'Don't do it for me. Do it for the citizens of Rochester and the tax cap'

City Councilor Chris Rice chides Deputy Mayor Elaine Lauternborn during a discussion on Christmas lights at the Common. (City Council meeting screen capture)

ROCHESTER - The City Council slogged its way through a host of budget revision votes on Tuesday night culminating with a tentative tax-cap compliant budget for both schools and city.

But it wasn't pretty as sniping began early one as City Councilor Chris Rice proposed the elimination of a yearlong $50,000 part-time position in the human resources department that would be filled by the outgoing director.

During his argument for eliminating the position, he called on City Councilor Jim Gray to explain more about "double dipping" laws among government employees.

A clearly frustrated Gray noted that the amount of hours on a part-time basis would not come close to tripping any "double-dipping" regs, but then pivoted to what he called "bigger issues."

"We've got a school department that is going to do certain things to their budget which are probably not good for our citizens," Gray said. "Taking these things piecemeal and trying to vote on them tonight doesn't make a lot of sense to me."

He then took aim at Rochester Mayor Caroline McCarley, referencing her upcoming retirement and move to Cape Cod.

"The mayor is not going to live under this budget," Gray said. "The rest of us are."

When Gray finished an angered McCarley was quick to respond.

"On a personal note if I could, Mr. Gray - 'I will not be living under this budget' - I presume that comment did not have anything to do with how serious I take this process and how we do our work. And if it did, you and I probably have some issues."

Rice, who earlier in the meeting proposed adding $15,000 to the Rec Department budget so they could buy a new van instead of a used one, also sniped off and on with Deputy Mayor Elaine Lauterborn.

Lauterborn drew ire from Rice after she suggested taking $12,000 out of a Christmas lights project on the Common to help him get the money for the van he wanted.

"Thank you, Councilor Lauterborn, for finding the money, but please, in the future, don't do it for me. Do it for the citizens of Rochester and the tax cap," he quipped.

Occasional sparring continued, but in the end the council - down two with the resignation of Doug Lachance and Jeremy Hutchinson who was absent -squared both budgets with tentative tax-cap compliance, filling a final funding hole by increasing projected motor vehicle tax revenue to around $4 million, a figure City Manager Blaine Cox said he was comfortable with.

Going into the meeting the city and school budget stood at $141.5 million, but with Tuesday night's tweaks it could go up a little on both appropriations and revenues.

Among the tweaks that were voted on:

Rice's motion to remove funding for a part-time assistant in the human resources department failed 7-4.

Lauterborn's motion to defund the Christmas lights at the common failed, 7-4.

Councilor David Walker's motion to add an $80,000 salaried city planner passed 8-3.

Councilor Palana Belken's motion to defund two police positions failed 10-1.

Mayor McCarley's motion to increase the schools budget by some $33,000 to get to its tax-cap max passed unanimously.

Next Tuesday City Council will meet again to discuss and vote on the revised budget numbers.