More money for Concord’s purple “pay as you throw” trash bags, as well as hikes in water and sewer rates are among the new expenses for residents beyond a 4% tax increase in the proposed budget. 

In the first of a series of budget discussions, Concord City Manager Tom Aspell delivered an overview of the spending plan to councilors Thursday night.

The presentation detailed budget increases, capital improvement projects and general fund expenses to include a potential 4% tax increase for city residents, funding for soccer lights at Keach Park, new vehicles for the police and fire departments, a compensation and benefit study for city staff and a police station site analysis. 

“This is just a starting point and will give you a place to begin review and make changes as you go through it,” Aspell said.

Budget overview

The city’s total spending would increase by 5.7% from $123.1 million to $130.1 million if the budget were approved without changes. The proposed 3.95% tax increase for residents would mean an extra $108 per year for a home worth $300,000.

While the tax rate has increases incrementally over the last decade, rising property assessments, especially on residences, have lead to higher tax bills over time. 

In addition to budget increases, residents can expect to see a 4.5% increase for city water services and a 5% increase for city wastewater services, which will impact the average resident by $1.12 and $2 a month, respectively. The increases are driven by compensation, chemical costs, electricity costs and capital investment.

The total amount to be raised by taxes includes $49.1 million. Meanwhile the city’s tax base grew to a value of $5.19 billion, an increase of less than 1% over the previous year. 

The general fund, which makes up $77.9 million of the total budget, shows a $3.2 million increase from last year’s adopted budget, three-quarters of which will cove compensation and benefits for city employees while the remaining quarter will be used for outside services, supplies, debt service, utilities and city insurance.

Compared to last year, employee compensation increased by $1.6 million while benefits increased by $446,000, however the city saved $269,000 from lower retirement contributions and will use the remaining $900,000 in ARPA funds to pay for employee salaries to help offset the potential tax increase on residents.

Additionally, councilors will be asked to approve a solid waste and recycling adjustment that will increase the small purple bag price from $1.25 to $1.60 and the large purple bag price from $2.50 to $3.20, which will bring an additional $420,000 to the city in revenue.

Notable items

Included in the budget proposal, Aspell allocated $400,000 for a new ambulance, $280,000 for four new police vehicles, $897,000 for a new tanker truck, $1.1 million for sidewalk construction and $3.1 million for street paving, all of which will be reviewed by councilors.

If approved, sidewalks will be installed along Airport Road, Pembroke Road and Chenell Road under the highway program which is coordinated with the utilities program. Residents can expect to see improvements along Allen Street in coordination with the Merrimack Valley School District.

“We have 90 miles of sidewalks and we’re going to add more sidewalks, have you budgeted more money for labor and equipment?” asked Mayor Jim Bouley. “I have received concerns from residents about kids walking in the street because the sidewalks were not plowed the whole year.”

If school districts expect them to walk to school, the current sidewalks throughout the city need to be maintained regularly before the city should add more, he continued.

“The point is, sidewalks are a very important part keeping the community cohesive and tying neighborhoods together,” Bouley said. “It’s a large dollar amount and we heard loud and clear at the DEIJB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice and Belonging) meetings that if someone is mobility impaired, sidewalks are critical for their being able to function.”

Capital ImprovementProjects

Recommended capital improvement projects include $2 million for the Penacook Riverfront Park, $326,000 for golf course improvements, $200,000 for a Kiwanis Park final design, $384,000 for lights at Keach Park, $1.7 million to replace general services vehicles, $800,000 for an inclusionary playground at White Park, $435,000 for a new airport terminal, $420,000 for fire station equipment improvements, $200,000 to replace the roof of the police station and $75,000 to conduct a police station study and site analysis.

Additionally, Aspell suggested the addition of a social worker with a masters degree in social work to the police department, an engineering technician for the engineering department and an administrative technician to the cemetery office.

There was no public comment.

On Monday, councilors will discuss spending on general government, public safety and general services; on Thursday, May 25, councilors will discuss community development, services like the library and parkers and recreation and the Capital Improvement Program to include TIF districts; on Thursday, June 1, councilors will discuss special revenue funds to include parking, airport, conservation property, revolving loans, the golf course, the arena and special water and wastewater funds. A proposed final hearing is scheduled to take place on Monday, June 5, as part of a committee work session, public hearing and budget adoption.

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