Nashua' Right-Not-to-Know
Well, Attorney Neumann is at it again. He is not assisting the public in understanding how our records are maintained to deliver information in the most cost effective manner.
On March 8, 2021 Ms. Colquhoun wrote a request to our new Chief, Rick Vincent:
“please provide me with a copy of the spreadsheet listing all the PILOTS with their taxable assessed value and what they were each taxed for 2021 (in tax dollars)”
On March 15, Attorney Neumann responded:
“The Chief Assessor and the Assessing Department have searched their files and have not found any documents matching the above description.”
So, what is Attorney Neumann saying? Is there really no PILOT spreadsheet listing or is it not yet done for 2021? The requester simply does not know. The City Assessing Policy manual has no information on how the PILOT data is captured and when the listing is updated. In speaking with Chief Vincent, he conveyed to Attorney Neumann that the documents existed, he located the PILOT spreadsheet on the computer, but the updated 2021 list was not available yet. Attorney Neumann’s response is not forthright.
Nashua taxpayers’ are paying $100,000 into a new position that is narrowly interpreting requests rather than taking a broad view as specified in RSA 91-A. A simple 5 minute phone call would have clarified this matter. Attorney Neumann's narrow interpretation is happening at a time when City Hall is not freely open to the public, so inquiring at the customer counter is not possible. Instead, Ms. Colquhoun reached out to a former assessing employee and the Department of Revenue Administration for assistance and resubmitted her request on March 16, 2021.
This time she wrote to Chief Vincent:
“please provide me with a list of properties on which their property taxes are based on RSA 72:73K or RS 72:23 -n. This list should show the amount paid in 2020 for property taxes and an explanation of how the property taxes were calculated. Some of these properties are managed by Southern NH Service and HINEC., like Will St. & 110 Coliseum Ave., the elderly condos and Temple St. This information is within the Assessing Department.”
On March 23, 2021, Attorney Neumann writes:
Your original request (March 8) stated:
“Please provide me with a copy of the spreadsheet listing all the pilots with then taxable assessed value and what they were each taxed for 2021 (in tax dollars).”
Neumann write:
“The information you requested is not presently kept for 2021.” So, two weeks after the original request, he now lets her know that the 2021 data is not yet available but, in fact, the spreadsheet does exist.
This is a very underhanded and deceptive maneuver from Attorney Neumann. He appears to enjoy working his linguistic legalese to shut down the public from accessing the records they are interested in.
And now Attorney Neumann is willing to respond to her request and writes:
“Attached is a list of the 2020 PILOT calculations in satisfaction of your revised request.
Attorney Neumann is failing in his job as Right-To-Know coordinator. Citizens want the government to work with us, not against us. The legal office should work to accommodate rather they decline our requests. As such, please write to your Ward Aldermen and the Budget committee and request this position be eliminated from the 2022 City budget.