Claremont council prepares to vote on budget, fees and labor deals
Claremont’s council was set to vote on a $20.6 million budget, labor contracts and fee changes that could lift taxes about $120 on a $250,000 home.
The Claremont City Council met Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers for the public hearing and vote on the city’s 2027 budget, a package that also included resolutions tied to a tax anticipation note, the general fund, water, sewer and the downtown tax increment financing district. Meeting materials for the hearing also included a 2025-2030 capital improvement plan memo, a 2026 fee schedule, a Claremont Savings Bank final report and prior budget documents.
The budget process had been staged across June 10, June 16 and June 24, with the council using the earlier meetings to air the major pressure points before the final vote. The proposed budget was about $20.6 million and would raise the municipal tax rate by 48 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, or 4.52 percent. On a home assessed at $250,000, that would mean about $120 more in annual property taxes. Claremont’s median equalization rate was 77 percent in the budget discussion, while the city’s revaluation page gives the final 2022 tax-year median ratio as 56.8 percent of market value.
The June 10 agenda listed public hearings for Teamsters and firefighters labor agreements, the 17 Water Street revitalization incentive, water and sewer rates, a twin culvert grant and several capital reserve resolutions. The firefighters collective bargaining unit requested $145,955 for fiscal 2027, $63,661 for fiscal 2028 and $66,844 for fiscal 2029, and council members had already raised concerns about the large jump in the first year before approving the contract. Police Chief Brent Wilmot said the city had an $82,832 U.S. Department of Justice grant to fund an ACERT coordinator position.
City Manager Nancy Bates submitted her resignation, effective later this summer, with an official date still to be determined. The city completed the sale of 17 Water Street for $807,000, and developer 1852 MB Funds planned about 30 apartments in the former state office building. The downtown tax increment financing district’s advisory board guides council on planning, construction, implementation and spending of TIFD funds. Water and sewer bills are issued quarterly after readings around the end of March, June, September and December.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
