The City of Manchester has a new budget for the upcoming fiscal year, and it came down to the wire. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved a $448 million spending plan for the city and school district Tuesday, voting 11-to-3 to override the city's tax cap to do so.
This year’s budget debate stretched out for over a month, with many residents calling for improvements to city roads and sidewalks. But many are also feeling the pressures of rising costs. The city’s aldermen were divided on whether to override the tax cap to fund city services, like public transit, road repairs and a new contract with city police officers.
Democrats on the board supported increasing property taxes to fund what they called essential city services, while Republicans largely called for keeping taxes level and looking for cuts to services. In the end, the Democrats got support from key Republicans to override the tax cap, with funding for tax relief for seniors, veterans and disabled residents.
“There is not one person that is satisfied with this budget for many reasons,” said Alderman June Trisciani, one of the main sponsors of the budget. “The proposal that's put in front of you was a lot of hours, a lot of time, and a lot of discussions with our department heads to get where we are today.”
City Finance Director Sharon Wickens estimated the new budget would increase taxes on the average home a little less than 7%, or $400 a year. She said the average property tax is about $3,000, but this will likely change with new assessments later this year.
