SOMERSWORTH - It has been a difficult budget season for cities as officials try to mitigate the challenges of the pandemic and plan for the year ahead. Somersworth City Council passed its budget earlier this month, after many long discussions on how to keep the property tax rate stable and invest in infrastructure projects the city needs.
At its April 12 meeting, the City Council unanimously approved a tax cap-compliant $50,392,379 operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which came in $32,358 under its tax cap. The debate on this budget did not involve around cuts, it instead involved how we could spend a small amount of what was left over that would not have put us over the tax cap, Mayor Dana Hilliard said. This budget reaches the tax cap, and at the same time it really ensures that we re investing in Somersworth, so it will continue to stay on the move. We have met our obligations and continue to progress this city forward and at the same time to ensure th
Somersworth: Chinburg poised to redevelop Aclara, General Electric site
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Somersworth City Council allows school district to keep surplus
SOMERSWORTH – The City Council voted to allow the Somersworth School Board to keep $419,671 of its more than $432,000 surplus of fiscal year 2021 appropriated funds.
Typically, any unused funds go back to the city s general fund and the school district would have to request a special supplemental appropriation. Pre-COVID, there was little surplus typically left at the end of the year. The challenges faced in both this fiscal year and last due to the pandemic, have led to this unprecedented surplus. What this is allowing them to do, which we ve never done before, is to allow the school department to anticipate what the unspent funds unanticipated revenues will be in advance of their final budget preparation and show that as revenue on their ledger, City Councilor and Deputy Mayor David Witham told the council.
SOMERSWORTH Despite the economic pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city granted more building permits in 2020 than any previous year in its history, according to city staff.
After years of watching people and developers get priced out of cities like Portsmouth and Dover, but at the same time seeing those folks go around Somersworth to Rochester and elsewhere, city employees and officials see this as a sign that growth and change are taking root in the Hilltop City. And quickly.
“We’ve never had building permits of this magnitude. It’s impossible,” longtime Code Enforcement Officer Tim Metivier said last week in the middle of a busy day of inspections. “Probably 10 of the 12 months (last year), we kept breaking records. Like, ‘Wow, we processed this many?’ and I’d look back in my data and see we’ve never done this many. And then the same would be true the next month.”
Somersworth developments in talks for Aclara site, plaza
SOMERSWORTH Elected officials say there’s reason for excitement in the Hilltop City because redevelopment proposals are in the works for two key downtown properties.
While the projects are far from guaranteed and public details are limited due to the ongoing negotiations, Economic Development Committee Chair Marty Dumont said he’s thrilled developers are discussing with city staff ideas for Aclara’s sprawling campus and the parking lot at the nearby Somersworth Plaza.
“We’re excited because people are showing interest in our downtown,” said Dumont, who is also a city councilor.
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