Mayor Fiorentini stated, “The Hunking School project ended with a surplus, not with a deficit. There were items that were not directly connected with the project, but had to be done. The School Department did everything they could to put them through to the state to try to get reimbursement. The state turned them down and there was no deficit in Hunking School. It ended with a surplus on time, under budget,” he declared.

OUR DIFFERING VIEWS on TRANSPARENCY, noted above and below.

Mayoral candidate LePage stated, "I humbly disagree with the way the mayor characterizes this. We’ve known for quite some time that a $300,000 building permit was put against this project which was not reimbursable. It was basically saying ‘we are going to charge the city for services’ and the MSBA would not reimburse you for charging yourself and then give you 80% of that money. We got the voters to approve $61.5 million but $300,000 for a building permit was not to be included in that,” he charged.

LePage said the $300,000 went into the city’s general fund and should be given back in the form of a tax break or some other method.

“It appears to be $177,000 over budget and, without the $300,000 building permit fee, it would have been under budget,” LePage said. The building permit fee was not among items the state would reimburse and was expected to be paid by taxpayers with interest over 20 years outside of the tax-limiting law, Proposition 2 ½.

“I do not understand why the city administration would increase the cost of its own project, one that was asked to be funded by the taxpayers through a debt exclusion vote,” said City Councilor Colin F. LePage, a member of the Caleb Dustin Hunking Building Committee.

LePage noted retired Police Chief Alan R. DeNaro requested two “behavioral response” workers to deescalate violence and address core issues. LePage argued the city has the money for the extra position, noting $700,000 is expected next year from cannabis excise taxes ...

LePage explained that this plan extends through the end of December, 2024. He said this gives the city plenty of time to determine the most productive ways to spend the money.

Under the city’s charter, only Mayor James J. Fiorentini may put money in the budget. LePage again linked the difficulty the Council faces in spending on priorities. His voice cracking with emotion at times, he pointed to extraordinary efforts he took more than five years ago to have the school department receive money to hire middle school health instructors.

"I work for the taxpayers of Haverhill. I informed people two weeks earlier and never heard back," LePage said at Tuesday night's City Council meeting. "I'm not against this project by any means, but I want things to be done right."

Council Vice President Colin F. LePage says “The Heights” 10-story Merrimack Street building under construction by developer Salvatore N. Lupoli, owes more than $225,333 to the City.

As early as March of 2017, Councilor Colin F. LePage advocated for the green designation, having Joanne Bissetta, deputy director of the state Department of Energy Resources, address city councilors. “I’m looking out for the taxpayers. I wanted to go after $300,000 that can be used for other purposes,” LePage said.

Councilor LePage said Tuesday night that residents shouldn't be paying for the city's 2015 building fee and expected interest. "We reduce the total by $300,000 so the taxpayers don't pay it over 20 years ..."

LePage earlier reminded the mayor of the excess in snow removal expenses and the expected income from Lupoli. He told WHAV he has found $1.8 million in obscure accounts or underestimated income.

If history is any guide, at least one city councilor says, the money will be there for the wish lists without touching more of the surplus or the rainy-day fund—and without raising taxes to the limit.

His spreadsheets and charts may cause eyes to glaze over, but even those who disagree with him at times respect Councilor LePage’s ability to dig into City Hall’s most boring documents and find money.

Councilor Colin F. LePage, a member of the majority who voted “no,” argued that the budget the mayor submitted does not emphasize what the city values.

“I do not understand why the city administration would increase the cost of its own project, one that was asked to be funded by the taxpayers through a debt exclusion vote,” said City Councilor Colin F. LePage, a member of the Caleb Dustin Hunking Building Committee.

Council President John A. Michitson, left, reacts to Councilor Colin F. LePage’s discovery of $600,000 in unused money in an obscure city spending account.

City Councilor Colin LePage noticed the mayor put only $100,000 in projected “miscellaneous” revenue in next year’s spending plan. “I got $200,000 with one comment,” LePage said. “Who knows what else is in there.”

"If the implementation of curbside, single-stream recycling did not occur, the city would have paid an additional $1,303,265; which would have been dollars thrown in the trash," said Councilor Colin LePage.

Councilors led by Colin F. LePage, voted to have the disputed building permit fee removed from the Hunking School construction budget before final bills are totaled for the city's portion of the project.

Reading from the city charter, Councilor Colin F. LePage noted the administration is legally bound to answer questions after one week. LePage said Mayor James J. Fiorentini has not adequately answered city councilors questions—some dating back six months or longer.

“We should be having a discussion about what the city has planned for the future for our schools,” LePage said. “We need to find out what needs to be done, what the cost will be and how much the state would be willing to pay,” LePage said. “We want to be in that funding pipeline.”

LePage ran for council on a promise to push for more recycling and worked with the mayor and Team Haverhill to make it happen.

"Now we can use our energy to promote the heck out of this, rather than on convincing everyone that it's the right thing to do," he said.

LePage said the city could lower its waste disposal costs from $1.4 million annually to $1 million by increasing its recycling rate from the current 10 percent to the state average of 37 percent.

Fiorentini said it would great to see Haverhill raise its recycling rate, but that he has seen little evidence of an increase since the city implemented curbside recycling on the Tuesday and Wednesday trash routes. "Our rate has stayed around 10 percent," the mayor said.

City councilors, residents and civic groups such as Team Haverhill have been pushing the mayor to bring the program to the entire city. The council is scheduled to continue the pressure at tonight's meeting at 7 at City Hall. Councillor LePage requests to discuss the benefits of a City-wide, curb-side single stream recycling program.