Portsmouth revives panel to explore new revenue streams

Some object to possibility of more fees

By Jim McGaw
Posted 7/11/17

PORTSMOUTH — An ad hoc committee that explored and recommended new revenue streams for the town in 2014 was revived by the Town Council Monday night in a 5-2 vote.

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Portsmouth revives panel to explore new revenue streams

Some object to possibility of more fees

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — An ad hoc committee that explored and recommended new revenue streams for the town in 2014 was revived by the Town Council Monday night in a 5-2 vote.

Council member Linda Ujifusa, who put the item on the agenda, said the New Revenue Committee should be restarted by the Portsmouth Economic Development Committee and Richard Talipsky, the town’s director of business development. 

There was a similar committee in 2009, she said, and the more recent one essentially stopped work after presenting recommendations to the council in August 2014. 

Among those recommendations: Start charging residents to use Sandy Point Beach and for ambulance service, and have them pay considerably more for a mooring. The committee said those changes, among others it recommended, could add more than $685,000 to the town’s coffers annually.

In September 2014, the council nixed the residential beach fee but raised the local mooring fee from $5 to $50 and the non-residential fee from $9 a foot to $10.

The council also approved the revenue group’s proposal to charge a motorist’s insurance provider a fee for services provided by the fire department at auto accidents, with 10 percent of the funds earmarked for firefighting/ambulance apparatus.

“I think the people who were on that committee did really good work,” Ms. Ujifusa said.

She asked that the revitalized panel present the council with updated research, analyses and recommendations by the Oct. 10 meeting.

Concerned over fees

Local resident Judi Staven, however, said she was concerned that the revenue group would be more focused on increasing user fees than looking at ways to cut expenditures.

“Every time you raise the fee or whatever, there are people who are going to pay more,” said Ms. Staven. The group should explore ways to save money, “and then the whole town benefits,” she said.

Larry Fitzmorris of Portsmouth Concerned Citizens agreed, saying the town is already receiving sufficient revenue to operate efficiently. “The (town) is not being starved of funds,” he said.

Council member David Gleason replied that extra revenue can be generated by other means, such as renting out the town’s empty buildings or taking a harder look at the leases with existing tenants.

Ms. Ujifusa said the revenue panels “were stopped for no good reason” and that exploring new revenue streams can only be a positive step forward.

Council member Paul Kesson said he wanted the town to advertise for membership on the panel. Mr. Talipsky, however, said the Economic Development Committee could find members to serve on the subcommittee, and added the public is always welcome to attend the meetings.

Mr. Kesson and council member Elizabeth Pedro voted against the motion.

Portsmouth budget, Portsmouth Town Council, New Revenue Committee, Portsmouth Economic Development Committee

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.