Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig apparently isn’t aware of her own budget proposal’s details.  A Right to Know Request, filed under NH RSA 91-A by Girard at Large on Thursday, April 28th was met with the following response from her chief of staff Shannon MacLeod on Friday, April 29th:

MacLeod,Shannon <smacleod@manchesternh.gov>
Fri 4/29/2022 12:32 PM
  • rich girardatlarge.com;
  • Craig,Joyce <jcraig@manchesternh.gov>

Mr. Girard – 

Please be advised that the City of Manchester is in receipt of your request.  The information you have requested is maintained by other departments to the extent they exist.  Your point of contact for documents related to this matter is the Manchester Finance Department. 

 ยท         Sharon Wickens (Director)

Finance Department

One City Hall Plaza

Manchester, NH 03101

(603) 624-6460

 A copy of your request and this communication has been sent to the aforementioned City representative. You will be contacted when your request has been completed and arrangements can be made to view any related information.

 Thank you.

Shannon MacLeod

 —

Shannon MacLeod

Chief of Staff, Office of the Mayor

w: (603) 624-6500

c: (978) 854-2387

Under the law, any information that is immediately available must be immediately provided in response to the request.  If it is not immediately available, the agency to which the request was made has five days to either produce the information, provide a timeline as to when the information will be provided or deny the request in whole or in part.  For the mayor’s response to be valid under the law, it must be that the information requested from her about her own budget proposal isn’t immediately available.  By referring the request to the city’s finance office to provide the information, one is caused to question whether or not Mayor Craig knows the details of her own budget proposal.
 
The information requested is provided below.  Girard at Large will publish any information received from this request.
 
Thu 4/28/2022 11:49 AM
  • Joyce Craig <jcraig@manchesternh.gov>
Mayor Craig.
Per RSA 91-A, please provide the following FY 23 budget information by department:
  • Budgeted amount for step and longevity raises, due to expire on 06/30/2022
    • please also provide this information by bargaining unit
  • Increases in FICA and retirement funding associated with these budgeted raises.
    • please also provide this information by bargaining unit
  • Number of vacant positions funded in FY 23
    • Salary costs of funding these vacant positions
    • FICA and retirement costs of funding these vacant positions
    • Projected health insurance costs of funding these vacant positions
  • Number of new positions funded in FY 23
    • Salary costs of funding these new positions
    • FICA and retirement costs of funding these new positions
    • Projected health insurance costs of funding these new positions
  • Number of grant funded positions being assumed by the general fund
    • Salary costs of funding these assumed positions
    • FICA and retirement costs of funding these assumed positions
    • Projected health insurance costs of funding these assumed positions
  • Projected retirement severance costs
Thank you for your timely attention to this matter.
Richard H. Girard
Publisher
GirardatLarge.com