Dover City Council approves $157M budget

DOVER — The City Council voted unanimously to approve a $157,064,145 fiscal year 2021 municipal budget, which will result in an estimated $167 property tax increase for the owner of an average priced home in Dover.

The estimated $167 property tax increase for the owner of a $300,000 home in Dover represents a 2.2% increase over this year’s budget, according to City Manager Michael Joyal.

The fiscal year ends June 30.

The vote Wednesday night during the council’s regular meeting came after it held a three-hour budget workshop meeting as it sought to make additional cuts to the budget.

The initial budget proposed by Joyal for FY 2021 came in at $158,331,639, and would have resulted in a tax cap override if approved as presented.

But as the COVID-19 pandemic spread, the council and the School Board agreed it should adopt a budget that was under the tax cap.

The budget was reduced by $1,267,494, $524,368 which came on the city side and $743,126 on the school side, Joyal said.

The School Board also voted to increase school revenues by $324,168 but the city reduced its amount of anticipated revenue by $325,000.

The final budget came in at $478,693 below the tax cap, Joyal said.

The council received a series of emails related to the budget, many of which encouraged the council to cut the budget further.

Former Mayor Karen Weston appeared during the public comment portion of Wednesday’s workshop meeting and encouraged the council to make more cuts. She said she’s seen so many people at her business who are struggling financially.

“They are saying that they can’t pay their taxes,” she said.

She pointed to the 16% unemployment rate in Dover and added “credit card debt is at an all time high because folks have been living on credit.”

“You’ve got to remember it’s going to take a year to a year and a half in order for people to make up what their debt was,” she said.