Another unforgettable major storm has made it's impression on all of us here in Derry. This one ranks right up there with the "blizzard of 78".
I would like to thank our Emergency Operations Center for performing an outstanding job and they are still at it as this blog is being written. This storm was devastating with knocking down trees and power lines snapping. Frigid temps and lack of electricity made for rough days and nights as people were scrambling to stay warm and get to the basic necessities such as food and water.
In some spots, it looked like a war zone. Warner Hill, English Range road and Windham road. In this blog, I would like to hear from you how this storm effected your life. How did you cope, and what you will do to prepare yourself for future storms.
If you have picture you would like to share, please send them along as well.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Is becoming a city the answer?
Is becoming a city the answer in Derry? Will property taxes finally start to come down in doing so? Some say "Yes" and others are saying they are not so sure.
For years the discussions around the water bubblier was that maybe if we could become a city, taxes would be kept in line because the schools portion of the tax bill would have to fall under the "tax cap" that the town presently has.
For those of you who may not know how the Town works presently, here is the scoop.
Only the town side of your tax bill has a tax cap, which ties into the national CPI and which has averaged about 3% a year over the last 10 years. Never has a council spent up to the maximum allowed in any year. Last year, We were allowed to add an additional .22 cents/1000 of home value and we spent .18 cents.
The rest of your tax bill includes the following: School, State and County. These four categories make up your total bill. Only the town side portion has the tax cap.
The idea in becoming a city would allow you to include the school portion under the cap. The school portion is the largest of the four in taxes.
Another reason to become a city is that cities have different grant monies from the feds than a town would. We may have more opportunities to get more grant money.
At the last council meeting, Councilor Coyle introduced a motion for the establishment of a charter commission so that the elected commission members could look into the possibilities of becoming a city and to study the idea in more detail.
The council will have a public hearing in Jan to get the public reaction to establishing the committee. What are your thoughts? Is it time to become a City?
For years the discussions around the water bubblier was that maybe if we could become a city, taxes would be kept in line because the schools portion of the tax bill would have to fall under the "tax cap" that the town presently has.
For those of you who may not know how the Town works presently, here is the scoop.
Only the town side of your tax bill has a tax cap, which ties into the national CPI and which has averaged about 3% a year over the last 10 years. Never has a council spent up to the maximum allowed in any year. Last year, We were allowed to add an additional .22 cents/1000 of home value and we spent .18 cents.
The rest of your tax bill includes the following: School, State and County. These four categories make up your total bill. Only the town side portion has the tax cap.
The idea in becoming a city would allow you to include the school portion under the cap. The school portion is the largest of the four in taxes.
Another reason to become a city is that cities have different grant monies from the feds than a town would. We may have more opportunities to get more grant money.
At the last council meeting, Councilor Coyle introduced a motion for the establishment of a charter commission so that the elected commission members could look into the possibilities of becoming a city and to study the idea in more detail.
The council will have a public hearing in Jan to get the public reaction to establishing the committee. What are your thoughts? Is it time to become a City?
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Time to Act is now.
The time to act is now!
Last month at the end of a council meeting during councilor requests, I had brought up the topic of a hiring freeze and a freeze of all overtime budgets at the town level. Not one other councilor joined me in the discussions and nothing more has been said about my proposal which i think is unfortunate. I did get some comments that said it was not a good request and how would that effect town services such as snow plowing etc.. ( no snow yet and lost opportunity to save some money).
My proposal would look at not eliminating any crucial services dealing with overtime but instead by making a complete review of where we are spending money and how to get a better "bang for the dollar".
by prioritizing jobs that are most needed and to put on a back burner, the non-essesial ones for another year.
I bring these issues up so next years budget becomes a little better to handle and to keep future disruptions in services to becoming larger issues and to minimize lay-offs that may need to be considered. I understand that some town employees may not like to hear about overtime freezes, however I'm positive that they will not like to hear that they may get a pink slip next year. I would hope that many can see the benifits of knowing they have a good job.
We must view the fact that what we do today will have effects 6 months from now. Sacrifice a little now to save a job later is what I beleive to be the best way to prepare. I'm sure some would dis-agree however from my own expeirences, find it to be proper planning.
I just read an article with our CFO Frank Childs telling the Union Leader that municipal budgets are tight and the fact that Derry has a tax cap, he believes that most likely "lay-offs" are coming. With that knowledge, would it not make sense to cut overtime now and also a hiring freeze?? It does to me!
Your thoughts?
Last month at the end of a council meeting during councilor requests, I had brought up the topic of a hiring freeze and a freeze of all overtime budgets at the town level. Not one other councilor joined me in the discussions and nothing more has been said about my proposal which i think is unfortunate. I did get some comments that said it was not a good request and how would that effect town services such as snow plowing etc.. ( no snow yet and lost opportunity to save some money).
My proposal would look at not eliminating any crucial services dealing with overtime but instead by making a complete review of where we are spending money and how to get a better "bang for the dollar".
by prioritizing jobs that are most needed and to put on a back burner, the non-essesial ones for another year.
I bring these issues up so next years budget becomes a little better to handle and to keep future disruptions in services to becoming larger issues and to minimize lay-offs that may need to be considered. I understand that some town employees may not like to hear about overtime freezes, however I'm positive that they will not like to hear that they may get a pink slip next year. I would hope that many can see the benifits of knowing they have a good job.
We must view the fact that what we do today will have effects 6 months from now. Sacrifice a little now to save a job later is what I beleive to be the best way to prepare. I'm sure some would dis-agree however from my own expeirences, find it to be proper planning.
I just read an article with our CFO Frank Childs telling the Union Leader that municipal budgets are tight and the fact that Derry has a tax cap, he believes that most likely "lay-offs" are coming. With that knowledge, would it not make sense to cut overtime now and also a hiring freeze?? It does to me!
Your thoughts?
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Light at the end
Here we go again.
Being accused of being an optimist is not a bad trait to have in these times. We have enough "gloom and doom" neigh sayers through-out Derry and unfortunately their voices are heard more often than one wishes.
Can we dwell on all the negatives we hear and are bombarded with on a daily basis or should we look for AND CONCENTRATE on the positives of each situation. I'll let you answer that question for yourself!
Reading many books written by successful people usually have a common theme. Stay away from the negative energy- its sucks the lifeblood out of everything. Surround yourself with the positive people! Even the medical community will tell you that by doing so, you will be happier, healthier and live longer.
So when being accused of "wearing rose-colored glasses" I say yes! whats wrong with that? Is the world perfect? of course not! Can I find something to complain about on a daily basis? sure but why would I want to make myself sick everyday. I could blame my problems on someone else, would that make me feel any better? Maybe, but we have to look ourselves in the mirror and understand that we control our thoughts, feelings and how we act. That's the power of positive attraction. What comes around, goes around. You think positive thoughts and positive things happen, You think negative thoughts and negative things happen, its a very simple life lesson.
Lets look at today's economy. Is gas going down? $2.39. How about heating oil? yep
These two things are the life blood of the economy..
How about real estate? Well the absorption rate is now at 6.8 months in Derry! Down from over 10 months supply. How about being a good time to buy real estate? Prices are more affordable than ever and who among us think that the housing market will not go back up in value. Stock market? some stocks are considered a steal right now...
Remember that the economy is 2/3 consumer confidence. Once banks and people stop being negative and start being positive, will we get out of this mess. I will go on to say that this spring, we will have so much pent up demand that our economy will be on the fast track to getting back where it should be..
Folks there is a reason why rich people get richer... They buy at the best value, when others are to afraid to let go of any money. I am not one of those rich people, however, should we not be looking at what they are doing? Now, I do understand some people are in worse shape financially than others, however keep the positive thoughts and positive people around you at all times! Forget those everyday negative, energy sapping people that are miserable day in and day out.. You deserve better!
Being accused of being an optimist is not a bad trait to have in these times. We have enough "gloom and doom" neigh sayers through-out Derry and unfortunately their voices are heard more often than one wishes.
Can we dwell on all the negatives we hear and are bombarded with on a daily basis or should we look for AND CONCENTRATE on the positives of each situation. I'll let you answer that question for yourself!
Reading many books written by successful people usually have a common theme. Stay away from the negative energy- its sucks the lifeblood out of everything. Surround yourself with the positive people! Even the medical community will tell you that by doing so, you will be happier, healthier and live longer.
So when being accused of "wearing rose-colored glasses" I say yes! whats wrong with that? Is the world perfect? of course not! Can I find something to complain about on a daily basis? sure but why would I want to make myself sick everyday. I could blame my problems on someone else, would that make me feel any better? Maybe, but we have to look ourselves in the mirror and understand that we control our thoughts, feelings and how we act. That's the power of positive attraction. What comes around, goes around. You think positive thoughts and positive things happen, You think negative thoughts and negative things happen, its a very simple life lesson.
Lets look at today's economy. Is gas going down? $2.39. How about heating oil? yep
These two things are the life blood of the economy..
How about real estate? Well the absorption rate is now at 6.8 months in Derry! Down from over 10 months supply. How about being a good time to buy real estate? Prices are more affordable than ever and who among us think that the housing market will not go back up in value. Stock market? some stocks are considered a steal right now...
Remember that the economy is 2/3 consumer confidence. Once banks and people stop being negative and start being positive, will we get out of this mess. I will go on to say that this spring, we will have so much pent up demand that our economy will be on the fast track to getting back where it should be..
Folks there is a reason why rich people get richer... They buy at the best value, when others are to afraid to let go of any money. I am not one of those rich people, however, should we not be looking at what they are doing? Now, I do understand some people are in worse shape financially than others, however keep the positive thoughts and positive people around you at all times! Forget those everyday negative, energy sapping people that are miserable day in and day out.. You deserve better!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Derry Polling Places
I have had many phone calls asking me where people are suppose to vote in the Upcoming Nov 4Th Election. Just thought people should be aware of the locations because some district polling places have changed.
Voting Hours are 7Am to 8pm on November 4Th 2008
Districts 1 and Districts 3 will be voting at PINKERTON ACADEMY
District 2 Will be voting at Calvary Christian School on East Derry/Hampstead Rd
District 4 Will be voting at Hood Jr High School.
Please make sure you tell everyone you know about where to vote.!!!
Voting Hours are 7Am to 8pm on November 4Th 2008
Districts 1 and Districts 3 will be voting at PINKERTON ACADEMY
District 2 Will be voting at Calvary Christian School on East Derry/Hampstead Rd
District 4 Will be voting at Hood Jr High School.
Please make sure you tell everyone you know about where to vote.!!!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
25.53
$25.53
This is your new tax rate Derry. I just received word that the new tax rate is now official and its time to take a look how this will affect you this December tax bill.
I'm told the Avg home that was valued at $300,000 in 2007 is now $267,000. and that with the new values that just came out a few weeks back you will need to do some simple math to see how much more you will pay.
The Average homeowner will go up in taxes by 3.3% over last year. However if you want to see how it will affect you personally you will need to do a little research.
Here is the breakdown of what makes up that $25.53 amount.
Town side services ONLY! $8.81/1000 of value
School side $13.19/1000 of value
State $2.54/1000 of value
County $0.99/1000 of value
And there you have it!
I'm also told that the town lost 10.8% of value from the previous year.
For those of you that thought when values went down that taxes would go down well...
Not so.
To find your homes value go to www.derry.nh.us (towns website) and below you will see new valuations link. This takes you to Vision Appraisal web page. Click on NH and then Derry. Put in the correct criteria and you will see what your home is worth to the town.
Your thoughts are appreciated!!!
This is your new tax rate Derry. I just received word that the new tax rate is now official and its time to take a look how this will affect you this December tax bill.
I'm told the Avg home that was valued at $300,000 in 2007 is now $267,000. and that with the new values that just came out a few weeks back you will need to do some simple math to see how much more you will pay.
The Average homeowner will go up in taxes by 3.3% over last year. However if you want to see how it will affect you personally you will need to do a little research.
Here is the breakdown of what makes up that $25.53 amount.
Town side services ONLY! $8.81/1000 of value
School side $13.19/1000 of value
State $2.54/1000 of value
County $0.99/1000 of value
And there you have it!
I'm also told that the town lost 10.8% of value from the previous year.
For those of you that thought when values went down that taxes would go down well...
Not so.
To find your homes value go to www.derry.nh.us (towns website) and below you will see new valuations link. This takes you to Vision Appraisal web page. Click on NH and then Derry. Put in the correct criteria and you will see what your home is worth to the town.
Your thoughts are appreciated!!!
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Fire Contracts approved!
Well last night 3 hour dog and pony show is now history and the firefighters contracts have been approved. After 18 months of negotiations, stall tactics, hard feelings going all around between council members and fire fighters and the long hours and much extra town money being spent frivolously... its now over.
I have been criticized for not speaking much at the meeting and to that I will just say that A) this was a public hearing for concerned citizens and we were there to listen to them.
How do i view this whole process? Well 18 months ago we (as a total group) councilors gave perimeters of what we expected in this up coming contract and as the HR director told us last night, this was accomplished twice in 18 months.
Now I will admit that individual councilors had individual parts of the contract that they were concerned about, including myself, however reading the charter states that no individual councilor shall act alone in creating policy. As a group, we all stated that if we come to the table with a group package under 3.5% we would have a deal. In my business, my word means everything. I don't change negotiations after the fact and try to then leverage an even better deal- That's what lawyers do!
My father who owned a family business taught me one thing.. your only as good as your word. Look someone in the eye, tell them what you expect from them and what they expect from you and keep your word. I did that last night.
Next, let us look at the fact that the first year is a 0% cost of living however they received a lump sum of $860 because this was suppose to be done 18 months ago and there is no retro pay.
Second, this contract dollar wise has been in the budget already passed in March. For anyone who comes up and says gosh, darn now are taxes are going to go through the roof is not being genuine. Remember that we have a tax cap in this town, town side went up .18 cents this year and part of that .18 was this contract. The remainder of the following years will still be UNDER THE TAX CAP. Our charter mandates this!! The ADT and their followers want to scare people, they always have and always will.
Are we going through tough times, yes no doubt.. but to blame the worlds problems on this contract, come on.. Lets be real for once.
At the end of the meeting, I have called for a town wide hiring freeze and that it should take council to break that freeze. I also called for an Overtime freeze town wide as well. These two things could help us in trouble times a hell of alot more than trying to slam our fire dept. And in the end, we must now be ready for the next rounds of future contracts by identifying those areas were we need or feel must be changes, but keep in mind in 2011, with our tax cap, many issues will work themselves out naturally.
I have been criticized for not speaking much at the meeting and to that I will just say that A) this was a public hearing for concerned citizens and we were there to listen to them.
How do i view this whole process? Well 18 months ago we (as a total group) councilors gave perimeters of what we expected in this up coming contract and as the HR director told us last night, this was accomplished twice in 18 months.
Now I will admit that individual councilors had individual parts of the contract that they were concerned about, including myself, however reading the charter states that no individual councilor shall act alone in creating policy. As a group, we all stated that if we come to the table with a group package under 3.5% we would have a deal. In my business, my word means everything. I don't change negotiations after the fact and try to then leverage an even better deal- That's what lawyers do!
My father who owned a family business taught me one thing.. your only as good as your word. Look someone in the eye, tell them what you expect from them and what they expect from you and keep your word. I did that last night.
Next, let us look at the fact that the first year is a 0% cost of living however they received a lump sum of $860 because this was suppose to be done 18 months ago and there is no retro pay.
Second, this contract dollar wise has been in the budget already passed in March. For anyone who comes up and says gosh, darn now are taxes are going to go through the roof is not being genuine. Remember that we have a tax cap in this town, town side went up .18 cents this year and part of that .18 was this contract. The remainder of the following years will still be UNDER THE TAX CAP. Our charter mandates this!! The ADT and their followers want to scare people, they always have and always will.
Are we going through tough times, yes no doubt.. but to blame the worlds problems on this contract, come on.. Lets be real for once.
At the end of the meeting, I have called for a town wide hiring freeze and that it should take council to break that freeze. I also called for an Overtime freeze town wide as well. These two things could help us in trouble times a hell of alot more than trying to slam our fire dept. And in the end, we must now be ready for the next rounds of future contracts by identifying those areas were we need or feel must be changes, but keep in mind in 2011, with our tax cap, many issues will work themselves out naturally.
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