Council Asked to OK Land Sale Funds

The City Council has a light agenda on Tuesday night, mostly dealing with the city's budget. The agenda and last meeting's minutes can be found below

It will be asked to reduce the city's fiscal 2011 budget by $1,182,000 through the use of land sale funds as allowed by special legislation. The funds from the account will be used to pay down debt to balance the budget.

"I do not take this reduction and subsequent transfer lightly," wrote Mayor Richard Alcombright in a letter accompanying the order, "as it will once again further deplete our reserves and sets the table for a very unsure FY12 budget preparation season."

NA_CityCouncil_11092010The mayor said the action must be taken so that the city can set its tax rate. The council will be asked to set the annual public hearing on the tax classification for real and commercial property for its Nov. 23 meeting.

The council is also expected to finalize an ordinance change requested by the Board of Health that increased waste-hauler licenses from $85 a year to $100. Councilors, however, had questions as to whether the change applied to entire company or to each truck. Health Inspector Manuel Serrano was to provide clarification.

In recent good news, the city is expected to gain some $36,000 in new tax revenue for former religous properties. The North Adams Transcript reported last week that the former St. Francis of Assisi Church, the city's oldest Catholic church, and Our Lady of Mercy on State Road have had their tax-exempt status lifted by the state Department of Revenue. The churches were closed more than two years ago as part of a consolidation of parishes within the Springfield Diocese.

The paper reported that St. Francis and its rectory, both in the downtown, were assessed at $1.1 million and taxed at the commercial rate of $32,000; Our Lady of Mercy was assessed at $314,000 and taxed at $3,900. Both properties are for sale.