Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The Nashua Board of Alderman convened on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. in the Aldermanic Chamber. The meeting addressed a significant reduction in state education aid, approved multiple bond issues for capital projects including a $43.5 million public works garage and $5 million for pool repairs, and adopted an ordinance allowing remote public comment for individuals with disabilities after extensive debate. The meeting also included public comments on bond spending and ADA accommodations, and routine consent items.
I don't know what you do. Yeah, it's not on the screen. I don't know what it is though. Anybody on Zoom? It's not on the agenda. Dr. Sullivan. So it's just not being taken up. I'm going to call the regular meeting of the board to order on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 7.30 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. Tonight the prayer will be offered by City Clerk Dan Healy and Alderman Smith will lead us in a 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. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And is all the justice for all. Next, uh Madam President, I wanted to mention that an item on the agenda tonight is the there are a number of bond issues on the uh agenda, but uh one of them, the largest one, is for the completion of the uh public works garage project, which was begun with phase one. Uh that was the construction of the office which it exists out at the landfill now. Uh and we have also, of course, uh borrowed and invested money in designing the project. Uh but the garage that we have um was built in the 1970s on uh I'm gonna say on the cheap. Um it is outloo out used its um life. It is extended beyond its real life and is in such bad shape now that the garage needs to be replaced for the benefit of the public works employees and the functions of public works, which touch employees, which touch our residents every every single day. And I see we have a number of our public works employees and Paul Shea, a commissioner here tonight, I assume in support of that project, which is very much needed. Madam President, I did want to inform the board of some bad news which we got from the state of New Hampshire, which is that we've been we've learned that the school aid that the city will receive is going to be a little more than $4 million less than in the prior fiscal year. In proposing the budget, we had assumed a $2 million decrease, but it turns out it's going to be four and a half and a half approximately. This is very unfortunate. It reflects, I believe, a lack of support at the state level for our New Hampshire's children. People have said, and I think it's correctly said, that public education system is the basis of the American dream. And why is that true? Because that is how kids that don't have a lot of means, who don't have parents who can support private education could get ahead by learning in the public schools, making something of their lives and their families, and realizing what we call the American dream. So the state's lack of support for public education I find a distressing. The we know and we've discussed this numerous times before, but the New Hampshire Supreme Court has ruled over and over again that the state of New Hampshire is not coming even close to satisfying its constitutional obligation under the New Hampshire Constitution to provide an adequate, and even that's a low bar, but an adequate education for our children. This occur, of course, occurs at the same time when we see the legislature has abolished many sources of revenue that have benefited, and those those policies have benefited more affluent residents and big corporations, the cutting of the business taxes over time, the elimination of the business profits tax. When the decision came, should we reduce property taxes and help with that, or should we uh make these changes that uh benefit uh kind of a select few, uh the choice has been to uh not to support public education and not to help property taxpayers uh across the state. And I wanted to mention in addition, as part of this, that as we see the voucher program growing like by unbelievable leaps and gun and bounds, it is up 600 percent in five years, uh, to the point where now it is sixty-four million dollars and uh in the current fiscal year is the projected amount, and it's I'm sure gonna keep growing. Uh instead, that in my opinion, that money should be directed into the public schools. We see property taxes skyrocketing across the state because of school costs, which also are going up very quickly, uh, special ed costs, transportation, these things are going up way more than the rate of inflation, and at the same time, the state is reducing uh education aid for Nashua and many other cities and towns uh across New Hampshire. Uh so I wanted to let the board know that um there is going to be a $2 million problem. Of course, we'll cover it with property taxes, but uh an additional $200 million reduction, uh $2 million reduction uh by the State of New Hampshire. And finally, Madam President, I wanted to mention that on Monday, October 26, we're going to have City Hall uh trick-or-treat. Um the I think it starts at uh around 3.30 and goes to five. Uh children from all over New Ham uh Nashville can come to City Hall to the various departments and can um do trick-or-treat, receive you know their little treats, candy and the like. Uh our city employees do this every year, and uh they I know they do a really good job in decorating and uh in handing out treats to the kids.