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City Manager's Report 3/17/2009

Demolition Funding

I am very happy to announce that we have received word through Senator Gregg's office that the President has signed the omnibus funding bill which includes in it $280,000 of money specifically for demolition. This is the first time after many years of trying that we have had any success at obtaining outside funding for demolition. This is because both federal and state policies are aimed at creating affordable housing and not tearing it down. In Berlin's case we have a surplus of housing all of which is very affordable although much of it is also sub-standard. We have had very good success at removing a significant portion of these structures on our own. However, there is much more that needs to be done and this new outside funding should be very helpful in that process. In this same bill, $400,000 was also set aside for BWW funding.

State Budget Hearing

The House Finance Committee held its state budget hearing in Whitefield last night. Mayor Bertrand, Councilor Evans and I were able to make it and we all testified and expressed our concerns. I have attached a one page breakdown of the impact that the state budget if passed as proposed would have on the City of Berlin which I left with the Committee. Needless to say it is a huge down-shifting of costs to municipalities in the state. However, as the numbers show, it is undoubtedly far worse in Berlin than it is for many other municipalities in the state. Attached is an article from the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy which shows some of the hardest hit communities. Of course we are at the top of the list. However, as you can see from the list of these hardest hit communities, for most of them the loss of Rooms and Meals Revenue Sharing is half or more of their revenue sharing. Therefore, the prospect of getting back Rooms and Meals for most of them restores half or more of their loss. That is not true in Berlin's case where Rooms and Meals is less than a third of our total revenue sharing. Getting it restored restores less than a third of our loss. We need to get it all restored.

Rt 110 Phase II Public Informational Meeting

The NHDOT Public Informational Meeting which is still scheduled for this Thursday March 19, 2009 at 6:30pm in the City Hall Auditorium. Again, we need to have the same type of turnout that was obtained at the last hearing on this important matter for the City. Probably as a result of that last hearing, the momentum seems to have swung much more toward Alternative 4E. That momentum needs to be maintained. The NHDOT letter on the hearing is attached.

Highway Safety Grants

Attached are several letters from Peter Thomson who is the Coordinator of the Highway Safety Agency for the State. These letters notify the Chief Morency of Highway Safety Grant awards for the following five Police Department programs:

  • Berlin DWI Patrols
  • Berlin Bicycle Enforcement Patrols
  • Berlin SMART Radar Trailer
  • Berlin Red Light Running
  • Berlin Enforcement Patrols

More State Downshifting Attempts

I have attached an email from Welfare Director Angela Martin-Giroux which expresses her concern about budget legislation which would repeal both RSA 165:20-c provides for state reimbursement when cities have been providing welfare support for residents who should have been on a state program but were not due to HHS delays in processing the applications. The State is famous for being slow in paying its bills. It is can be very slow in processing applications. This would allow it to become even more so at the expense of municipalities.  

The other RSA proposed for repeal is RSA 167:11 which authorizes the state to pay funeral expenses for deceased recipients of state assistance if the estate is insufficient. Guess who is required to pay such expenses if the state doesn't do it….

Senator Shaheen Meeting in Berlin

On Saturday, Councilors McCue and Evans and I attended a meeting held at TCC offices where Senator Shaheen briefly reviewed her efforts since being in the Senate. The meeting was well attended and basically there was a round robin of everyone in the room reviewing concerns they had with federal programs and funding and jobs. Attached is a summary of matters the Senator has been dealing with.

Community Services Director Illness

Laura Viger is home doing well recovering from her first surgery and resting up in preparation for the next one which still may be a week or so away. She has to be at home but is bored to tears so don't be afraid to give her a call and wish her well.  

Legislative Matters:

HB 351

This bill would reduce the interest rates on delinquent property taxes from the current 12% and then 18% after lien to lower percentages. The current rates have been in effect for many years and they are probably about right. We still have quite a few property owners who will pay these rates right up until tax deeding before paying off their property taxes. We certainly don't need to be encouraging more people to be doing that by lowering the current rates not to mention the administrative nightmare of keeping track of rates tied say to the prime rate or some other index.

Retirement Bills

HB590 would increase the retirement age from 45 to 50 and years of service from 20 to 25 for Group II members (Police and Fire) has been passed by the House. This change would reduce pressure on employer contributions to the soaring costs of the retirement system. There is a hearing before the House Finance Committee on Wednesday March 18, at 10am in LOB Rm 212.

There are several other bills aimed at reform of the NHRS like HB 532 which would exclude special duty pay from earnable compensation, HB 591 which would cap the retirement benefit at 100% of base pay, HB641 which deals with the spiking provision and HB 673 relative to the withdrawal of political subdivisions from the NHRS.

HB 644

This bill has been approved initially by the House and is now going to House Ways and Means  and then to another vote of the House before going to the Senate. This bill would add would increase the gas tax over three years by 15 cents and would thereby increase the amount of municipal revenue aid received through the highway block grant by about by about $300,000 at the end of third year. NHMA is supporting this bill as a way to improve much needed transportation funding.

Rock Snot Invasion

For years the fresh water invasion problem has been milfoil. Now, in addition, we have Rock Snot to deal with. Rock Snot appears to look like just what you think and is an invasive exotic species of algae that blooms in fresh water streams and rivers and can make them unfishable. It has recently moved into New Hampshire via the Connecticut River.

The North Country Council is hosting a Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act Presentation followed by a presentation on what Rock Snot is and what can be done to slow its spread on March 31, 2009 at the Monadnock Congregational Church in Colebrook at 147 Main Street (US Route 3).