Rochester NH

City of Rochester to Assess Impact Fees to Developers at the Start of the New Year

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  City of Rochester
Blaine Cox, City Manager
31 Wakefield Street
Rochester, NH 03867

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019

Media Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

City of Rochester to Assess Impact Fees to Developers at the Start of the New Year

ROCHESTER — City Manager Blaine Cox reports that the City of Rochester will begin assessing impact fees to residents and business owners starting on Jan. 1, 2020.

The Planning Board may, as a condition of approval of any subdivision or site plan, and when consistent with applicable Board regulations, require an applicant to pay an impact fee for the applicant’s share of public facilities affected by the development.

All impact fees imposed will be assessed at the time of Planning Board approval of a subdivision plan or site plan. When Planning Board approval is not required, impact fees shall be assessed prior to, or as a condition for, the issuance of a building permit or other appropriate permission to proceed with development, as determined by the Building Inspector.

Impact fees are intended to reflect the effect of development upon municipal and/or school facilities at the time of the issuance of the building permit.

The fees will vary for residential uses and commercial uses.

Impact fees shall be collected as a condition for the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. If no certificate of occupancy is required, impact fees shall be collected when the development is ready for its intended use.

The Planning Board may grant full or partial waivers of impact fees where the Board finds that one or more of the criteria listed within the Impact Fee Ordinance are met with respect to the particular public capital facilities for which impact fees are normally assessed.

Any resident who has questions or needs additional information is asked to contact the Planning & Development Department at 603-335-1338 or visit the City’s website at www.rochesternh.net.

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City of Rochester Announces Tax Rate Following Property Value Increases

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  City of Rochester
Blaine Cox, City Manager
31 Wakefield Street
Rochester, NH 03867

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019

Media Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

City of Rochester Announces Tax Rate Following Property Value Increases

ROCHESTER — City Manager Blaine Cox reports that the Department of Revenue Administration has finalized this year’s tax rate following a significant rise in most property values in Rochester.

The tax rate for property taxes to be billed this December has been set at $24.90 per thousand dollars of property value, a $2.62 reduction from the prior year. This is the lowest tax rate the City has had since 2011. The reduced rate was partly caused by a rise in property values and also an increase in revenues collected by the City, such as Motor Vehicle Permit Fees, but does not necessarily mean residents will see a lower property tax bill, as City, County and local school budgets all rose this year.

“The increase we’ve seen in property values is a great indicator of positive growth in our City, and for that, we’re thrilled,” City Manager Cox said. “We have a lot of wonderful initiatives ongoing to foster a thriving economy in Rochester, and our property values, budget and tax rates reflect those efforts.”

The City’s Assessing Department recently completed its 2019 Full Statistical Revaluation of all City properties, which saw a median increase in property value of 15% citywide.

“All current and relevant market data was properly analyzed in the 2019 Full Statistical Revaluation in an effort to equitably appraise all real property to its full and fair market value,” said Deputy City Manager and Director of Finance and Administration Katie Ambrose. “The last full revaluation was completed in 2014. These numbers show us that property value in Rochester is largely increasing, which is consistent with recent real estate sales activity.”

Based on data from recent market sales, single family home values increased by a median of 17% and will see a property tax bill increase of $204 this year. The median assessed value of a single family home prior to the revaluation was $179,150 and would have received a 2018 tax bill totaling $4,930. However, after the revaluation the average single family home assessment has increased to $206,200 and will receive a 2019 tax bill of $5,134.

The City of Rochester aims to distribute tax bills before the holidays, and final 2019 tax bills will be mailed by Dec. 16 and are due 30 days from the mailing date.

Additional information on the 2019 Full Statistical Revaluation and a video explaining the role of assessors can be found at www.rochesternh.net/assessing.

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Rochester Economic Development Commission Partners with New Hampshire Small Business Development Center to Offer Advising Hours

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  City of Rochester
Blaine Cox, City Manager
31 Wakefield Street
Rochester, NH 03867

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019

Media Contact: Jordan Mayblum
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Rochester Economic Development Commission Partners with New Hampshire Small Business
Development Center to Offer Advising Hours

ROCHESTER – City Manager Blaine Cox is pleased to announce that the Rochester Economic Development Commission is partnering with the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center (NH SBDC) to further expand business advising services in Rochester.

NH SBDC will offer small business advising hours at Rochester City Hall Annex, located at 33 Wakefield St., on the second Wednesday of every month, beginning in December. These services will be confidential, individualized, professional and available at no cost to aspiring and existing business owners in Rochester.

NH SBDC’s certified business advisers consult with clients from all sectors and can provide advice on financing, improving operations, management infrastructure, business sustainability best practices, bringing new products to market or where to start in launching a new business.

“Attracting and retaining businesses is always a priority for our city,” Rochester Economic Development Specialist Jenn Marsh said. “We are very pleased to be partnering with the SBDC to offer these advising resources as an additional way to support our current and prospective small business owners.”

“Thank you to the Rochester Economic Development Commission for arranging a location for SBDC office hours,” NH SBDC State Director Liz Gray said. “By going directly into communities, the NH SBDC hopes to expand our reach and connect with more New Hampshire businesses and communities that need our support to create and sustain jobs, start new businesses, and grow and expand existing businesses.”

To schedule an appointment, please contact Krista at 603-862-5221 or email [email protected]. For more information, visit nhsbdc.org.

About the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center

Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the NH SBDC is an outreach program of the UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics in conjunction with SBA, the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs, the University of New Hampshire, and the private sector. A part of 63 SBDC programs nationwide, the NH SBDC was fully accredited in 2015 by the Association of Small Business Development Centers. Over the past 35 years, NH SBDC has advised or trained more than 96,000 New Hampshire entrepreneurs, helping them to start over 2,000 businesses and create more than 7,500 jobs.

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Collaborative Effort Brings Art to Halls of Rochester Community Center

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  City of Rochester
Blaine Cox, City Manager
31 Wakefield Street
Rochester, NH 03867

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019

Media Contact: Jordan Mayblum
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Collaborative Effort Brings Art to Halls of Rochester Community Center

ROCHESTER — City Manager Blaine Cox, Recreation & Arena Director Chris Bowlen and Rochester Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) Co-Founder Matt Wyatt are pleased to share that the Community Center will soon feature art in the building’s hallways.

The MFA has been exhibiting art in the Community Center since 2014. In 2018, it moved to a suite in the building and added a small gallery to feature a different artist every few months.

In order to increase awareness and foot traffic to the museum’s suite, the MFA is partnering with Rochester Rec to add art near the building’s front entrance. The hallways have been re-painted and will feature art from the MFA’s collection along with signage encouraging the public to visit the museum at the other end of the building.

“This partnership is a win-win for both the MFA and the Rec,” Wyatt said. “Our museum will get more exposure as people first enter the building and the Rec will have a wide variety of fine art on display. The recreation department has done a lot over the past few years to make the building more welcoming and we are happy to assist in those efforts.”

In addition to the art, the Rec will be welcoming a Community Center Attendant. Though the recreation department has always provided part-time staff for programs and events, the attendant will be available year-round to interact with the community by answering questions and helping visitors find other Rochester organizations in the building.

“Collaboration was key for this initiative,” Bowlen said. “The Recreation Department’s goal is always to make the Community Center a friendly hub of resources and activities for city residents. We want the building to be comfortable and in line with our mission to cultivate community connections, while the MFA wants the building to be beautiful and to make their art widely accessible to the community and the building department supports both of these goals by providing facilities support. The collaborative effort between multiple city departments made this project a success.”

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