Livingston: Bringing in budget proposal.
The Manchester Board of School Committee will meet tonight in City Hall beginning at 7. Superintendent Debra Livingston will present her budget request for the coming fiscal year, as well as a budget that meets the city’s tax cap and a five year budget forecast. In documents sent to the board with Thursday’s agenda, which are now available on the district’s Web site, Livingston asked for a more than four point one million dollar increase in spending, which is expected to simply maintain current staffing and service levels. She says the request is more than two and a half million dollars more than what is allowed under the city’s cap on spending and tax revenue increases. We’ve uploaded the document with this news read at Girard at Large dot com.
Gatsas: To give budget address tomorrow
The board will also vote on policies that would require school nurses to possess Narcan in every Queen City school and impose a residency requirement for school administrators. We have linked to the agenda from this news read.
Tomorrow night, Mayor Ted Gatsas will present his budget for next year at a special meeting of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. It will recommend city and school spending within the tax and spending cap required by the city’s charter.
MSD: Kept arrests under wraps
Girard at Large learned and confirmed over the weekend that six students from the Manchester School District were arrested by the Manchester Police Department in connection with an assault of a juvenile on March 13th. The assault did not take place during school and was not on school grounds. A loyal listener brought to our attention a social media post which raised the arrests, about which we inquired of police officials. Girard at Large also learned that district administrators were aware of the arrests in advance, but failed to notify members of the school board. The full story’s been published at Girard at Large dot com and we’ve linked to it from this news read for your convenience.
Pennichuck: Water woes hit Bedford
The Bedford Police Department is inviting residents to a public information session regarding Bedford’s water supply after Perfluorooctanoic Acid, also known as P F O A, was found in water supplied to some town residents from the Merrimack Village Water District by the Pennichuck Water Works. Officials say the water supply is safe, but that the long-term effects of the chemical remain unknown. P F O A is a man made chemical used to make products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease and water. The meeting will be held this Wednesday night March 30th, at 6:30 at Peter Woodbury Elementary School.
While the meeting is open to the public, the issue doesn’t affect the whole town. Those served by the Pennichuck, especially in the areas of Greenfield Farms, Cabot Preserve, Parker Ridge, Brick Mill, and Jenkins Road, should make every effort to attend. In issuing the statement, Bedford Police Chief John Bryfonski said quote:
This meeting is not meant to cause fear or panic in town. Rather, we want to alert our residents to the measures that the state is implementing to keep them and their families safe.
Bryfonski: No need to panic…
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services will provide bottled drinking water to residents using a private well for drinking water in these areas. Bedford residents are encouraged to contact the town manager at 4 7 2 5 2 4 2 or the police department at 4 7 2 5 1 1 3 with any concerns or questions before Wednesday’s meeting. We’ve linked to the town’s website on today’s news read for your convenience.
News from our own backyard continues after this.
Morse: Funding police training is good
Last week, the New Hampshire Senate voted to restore the Police Standards and Training budget for communities statewide. The measure will also provide funding to properly equip, repair or replace police vehicles, according to Senate President Chuck Morse, Republican from Salem, who issued a statement saying, quote:
We believe it is a priority to restore funding for police training programs, which has become of crucial importance given the substance abuse crisis facing our state and the pressing need for law enforcement to be properly trained to deal with drug related issues.”
Forrester: Not a long term solution
The Senate also passed an amended version of Senate bill 4 9 5 which supposedly addresses the projected shortfall in health care benefits for New Hampshire Retirement System pensioners in the current budget. After passage, Finance Committee Chair Senator Jeanie Forrester, Republican from Meredith, issued a statement saying the bill gave the Department of Administrative Services the authority to close the seven hundred thousand dollar deficit by using unspent funds from energy savings realized by other departments and agencies. Said Forrester, quote:
While this is not a long-term fix, it will ensure that our retirees continue to receive health care benefits without interruption.
Bow PD: Time to register your dog
The Bow Police Department released a reminder on Friday from the town clerk’s office about registering dogs. The town is reminding residents that they must register their dogs by April 30th or late fees will apply. This, of course, does not just apply to dog owners in Bow, it applies to dog owners across the state, so be sure to check in with your town or city clerk before you get a knock on the door wanting to know why you’ve not re registered Man’s Best Friend.
That’s news from our own backyard! Girard at Large hour ___ is next!
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