City Plans to Borrow $1.1 Million for Capital Improvements

Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini.

The Haverhill city council is scheduled Tuesday to decide on proposed revisions to a five year, $22.9 million city capital improvement plan—beginning with a $233,000 investment in snow removal equipment for the coming winter.

On the agenda, Mayor James J. Fiorentini, Finance Director Charles Benevento and Department of Public Works (DPW) Director Michael Stankovich are to discuss plans to spend nearly $1.79 million in the current fiscal year by borrowing nearly $1.1 milllion and using $700,000 from the city operating budget.

“The funding for the following years does not need to be voted upon or funded at this time,” Fiorentini told the council in a letter. “We will submit bond orders to fund further projects as the time and need arises.”

In the meantime, Fiorentini is also asking the council to transfer a corrected amount of $309,800 to, among other things, “immediately” fund DPW snow removal equipment spending. Items include $150,000 for a “high functioning” snow removal truck and blower, $40,000 to retrofit an existing front end loader with a mounted snow blower, $35,000 for a new one ton truck and $8,000 for a “blue light” alert system for residents to remove vehicles from streets.

“Right now, the items which I recommend be funded immediately concern our preplanning for winter,” Fiorentini said. “Although it is unlikely we will have anything close to last winter’s record snow, we want to be prepared.”

Another $76,800 would be used to pay for easements to Merrimack Street property owners for construction of a river boardwalk extension. Plans to include another $125,000 toward rail trail improvements on the Bradford side of the Merrimack River were taken off the original transfer request total of $434,800, according to the mayor’s Chief of Staff David S. Van Dam. He told WHAV Tuesday the council will also be advised of the corrected transfer request amount.

“We’re working on rail trail improvements but at this time, the $125,000 was taken out of the request because we may have other funding source options,” Van Dam said.

4 thoughts on “City Plans to Borrow $1.1 Million for Capital Improvements

  1. The Mayor claims he has a reserve account buried somewhere to pay for the replacement of existing equipment, and the reserve account is also for the upkeep of City owned buildings. So where is this account, and where is all of this money he claims to have squirreled away?

  2. In fiscal year 2013 this mayor raised taxes on Haverhill citizens by 2.5%, which at that budget level was close to $4Million dollars. That fiscal year budget then ended with a $3.5Million SURPLUS.

    WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT MONEY?????

    Any city councilor that votes to borrow money knowing full well this mayor is sitting on millions of dollars he intentionally taxed people on knowing he didn’t need the money is just as corrupt as he is.

    • Agreed Jack – and yet even will debt exclusions, kickbacks from Dempsey, and fee increases – the city needs to ‘borrow’ money – building more debt.

      And yet – the fools still keep voting for the same Mayor, city council, and school committee.

      While I’m a firm believer in the need to vote – and always have – I have to say I have finally reached the point that sitting out city elections is what I will do moving forward – I have finally reached the point when I look at our elected official in total and realize you simply can;t fix stupid.