Tag: Budgets

More Nashua Mayoral Malfeasance?

November 21, 2024

by Laurie Ortolano

Contracted legal fee agreements are approved by the Mayor and require no approval of the Board of Aldermen (BOA). The purchasing policy does not require the Finance Committee or Board of Aldermen to approve legal services above $25,000. The Mayor and Legal Office have unchecked control over the legal fee contracts and the terms and expenses associated with … Read more

NH Businesses Pay Larger Share of State Revenue

November 6, 2024

by Andrew Cline

Businesses not paying their fair share. Shrinking state revenues. A tax burden shifted from businesses to property tax payers. Those were the predictions critics have made since 2015, when New Hampshire legislators began a series of business tax cuts. Not only did those predictions fail to materialize, but the exact opposite happened. Since the rate … Read more

All Nashua Taxpayers Need To Let These Figures Sink In:

September 23, 2024

by Laura Colquhoun

City of Nashua Budget FY2017 $263,823,554 City of Nashua Budget FY2025 $456,635,638 Difference $192,812,084 That is an increase of 73.08% This is all due to Mayor Donchess’ spending programs. So when are Nashua taxpayers going to wake up and realize taxpayers cannot afford to have Mayor Donchess doing our budgets? It looks like Mayor Donchess wants … Read more

Aldermen Moran’s Motion to Kill Free Speech at Our Annual Budget Hearing

August 16, 2024

by Laurie Ortolano

On June 17th, 2024, the Board of Alderman held its annual FY24-25 budget hearing. The hearing permits citizens to question spending in any City division or department on a $320,000,000 budget. Alderman Dowd has established ground rules but often changes them during the hearing. If he doesn’t like how citizens question the spending of taxpayer … Read more

Why Aren’t School Boards Besieged By Parents Over Flat Student Achievement But Rising Costs?

June 22, 2024

by Skip

If an enterprising teacher looked at their District’s cost per student and then created their own micro-school with even 20 students, they’d be earning far more than at their static union wage ladder.

The School District Must Think We’re Stupid

June 5, 2024

by Laura Colquhoun

An article on Nashua Inklink stated that the school district budget was going up 4.49%. However, the City’s 2025 Budget book states that the School District is going up 4.94%. One would think that someone made a typo, but no, it gets better.

Night Cap: Local GOP Makes a Dent with 2024 Town Election

April 10, 2024

by Steve MacDonald

My town, Merrimack, holds its SB2 elections later than most. Town election season in New Hampshire begins while the snow still flies and peaks in March, so an early April poll date is late for supper.

How To Judge Mayor Ruais’ Budget

April 2, 2024

by Ed Mosca

Manchester’s new Mayor released his proposed budgets (city and school) yesterday (March 28th). What matters most in the school budget is whether it completely defunds the anti-white racism euphemistically called DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion).

More Money Will Only Make The “Public Education Problem” Worse

March 10, 2024March 10, 2024

by Steve MacDonald

Vermont taxpayers are screwed. Their Democrat majority government can override any Phil Scott Veto (assuming he’s not also part of the problem) and where there are Democrats, there will be higher taxes and little or nothing to show for the taking. The failed public education experiment is a great example.

Thirty-One School & Supervisory Districts Reject Town Meeting Budgets

March 8, 2024

by Op-Ed

The total number of known Vermont school districts and supervisory unions that rejected proposed school budgets at Town Meetings now stands at 31.

Local Government: Just Give Us The Money

March 5, 2024

by Op-Ed

High fives and many kudos to Kevin Tyson, “The Feudal Model of State-Funded Education.” He eloquently and accurately described the very concept I held in my mind as I wrote my call for help last weekend.

Night Cap: Breaking News – Hooksett NH ‘Voters’ Cut $750K from the School Budget at Town Meeting …[Update]

February 9, 2024February 4, 2024

by Steve MacDonald

Here’s a story that hasn’t even broken in the press yet. At Saturday’s Town Meeting in Hooksett, New Hampshire, someone advanced a motion to cut 750,00.00 dollars from the school budget, and it passed! Wait, there’s more.

Pete Buttigieg Norwich Bulletin pic no longer found

Is Useless Pete Buttigieg Even Worth the One Dollar after House Passes an Amendment to Slash his Salary

November 9, 2023November 9, 2023

by Steve MacDonald

The US House did at least two interesting things Tuesday evening. They presented a clean appropriations bill: “…a standalone funding bill for the General Services Administration, Securities and Exchange Commission, and other related agencies.”

Time for Me to Get Back to Holding Government Responsible Again …

October 14, 2023

by Skip

We used to use the phrase “Bring Big Flashlights” when we first started, but like many things, there were lots of “Shiny Objects” that captured my attention over the years. And after my latest DCYF-induced hiatus of several months, I am starting to rev back up again.

What Is Congress Doing on the Budget?

September 6, 2023

by Op-Ed

When Congress comes back from recess, it will talk about money. DC is going to take up funding the federal government before the October 1st deadline. Let’s be clear: there is no spending fight that’s going to happen. Both sides want as much spending as they think will play well on the campaign trail.

Want a Balanced Checkbook? Yes, It DOES Have to Be Republicans.

August 23, 2023August 3, 2023

by Rob Roper

At the end of June, shortly after the Democrat supermajority overrode almost every veto Phil Scott issued, including that of the budget, in what seemed like less time than it takes to get a cup of coffee at Starbucks, a reporter asked the governor, “What are you going to do to get more Republicans in office?”

NH Budget Posts $538.9 Million Surplus

July 21, 2023

by Op-Ed

Lost amid all the political and economic news this month was an important bit of data that’s particularly noteworthy as the 2024 governor’s race gets underway. (Yes, already.)

Dollars US Dollars 100 dollar bills Photo by Pepi Stojanovski on Unsplash

TheUniParty UniParties … There Is No Republican Party In New Hampshire

June 10, 2023

by Ed Mosca

A bipartisan budget! We passed a bipartisan budget! And we speak about it in the language of the Communists … oh! so, so sorry! I mean “our friends” the Democrats. Check out the tweet from Senator “Jeb.” The word “spending” is so missing … there is no longer such a thing as “spending” in New … Read more

So Kids, What Did We Learn From This Week’s House Session (06/08/23)?

June 9, 2023June 9, 2023

by Judy Aron

We learned that Republican attendance still put them in the minority today as compared to the Democrat caucus. With 8 Republican members out, and 4 on the Dem side, it put the numbers around 191D-187R in the morning and hovering around 188D-182R later in the day. It is the reason some nanny state bills passed … Read more

Breaking: NH Legislature Passes State of Emergency Reform

June 8, 2023

by Steve MacDonald

Today the New Hampshire legislature passed the State Budget. The Budget trailer bill, which always includes a bunch of non-budgetary wish-list stuff, included state of emergency reform that adds oversight to executive authority.