Nashua Board of Aldermen Regular Meeting - September 24, 2025
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Nashua Board of Aldermen Regular Meeting - September 24, 2025
The Nashua Board of Aldermen convened on September 23, 2025 at 7:43 PM (recorded as September 24, 2025) for a regular meeting. The meeting began with a roll call (13 present, 2 absent), prayer, and pledge. Mayor Jim Donchus addressed the board regarding a tragic shooting at Sky Meadow Country Club on Saturday, September 20. The board then proceeded with consent items, unfinished business resolutions, and member remarks. The meeting adjourned at 9:07 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes of the regular Board of Aldermen meeting of August 12, 2025 were accepted and placed on file.
- Communication from Alderman Melbourne Moran explaining absence for the September 23 meeting was accepted (one objection noted).
- Reports of the Finance Committee (August 20, 2025) and Planning and Economic Development Committee (August 21, 2025) were accepted and placed on file.
- Oral report from the Budget Review Committee: Resolution R25198 (applying fund balance to reduce tax rate) passed unanimously at the committee meeting.
Mayor's Remarks
- Mayor Donchus reported on the September 20 shooting at Sky Meadow Country Club, where a gunman entered the restaurant, shot three people, killing Robert De Caesar and critically injuring another. A 150‑person wedding was evacuated. The mayor praised the coordinated response by police, fire, emergency management (led by Emily Marticello), and other agencies. Two heroes tackled the shooter, ending the attack. The victims have not all been publicly identified. The mayor expressed sadness and gratitude to first responders. He also noted upcoming meetings with downtown business owners regarding the unhoused population and endorsed the budget committee's recommendation to use $6 million of surplus to reduce the tax rate.
Unfinished Business Resolutions
- R25196: Transfer $15,000 from street lighting to hydrant fees. Passed 13‑0.
- R25198: Apply $6 million from unassigned fund balance to reduce the tax rate. An amendment to increase to $9 million was proposed by Alderman Sullivan. Following discussion about bond rating implications, future tax rate impacts, and the need for further analysis, the amendment failed 3‑10 (Yea: Thibodeau, Govella, Sullivan; Nay: O'Brien, Lopez, Clemens, Senate, Jetty, Tebow, Clee, Dowd, Kelly, Wilshire). The original resolution then passed 13‑0.
- R25199: Authorize Pennichuck Waterworks Inc. to issue bonds not exceeding $99 million. Passed 12‑1 (Alderman Clemens voted nay).
- R25201: Accept $650,000 Granite Shield grant from NH Department of Safety for police substance abuse reduction. Passed 13‑0.
- R25202: Accept $48,200 NH Highway Safety grant. Passed 12‑1 (Alderman Thibodeau voted nay).
- R25204: Accept $68,250 capital match and $534,638 operating match from NH DOT for transit grants. Passed 12‑1 (Alderman Thibodeau voted nay).
- R25209: Increase Pennichuck PFAS remediation loan from $11.45 million to $17.5 million. Passed 13‑0.
Board Member Remarks
- Multiple aldermen expressed condolences to victims and gratitude to first responders. Alderman Kelly read a statement emphasizing unity and resisting calls for more violence.
- Alderman Tebow raised concerns about downtown business issues and a letter from Alderman Moran, arguing that small businesses need support and that the board must listen to both businesses and the unsheltered. He objected to the communication from Alderman Moran being accepted.
- Alderman Lopez noted that trauma can cause different reactions, urged support for mental health, and invited colleagues to a Continuum of Care meeting on October 1. She also highlighted volunteer opportunities for the warming station.
- Alderman Jetty promoted a Mine Falls Park cleanup event on September 27.
- Alderman Clemens thanked first responders and mutual aid from surrounding towns.
- Alderman O'Brien announced an Infrastructure Committee meeting on September 24.
Key Outcomes
- All second‑reading resolutions were adopted as listed above.
- The amendment to increase the fund balance application to $9 million failed.
- The meeting was adjourned at 9:07 PM by a roll‑call vote of 12‑1 (Alderman Senate voted nay).
Meeting Transcript
I don't know. I need to reach the email. I'm going to call the regular meeting of the Board of Alderman to order on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025 at 7.43 p.m. in the Aldermanic Chamber, which has been duly noticed in two places, including the city's website in accordance with the requirements of RSA 91A. Prayer will be offered this evening by City Clerk Dan Healy and Alderman Thibodeau will lead us in the pledge to the flag. Almighty God, we have the high honor and the serious duty to manage the affairs of our beloved city. Fill us, oh God, with a spirit of unity and understanding, which enables us to face our multiple problems with a serene mind with justice and charity for all, so that any and all decisions made by us will always be for the betterment and greater happiness of all our fellow citizens. So help us God, Aaron. I pledge allegiance to the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, individual liberty and justice for all the questions. Let's start the meeting by taking a roll call attendance, please. Alderman O'Brien. Baldwin Timmins. Alderman Moran. Here. Alderman Sonnet. I am here. I'm participating remotely by Zoom due to an illness. I am alone in the room and I'm able to hear everybody in the chamber. Alderman Jenny. Here. Here. Aldman Clee. Here. Baldwin Dowd. Present. Alderwoman Kelly. Here. Aldwin Wilshire. Here. Thirteen present, two absent. Thank you. Also joining us this evening is Mayor Jim Donchus and Corporation Council Steve Bolton. Mayor, did you wish to address the board this evening? Yes, Madam President. I wanted to talk a little about the thing that we all have been thinking about for the last three days, which is the attack by the gunman on these people down at the Sky Meadow Country Club on Saturday night. And this gunman came in, shot three people, although the reports at the beginning were confusing, but we now know that he broke into the restaurant at the Sky Meadow Country Club, shot three people, including fatal to Robert De Caesar, and a serious injury to another person who was in a mass general in critical condition, and a third person who was also shot. Now at the country club, of course, there is and in that building there is the restaurant that was attacked by the gunman, but also the event space where there was a wedding going on for 150 people. And when the shots began and rang out, and people began to realize what was happening, you know, all of those people fled from the building. And creating a very massive crisis situation. And I went that night, I was working with Emily Marticello, the emergency management director, and went down to where a lot of these events in terms of the response were taking place, which was at the Spitbroke fire station, and then subsequently at the TARRA or the hotel, the Sheron. And I you know, I can't say enough about how effective the response by all of our people was. But there was a lot of other confusion that was going on because not only were there injured people, the people that have been shot, but there were also all the people who fled this fled the um fled the building, fled the the wedding, uh, some of whom Emily tells me did not have shoes on because they because they were dancing on the dance floor in the wedding reception. Um and so all of the organization regarding handling all of those people and determining who was injured because some people had been injured uh in the rush to leave. Uh it was all handled by the police department, the fire department who was very involved, and um emergency management and many other agencies. Uh police agencies from around the area, fire departments, the hospitals, uh many others were involved. But the uh quick and effective response was in addition to just the law enforcement part of it, uh, was in was a result of the planning and practicing that Ms. Marticello had been doing with uh the police and fire departments regarding uh shooter incidents. And a lot of their work had been centered around the idea that there could be an attack at a school, but uh they were able to easily adapt that approach to this situation. So as a result, uh people were the bus system was involved, people were able were transferred first, the people who were not critically injured were transferred first to the Spitbroke Spitbrook Road fire station where they gathered.
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