by | Mar 14, 2023 2:43 pm | Comments (24)
Laura Glesby photo
Acting Assessor Alex Pullen and Acting Budget Director Michael Gormany Monday.
More than 55 percent of New Haven’s $17.9 billion in real estate value is currently off the tax rolls, according to the city’s top property-monitor.
Continue reading ‘55.53% Of City Real Estate Now Tax-Exempt’
by | Mar 1, 2023 2:29 pm | Comments (74)
Thomas Breen photo
City Budget Director Gormany and Mayor Elicker on Wednesday.
Revenue summary for mayor's proposed FY24 budget.
Many New Haveners would see taxes increase again — and the city’s budget grow by less than the rate of inflation — according to a $662.7 million general fund budget newly proposed by Mayor Justin Elicker.
Continue reading ‘$662.7M City Budget, 37.2 Mill Rate Proposed’
by | Feb 9, 2023 8:53 am | Comments (9)
Monday's FRAC meeting, complete with active public-attendee chat.
City government still has 112 full-time non-cop vacancies — while the city’s revived fiscal watchdog commission still has three empty seats — as the Elicker Administration continues to struggle to fill job posts so that overtime doesn’t spike and current workers aren’t overly stretched.
Continue reading ‘City Vacancies Dissected As FRAC Comes Back’
by | Jan 27, 2023 10:02 am | Comments (15)
Thomas Breen file photo
At a 2019 Financial Review & Audit Commission (FRAC) meeting at City Hall.
The following opinion essay was submitted by Dennis Serfilippi, a certified public accountant who works as a chief financial officer consulting for early- and late-stage technology companies.
New Haven is flush with $188 million in funding — $115 million from the feds, $50 million from the state, $10 million from Yale, and a $13 million tax increase.
by | Jan 27, 2023 9:07 am | Comments (17)
Maya McFadden photo
Kim Harris (center) & students, speaking up for tutoring plan.
The Elicker Administration’s bid to spend $3 million in federal aid on a new math and literacy tutoring plan moved ahead — against a backdrop of questions and concerns around how exactly the city will find the hundreds of volunteers needed to make this program work.
by | Dec 23, 2022 1:08 pm | Comments (42)
Thomas Breen photo
360 State St.: Sold for $160M, appraised at $115M.
New Haven land records database
New Haven cut a $166 million break for out-of-town investors in the 10 biggest real estate deals of 2022 — leaving local taxpayers with the bill in a year that was supposed to start seeing the real estate boom pay local benefits.
The break came in the form of real estate tax appraisals that ended up far lower than the prices that buyers actually paid when they determined what the true values of high-end properties should be.
Continue reading ‘Whose Boom Is It? City Cut Top Investors $166M Break In 2022’
by | Nov 11, 2022 3:00 pm | Comments (14)
Thomas Breen photo
360 State St.
The city has received a one-time windfall of $2.7 million in deferred building permit fees from the now-former owner of 360 State St., thereby closing out two parallel developer deals that date back more than a decade.
by | Oct 6, 2022 10:12 am | Comments (9)
City Budget Director Gormany and Mayor Elicker on Wednesday.
City of New Haven FY22 data
Last fiscal year's budget surplus data.
Increased state and Yale aid — along with vacancy-induced salary savings — helped propel city government to a $16.9 million budget surplus as well as a slightly higher credit rating.
by | Sep 13, 2022 3:38 pm | Comments (7)
Thomas Breen file photo
Ed board member Darnell Goldson at Monday's alder hearing.
Board of Education member Darnell Goldson took on the role of whistleblower as he criticized the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) contracting process as unduly shielded from public oversight, and as overly favorable to the current school bus provider.
by | Sep 13, 2022 9:10 am | Comments (17)
Thomas Breen photo
At the main branch on Elm St.
City libraries remain closed on Sundays 11 weeks into a fiscal year in which they are supposed to be open, with the Elicker Administration citing staff shortages as the biggest roadblock so far to realizing a heralded budget promise.
Continue reading ‘Despite Budget Vow, Libraries Closed On Sundays’
by | Aug 3, 2022 12:00 pm | Comments (4)
Thomas Breen file photo
Cracking concrete outside of the boathouse.
Alders signed off on paying outside attorneys $159,000 in total as legal bills keep mounting for an ongoing court battle centered on cracking concrete outside of the Canal Dock Boathouse.
Continue reading ‘Cracked-Concrete Boathouse Legal Fees Increase’
by | Jun 22, 2022 4:46 pm | Comments (12)
Thomas Breen file photo
Cracking concrete outside of the boathouse.
The Elicker Administration is now looking to pay outside attorneys $159,000 in total in a bid to hold a city-hired contractor accountable for cracking concrete outside of the Canal Dock Boathouse.
Continue reading ‘Legal Bills Mount In Boathouse Concrete Suit’
by | Jun 7, 2022 5:06 pm | Comments (12)
Yale's latest voluntary payment check to the city, included in a communication submitted to the Board of Alders.
Serena Cho photo
Yale VP Lauren Zucker: "Historic new partnership" now in effect.
One check, $14.4 million.
New Haven received that cash infusion two weeks ago, as part of a recently inked new agreement with Yale that has now started kicking in.
by | May 30, 2022 10:30 am | Comments (12)
East Rock Alder Anna Festa.
The next time New Haven decides whether to “scoop and toss” municipal debt, a small group of officials will continue to make the call without a broader debate and vote among the full Board of Alders — despite the efforts of a city alder to make a change.
At least, that was the outcome of the latest vote on an effort to change the process by which municipal debt restructurings take place.
by | May 24, 2022 9:03 am | Comments (22)
Thomas Breen photos
At Monday's budget hearing, clockwise from top left: Finance Committee Chair Marchand, Newhallville Alder Avshalom-Smith, city union members filling in the chamber and calling for good contracts, Majority Leader Furlow.
Even in times of apparent fiscal plenty, New Haven’s needs are so great, its fixed costs so persistent, and its coffers so relatively strapped that taxes have to go up.
That argument prevailed Monday night as the Board of Alders approved a final new city budget that cuts the mill rate by over 9 percent, and then phases in new higher property values over two years instead of five.
Continue reading ‘Final Budget OK'd With Cut Mill Rate, Phase-In’
by | May 13, 2022 11:30 am | Comments (28)
Thomas Breen photo
Finance Chair Adam Marchand (center) with Vice-Chair Ron Hurt.
Luxury developers and megalandlords won’t get as bountiful de facto taxpayer-funded tax breaks as originally planned — because an aldermanic committee endorsed an amended new city budget that drops the mill rate by over 9 percent and phases in the latest citywide revaluation over two years instead of five.
by | Apr 28, 2022 8:44 am | Comments (8)
Continue reading ‘Online Tool Helps Residents Calculate Phased-In Property Tax Bill’
by | Apr 26, 2022 3:37 pm | Comments (0)
Thomas Breen photo
Construction underway at 101 College St., across from Alexion bioscience building at 100 College.
Mayor's proposed FY23 budget
Projected building permit revenue -- listed as "building inspections."
The Elicker Administration expects a $1.3 million bump in building permit revenue next fiscal year, as city inspectors take on complex — and costly — new buildings like the in-the-works 10-story bioscience tower at 101 College St.
by | Apr 25, 2022 1:51 pm | Comments (7)
Maya McFadden photo
LCI Deputy Frank D'Amore tracking neighborhood blight.
LCI general fund positions in the mayor's proposed budget.
Will two more “neighborhood specialists” help cut down on blight, hold landlords accountable, and build trust in City Hall?
Or does New Haven need to rethink — and potentially overhaul — the structure of its anti-blight and housing-code-enforcement agency, before adding any more “generalist” positions to the city budget?
by | Apr 22, 2022 8:14 am | Comments (6)
Biz-district leaders at Thursday's Finance Committee meeting.
Town Green District image
Town Green's downtown domain.
Downtown’s business improvement district is looking for an extra $60,000 from city taxpayers — and a 7.5 percent surtax hike on downtown property owners — to help fund its ongoing efforts to beautify and liven up the city center.
by | Apr 20, 2022 12:02 pm | Comments (7)
Paul Bass file photo
Educators rally outside City Hall for full school funding.
Mayor's proposed FY23 budget
Expenditure breakdown for proposed schools budget.
Teacher salaries. Student transportation. Building maintenance. Special education.
All of those costs are on the rise — and New Haven’s public schools need at least $5 million more to close the gap.
by | Apr 18, 2022 9:33 am | Comments (9)
Thomas Breen photo
City Youth and Recreation Director Gwendolyn Busch Williams at budget workshop.
The recently reorganized city Youth and Recreation Department is looking to add two new deputy director positions to beef up programming and building maintenance.
by | Apr 15, 2022 10:35 am | Comments (10)
Thomas Breen photo
City Health Director Maritza Bond at Thursday's budget workshop.
Should the city add two new public health nurse positions to the budget … at a time when 25 already-existing nurse positions are vacant?
by | Apr 1, 2022 3:51 pm | Comments (33)
Paul Bass Photo
Cop recruits take oath in November: Preparing to hit streets, cut OT costs.
The police overtime budget is slated to top $10.6 million next fiscal year, as the department grapples with its lowest number of sworn officers in decades.
Continue reading ‘Police OT Costs Keep Rising Amid Vacancies’
by | Apr 1, 2022 9:23 am | Comments (0)
Thomas Breen photo
City Department of Community Resilience Acting Director Carlos Sosa-Lombardo presents at Wednesday night's Finance Committee hearing.
The Elicker Administration’s long-delayed plans to set up a non-cop crisis response team inched forward, as committee alders endorsed a $3.5 million contract with Yale and receipt of a $2 million federal grant.
Continue reading ‘Crisis Response Plan Contract, Grant Advance’