning]

Here's the photo:


[attachment deleted by admin]

[Kat Kanning]

I've got an idea for a band name:  Dave Ribley and the Riblettes.

[Russell Kanning]

The chamber of commerce gets money from the city......our money

[Russell Kanning]

How about we cut all their pay 50%.....I bet out taxes wouldn't have to go up then.

[jgmaynard]

Now would be the perfect time for a flood of letters to the Sentinel......... Let the committee members read them before the next "recommendation"........... 

JM

[Dave Ridley]

I've sent one LTE to the sentinel, about 3 days ago.  it's copied to the LTE thread.   I've talked to the mayor about it, over the phone during his appearance on Dan Mitchell's radio show at WKBK....suggested eliminating the zoning board and inspection offices.   Then we had the usual debate that anti zoning and pro zoning people have.   He did admit zoning can get out of control and mentioned that there is a zoning thug bunch in Rindge which arrested a guy for having a for sale sign in his car window!

oh also i told him the burden of proof isn't on me to prove that zoning is bad, it's on him to prove that it's good enough to tax people over.  He responded that zoning is mostly fee-funded which I agreed is better than mostly tax funded.

I mentioned the budget during some other calls too.  Doin what I can...