MANCHESTER, NH – On Tuesday, Mayor Joyce Craig delivered her Fiscal Year 2024 budget address presenting a budget that falls below the tax cap. Manchester’s FY24 tax cap is 4.96%, however Mayor Craig’s budget is far less at 3.37%. Mayor Craig’s budget provides $8.1 million in additional property tax revenue, with approximately $2.5 million allocated to the City and $5.6 million allocated to Manchester School District.
The School District is allocated the maximum budget allowed under the tax cap. However, the budget must account for a significant decrease in State Adequate Education Aid, and therefore, despite receiving an additional $5.6 million from the City, the school district budget is increasing by just $1.4 million.
“Communities like Manchester will continue to face significant education funding gaps as long as the State continues to underfund public education and downshift costs to local taxpayers. I encourage the Legislature to pass pending legislation that reinstates state contributions for teacher retirement and increases State Adequate Education Aid,” stated Mayor Joyce Craig.
This school district budget covers current programming and staff, as well as costs associated with collective bargaining agreements, retirement, and health insurance. It supports the District’s strategic plan by decreasing class sizes, expanding higher-level learning opportunities to all students, increasing professional development, investing in school safety, continuing the long-term facilities planning, and more.
On the City side, Mayor Craig’s budget projects a $4.5 million increase in revenues due primarily to an increase in car registrations, building permits, and Meals and Rooms revenue – $2 million is being utilized to decrease the city tax rate.
Mayor Craig’s budget continues to invest in public safety by increasing the police complement from 268 to 271 by adding two additional sergeants and one Lieutenant, and hiring crime analysts who will staff a Real Time Crime Center – supporting patrol officers, providing case support to detectives, and monitoring individuals released on bail who may pose a threat to our community.
It also proposes to expand services to all Manchester seniors by bringing the Senior Services Department into the Health Department as a new Healthy Aging Branch, and adding a Healthy Aging Specialist who will conduct healthy home visits to the more than 4,500 seniors in Manchester living alone.
In this budget, Mayor Craig officially establishes the Department of Homelessness Initiatives and utilizes $6 million of federal funding to address housing and homelessness, including adding $3.6 million to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The budget also adds an additional Concentrated Code Enforcement Inspector to ensure Manchester’s growing housing stock is to code and safe for our residents.
The City of Manchester is the economic engine for the state, and in recent years the City has experienced unprecedented growth. This budget brings the Economic Development Department into the general fund for long-term viability.
Mayor Craig also makes improvements to infrastructure and transportation by funding $4.4 million to address 23.4 miles of roads and $1.2 million to improve sidewalks. This budget will double the frequency of the Route 6 on the West Side, add an intercity bus connecting downtown to the Manchester airport and the Park and Rides at Exit 5 in Londonderry and Exit 2 in Salem, and expand the South Manchester Rail Trail.
“This budget is the first step in the process,” Mayor Craig concluded. “I look forward to hearing from our community and working with the Aldermen to put forward a budget that best meets the needs of our community.”
The full budget proposal can be found on the front page of the City of Manchester website.
