FY2019 Budget

By a vote of 7-2, the City Council adopted the Fiscal Year 2019 budget on Wednesday, May 2, during a special meeting. The special meeting followed several weeks of budget workshops, meetings and public hearings.

The final budget is $145,159,793, which is $1.98 million over the tax cap, including $1.2 million in debt service for the new high school and career technical center. The City Council cut about $200,000 from the City portion of the proposed budget, which was already under the tax cap, and $500,000 from the school portion of the budget.

The special meeting and preceding workshop can be viewed below.

The proposed fiscal year 2019 budget was first presented to the City Council on Wednesday, March 28, 2018, in Council Chambers at City Hall during a regular meeting.

The proposed budget can be viewed at the link below.

FY2019 Proposed Budget

FY2019 Proposed Fee Schedule

The budget presentation to the City Council on March 28 can be viewed below:

April 25

The City Council held a budget workshop on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 to continue its review of departmental budgets, including Community Services. The workshop can be viewed below.

Presentations at a glance

Community Services

The Community Services component of the proposed FY2019 General Fund budget, is $7,603,633, an increase of $454,981, or 6.4 percent.

The Community Services budget consists of several departments, divisions and programs, including administration, engineering, streets and sidewalks, snow removal, storm water, street lighting, facilities and grounds, government buildings, public cemeteries, and recycling and waste management. In addition, Community Services also includes the sewer and water enterprise funds.

In addition to requested funding for the maintenance of the City's streets and sidewalks, public facilities, snow removal and storm management, the proposed budget for Community Services also includes funding for staffing and resources to meet the increasing demand on the City's storm water management requirements, and wastewater, sewer and water infrastructure.

PREVIOUS WORKSHOPS

The City Council held a budget workshop on Wednesday, April 18 to continue its review of departmental budgets, including Police, Fire and Rescue, and Recreation. The workshop can be viewed below:

POLICE

The Police Department component of the proposed budget totals $11,077,875, an increase of $347,800, or 3.2 percent. The Police Department budget consists of several divisions and programs, including administration, field operations, special investigations, police support, drug enforcement, the Parking Activity Fund, and public safety dispatch.

Also contained the proposed Police Department budget is funding for the Dover Coalition of Youth, which conducts and coordinates substance abuse programming in the community, with a strong emphasis in schools. The Coalition for Youth, along with related programs such as DARE and Youth to Youth, works to strengthen and increase community involvement in substance abuse prevention.

Funding for the Teen Center, which is located at the McConnell Center, is also included in the Police budget. The Teen Center provides support and activities for at-risk teens.

The FY19 budget also includes the third year of matching contributions for a community policing grant, known as COPS.

In addition to funding for the department's vehicle replacement program, the proposed budget also funds the department's efforts to enhance safety in the Downtown Business District, which include the Mounted Patrol Unit, Bicycle Patrol Unit and Walking Patrol details, and involvement with various downtown business groups.

The proposed increase in the police budget is primarily from contractual obligations, totaling about $140,702; staff development and travel, totaling $19,507; computers and equipment, totaling $26,400; and light vehicles, totaling $30,000.

The Police Department budget can be viewed here.

FIRE AND RESCUE

Dover Fire and Rescue's proposed budget totals $9,467,869, an increase of $478,983, or 5.3 percent. The Fire and Rescue budget consists of several divisions, including administration, suppression and building inspection services.

In addition to a wide range of public safety responsibilities, including fire suppression, Fire and Rescue provides the community with information, education and services to help improve quality of life and to enhance the ability to survive from the devastation of fire, environmental, natural and man-made emergencies.

The department estimates it will conduct and issue 6,500 inspections and permits in Fiscal Year 2019, and respond to 5,625 calls for fire and rescue service.

Among the department's goals in Fiscal Year 2019 are maintaining 24-hour paramedic coverage, ensuring all apparatus is in a state of readiness, maximize citizen satisfaction, operate emergency services in the most efficient and cost-effective manner by utilizing national standards and proven best practices, and 24-hour chief officer coverage to meet national standards.

Among the increases in the proposed budget are additional funding for suppression machinery, and replacement of a part-time Professional Standards Coordinator with a full-time Assistant Chief of Operations. The change will offset overtime staffing requirements and help maintain accreditation requirements.

The Fire and Rescue Budget can be viewed here.

RECREATION

The Recreation proposed budget totals $3,805,052, an increase of $96,275, or 2.6 percent. The Recreation budget consists of several divisions and programs, including administration, the Indoor and Outdoor pools, the Ice Arena, and McConnell Center recreation programs.

The Recreation budget also provides some funding for the Cochecho Arts Festival and July 4 fireworks. In the FY2019 proposed budget, additional funds are requested for the Arts Commission and the City's 400th anniversary celebration in 2023.

The Recreation budget includes several special revenue funds for various programs, including those at the McConnell Center, Indoor Pool, McConnell Center operations, senior programs and travel, the Dover Arena and Camp Kool.

Among the key objectives for Fiscal Year 2019 are continued development of new athletic fields and facilities, protection of Willand Pond Park users from hunting impacts, work on plans to develop active recreation facilities on the Waterfront, implement Master Plan recommendations to improve neighborhood parks, complete the Henry Law Park improvements, work with other McConnell Center tenants to develop new programs, and work closely with the School Department to design spaces in the new High School and athletic fields and facilities for the community to use.

The Recreation Budget can be viewed here.

April 4, 2018

The City Council held a budget workshop on Wednesday, April 4 to review several departmental budgets, including Education, Executive, Finance, Planning, Library, Welfare and DoverNet. The workshop can be viewed below.

Presentations at a Glance

EDUCATION

The Education component of the proposed budget totals $60,293,124, an increase of $2,954,306, or 5.2 percent.

The Education budget represents several divisions, including student support services, instructional programs, administrative services, facilities and operations and transportation. Another category, "Other," includes support services not directly related to previous accounts, such as the costs of unemployment compensation, general liability coverage, workers' compensation, severance pay, physical exams, immunizations, criminal records checks, and technology. It also includes $1.2 million for the third year of debt service for the Dover High School and Career Technical Center renovation project.

The school portion of the proposed budget, including debt service, is $2.7 million over the over the City's tax cap limit and requires a two-thirds majority vote of the City Council to adopt.

EXECUTIVE

The Executive Department proposed budget totals $1,198,570, an increase of $158,695, or 15.3 percent.

The Executive Department budget includes the following divisions: the City Manager's office, Human Resources office, General Legal Counsel and Economic Development.

Much of this year's increase is the result of moving components of human resources to this department.

Fiscal Year 2019 priorities for the Executive Department include continued economical, efficient and effective management of city government; working with all departments to realize the goals of the City's strategic plan; and identify and support opportunities to enhance core values.

FINANCE

The Finance Department proposed budget totals $1,858,605, an increase of $73,571, or 4.1 percent.

The Finance Department budget includes the following divisions: Finance and Accounting, Tax Assessment, City Clerk and Tax Collection Office and the Election Division.

Fiscal Year 2019 priorities for the Finance Department include expansion of electronic processing, imaging and record retention; developing future revenue sources; and improve utilization of online and mail-in payment services.

PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

The Planning and Community Development proposed budget totals $1,098,943, an increase of $91,428, or 9.1 percent.

The Planning and Community Development budget includes the following divisions: Planning and the Community Development Fund.

Among the projects overseen by Planning include development of the City's waterfront property, infill, code and zoning review, the Master Plan, and the Community Trail.

Fiscal Year 2019 priorities for the Planning Department include completion of the Community Facilities chapter of the Master Plan, develop a customer service guidebook and stakeholder engagement guidebook, and propose rezoning initiatives that correspond with the Master Plan.

PUBLIC LIBRARY

The Public Library component of the proposed budget totals $1,452,460, an increase of $38,752, or 2.7 percent.

The Dover Public Library supports lifelong enjoyment of reading and learning. The Library focuses maintains a broad range of information services, in multiple formats, which entertain, enlighten, empower, educate and enrich the residents of Dover.

Among the Fiscal Year 2019 priorities for the Public Library are additional custodial help for nights and weekends, renovation of the public restrooms, digitizing all Dover High School yearbooks, convertible furnishings and equipment for the computer lab, new picture book shelving for the Children's Room, and the building-wide repair of ceilings and painting interior walls.

PUBLIC WELFARE

The Public Welfare component of the proposed budget totals $796,220, a decrease of $60,388, or reduction of 7 percent.

Public Welfare provides general assistance to meet the genuine needs of all eligible residents in compliance with state law and City guidelines, in a respectful and fiscally responsible way which fosters dignity and self-sufficiency.

DOVERNET

The DoverNet and Information Technology portion of the proposed budget totals $1,443,824, an increase of $177,600, or 14 percent.

DoverNet addresses the improved use of information technology in the delivery of municipal services, which promote greater efficiency, effectiveness and accessibility of community information and services.

Among the Fiscal Year 2019 priorities for Information Technology and DoverNet is to continue administration of self-insured maintenance program for client systems, printing and other network devices; provide or coordinate staff training when and where required to improve user efficiency; continue administrator-level training to retain the majority of administration in-house; to support the design of fiscally responsible solutions using current and accepted technologies; and to augment the delivery of information and services provided to the community using a variety of Internet-based methods Where possible.

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FY19 School Budget

The School Board approved a proposed school department budget on Feb. 12, 2018. That meeting can be viewed below.

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