Portsmouth passes provisional budget
The Portsmouth Town Council tonight passed a provisional budget for 2008-2009 of $54,073,509, a number within the 5% tax cap, one which — subject to final approval on June 11 — would result in a tax rate of $10.77 per thousand (which is lower than last year due to the revaluation.)
There was substantial discussion of the school department budget, but there were also about two dozen school supporters in the audience (thanks, folks!) who cheered on the school committee members and administration who presented. In the end, even the contentious technology warrant items were approved by a 6-1 vote, with Tailgunner Gleason being the lone holdout.
"This town has been very generous trying to keep up our buildings," said Gleason, "I can't keep agreeing to borrowing the money for computer technology. We need to bite the bullet somewhere. I don't have anything against computer technology."
Councilor Jim Seveney remarked that this was essentially a verbatim recommendation of the performance audit. "We paid a lot of money for an audit, and this is what Berkshire told us," said Seveney. "This is good stewardship."
Seveney also managed to convince a majority of the Council to restore some of the funding for civic support. Just as he did last year. It was the right thing to do (even if Town Planner Bob Gilstein will no doubt be unhappy to see the planning department funds raided.) We do owe it to the folks who help our citizens. Thanks, Councilor Seveney.
Oh, and Forrest Golden proposed an all-volunteer army of Trash Sheriffs. No, really.
The rest of the meeting was 3-and-a-half hours, and if you really, REALLY want to get every detail, you can watch it on Cox. Expect another bite at the warrant apple at the final hearing in June. And thanks again to the school supporters who showed up. You folks rock.
And finally, just to piss off Stormie. If Tailgunner keeps talking to Fitzmorris, I'm going to keep running the pictures (1, 2, 3). In the foyer of the Town Hall, after the meeting adjourned.
Comments
Viking
Wed, 05/21/2008 - 9:24am
Permalink
The Fund Balance
Fitzmorris's only comment last night was to bemoan the state of the "Fund Balance." The fact is: we are not in any particular dire straights at this moment because of the level of the fund balance - but it is also true that it would be better if we had more money in the fund balance. President Canario put it best when he said "Mr. Fitzmorris, if you have any ideas on how we could accomplish that, I'd be happy to hear them." Mr. Fitzmorris's response: Dead silence. This is far from the first time Mr. Fitzmorris has had absolutely nothing to say to President Canario's direct request to Mr. Fitzmorris for a suggestion regarding how to accomplish goals Mr. Fitzmorris says he would like the town to achieve. Personally, he has told me "That's not my job." True, it is not his job, but it is also true that it is a lot easier to complain than to offer suggestions for solutions. Perhaps his organization should change their name to the "Portsmouth Complaining Citizen's" and they could make their official motto "Solutions: That's not our job."
John McDaid
Wed, 05/21/2008 - 9:38am
Permalink
To be fair to Mr. Fitzmorris
Hi, Viking...
Larry actually got to the podium on a separate occasion to complain about his other hobbyhorse, the revenue estimates in the school budget, particularly the estimated $128K for energy offsets from the Wind Turbine (which coincidentally, was something Tailgunner Gleason harped on. Coincidence, I'm sure.) Contradicting School Committee Vice-Chair Dick Carpender, who said he had spoken to folks in the lege and been assured of level funding for the schools, Fitzmorris said:
"We're not talking to the same people. The Governor, after issuance of the new budget deficit estimate, indicated that school aid would be declining. I'd like to speak to two particular issues. Should these revenues not materialize, and it's very likely to be the case, then the appropriate thing is to reduce the appropriation. What I'm looking for at some point in early July, [when we know the state aid number and further into the Fall when we know about the wind turbine] then we need to adjust budget, and it needs to be down. I don't think it's appropriate to approve a budget with something of an unbalance in it."
I think Council President Dennis Canario's response bears quoting at length:
"We can only go by our best guesses. The problem that we have is that we never know going into our budget what we're really going to get. It's like shooting in the dark. [The folks studying the Wind Turbine, who eat, sleep, and live this 24 hours a day] gave us their best estimates." Canario indicated that was good enough for him, "If that's where you get your 128K from."
Despite what you said, the PCC does offer a solution: reduce spending.
Cutting more from the budget is the solution, and the only solution, that Mr. Fitzmorris has proposed time and time again. Despite what the Performance Audit says about the needs of our schools. Despite a Superior Court ruling that overturned most of their ill-considered Tent Cuts. Despite the fact that their unadvertised cut of $600K from the Town budget caused the very fund balance shortage that he now gets up to the podium to decry. Despite the fact that we trail the state in relative tax effort and per-pupil spending.
Oh yeah, the PCC has a solution.
Cheers.
-j