Days before a formal budget proposal from the city manager, Concord City Councilor Stacey Brown proposed applying for a grant to pay for the installation of lights at Keach Park, which could give the city between $50,000 and $500,000 for a project that has been requested by members of the city’s growing immigrant population.

Though the council expressed support for the letter of intent and agreed to submit it, Mayor Jim Bouley said it would be important to wait and see if funding for the lights was included in the fiscal year 2024 budget. Applying for the grant process could further delay the installation, he said.

Councilors are expected to receive City Manager Tom Aspell’s proposed budget on Thursday, ahead of a formal presentation on May 18.

Over the next month, councilors will hold five public meetings to review different sections of the draft spending plan before they are expected to vote on a final budget on Monday, June 5.

All meetings will be held in the City Council Chambers at 5:30 p.m. beginning on Thursday, May 18, where the public will get a chance to hear Aspell’s presentation, including a budget summary, resolutions and an overview of the general fund revenue and expenses.

On Monday, May 22, 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 parks 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.

Once posted online, the fiscal year 2024 budget review schedule can be viewed here.

More than three-quarters of the way through fiscal year 2023 which ends in June, both the fire department and the police department have spent all of, if not more, than their allotted amount of money for overtime.

Due to a number of vacancies within the police department, the department thus far has spent $162,000 more in overtime costs than last year while full-time wages are under budget which has helped offset the increase in overtime costs, according to city financial documents. Last year, city councilors authorized a $15 million budget for the department, $8.9 million of which went toward compensation while $5.2 million went toward benefits.

Calls for service are expected to reach 54,000 by June, which is an increase from pandemic levels, but less than the 58,181 calls the department received in 2015.

Next year’s police budget could be nearly $18 million, Concord Police Chief Bradley Osgood said in a past interview.

Though not nearly as understaffed as the police department, the fire department has spent $288,100 more in overtime costs than all of last year. City Councilors approved a $16.4 million budget for the department last year, $9.3 million of which went toward compensation while $6 million went toward benefits.

Overall city spending, could increase by more than 10% next year, according to some city councilors. Concord has blunted tax impacts by using unassigned funds to balance the budget, a practice that councilors have sought to eliminate

The city has not seen a budget increase of more than  6% since 2012.

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