Latest news with #Stepp
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate tax expert: Our revenues will be much more than House, likely less than gov's
The senate leader who chairs the taxation panel predicted the State Senate would likely adopt revenue estimates 'significantly higher' than in the House-approved budget, but lower than those that Gov. Kelly Ayotte relied upon in writing her competing spending plan. After three hours of public testimony from state and industry revenue experts, Sen. Tim Lang, R-Sanbornton, gave members of his Senate Ways and Means Committee some homework. He gave them worksheets and instructed them to come back on May 7 and be ready to adopt final numbers that Senate budget writers can use to craft their own two-year budget plan later next month. 'Really what we heard in all the presentations was that after several years of record surpluses and overwhelming revenue returns, we're coming back to the normal level of growth in state taxes,' Lang said. 'That's something I think we can live with, and our colleagues can responsibly budget upon.' The presentation from Revenue Commissioner Lindsey Stepp revealed how both Ayotte and the House could be so far apart on their revenue forecasts. With each major tax under her authority, Stepp offered a 'low' and a 'high' range of predictive change for the two-year cycle that begins this June 30. For example, with the two business taxes that provide more than half of the general tax and fee totals, Stepp said her low estimate would be that the 7.5% Business Profits Tax and .55% Business Enterprise Tax would go up by 2% each year. The 'high' estimate is both taxes would bring in 8% more. Through eight months, the two taxes brought in $134 million or 13.1% below the prior year and $156 million or 14.9% below forecast. House took 'low' forecast, Ayotte took 'high' Ayotte's revenues in total are $426.3 million less than in the House-approved budget for this year that ends June 30 and the next two years. The 'low' range in Stepps' estimates were $456 million less than Ayotte's numbers. Conversely, if you adopted the DRA's 'high' estimate than that total revenue is $21 million more than what Ayotte based her budget upon. 'We are at an inflexion point, we are coming down from those high business tax payments, but how the economy performs will determine how much growth we see for 2026 and 2027,' Stepp said. She stressed that that her agency was better at 'looking in the rearview' and explaining business taxpayer behavior once it occurs than making scientific predictions about it. That's because business owners make estimated payments three times a year and then with the last quarterly payment true up or true down their taxes based on actual profit or loss by the company, she said. 'There is no space for a love note on the estimated tax return to say, 'Hey, I am reducing my estimated payment due to X,'' Stepp said. 'We have our thumb in the air kind of feeling the way the wind is blowing.' Lang said there are many contradictions in the tax performance that are specific to demographics and buyer habits in that industry. In the case of hotel rentals that carry the 8.5% Room and Meals Tax, returns from the lower-end hotels have been slumping of late. 'That's because of inflation. What was once a $69-a-night room at Motel 6 is now an $89-a-night room and those families in that socioeconomic circumstance say, 'We can't afford it' or 'We're only staying two nights, not three,'' Lang said. 'The opposite is true of higher-end hotels; that market is surging.' Ghost drop liquor sales a big W for state Likewise, when it comes to alcohol sales compared to a decade ago, consumption of beer, wine and spirits are way down among consumers in their 20s. But Lang credited State Liquor Commission Chairman Joe Mollica and his team with working to offset this trend by creating a land office business in the sale of high priced liquor and wines. 'These big ticket price bottles, when they have a ghost drop sale, high price, good discount but limited quantities, they don't stay on the shelves for long," Lang said. "It's amazing how successful this market offer has been, the commission is cleaning up whenever they put it out there.' It's well known that the Trump administration tariffs on Canada have led to some decline in advance summer rental reservations here by residents of Quebec and Ontario. 'Again, it's looking like we could have a lose a little, gain a little. Yes, our border crossings are down already, but that could also mean we have less travel from New Hampshire into Canada. What we lose in foreign tourists could be made up in more stay vacations and spending by our own citizens,' Lang said. 'In the face of all that, the Airbnb and other short-term rental market folks are telling us they are still seeing a slight uptick.' Mike Somers, president and CEO of the N.H. Lodging and Restaurant Association said summer bookings are what they were last year, in other words, 'kind of flat.' 'The Room and Meals Tax has been propped up for the past 12 to 18 months due to inflation, menu prices and room rates as well,' Somers said. 'This doesn't necessarily mean we are seeing the same sale growth.' Somers said once hospitality venue owners see a softening market, they will lower their rates to keep or attract business from their competitors. Weather remains a determining factor and another 2026 event the southern tier owners are looking forward for spinoff profit is next summer when Boston hosts seven soccer matches in the FIFA World Cup next June and July, Somers added. klandrigan@
CBS News
20-04-2025
- CBS News
How long will Baltimore police's federal oversight last in the aftermath of Freddie Gray's death?
The Department of Justice found police committed widespread civil rights violations after Freddie Gray's death and placed the Baltimore Police Department under federal oversight eight years ago to correct the problems. The city has spent millions of dollars on police reform during that time, and while some say there is still a long way to go, the commissioner sees a transformed department. On Thursday, April 17, the police department was found compliant in two areas of its consent decree -- the transportation of detainees and officer wellness. "That was bound to come because what they did to Freddie Gray was uncalled for," said Thomas Guinn, who lives in West Baltimore's Sandtown community. Guinn remembers being hurt and angry over Freddie Gray's death in police custody. He believes that over the decade since, the way officers interact with the people they serve is getting better here. "I've been victimized by police before, pulled over just because I'm a young Black man. Freddie Gray changed that. They give us much more respect now," he said. Baltimore Police Commissioner Richard Worley told WJZ bluntly, "We're not the department we were in 2015." "I think it shows that the men and women have changed the culture of the BPD to the point that now we are the guardians and not the warriors who go in and take the area by storm," the commissioner said. A scathing Department of Justice report commissioned after Gray's death exposed the extent of the problems, documenting what many in the neighborhood where Gray grew up had been saying for years: Baltimore police engaged in "unconstitutional" policing with a "pattern and practice" of retaliation, excessive force and unconstitutional stops, searches and arrests— particularly targeting Black residents. You can read that 2016 report here. Among the outrageous violations detailed in the DOJ investigation: And that was before a 2017 indictment revealed the stunning abuses by the Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF), the specialized unit whose members robbed citizens and covered it up. In court, testimony revealed the lead detective, Wayne Jenkins, took drugs looted from pharmacies and elsewhere in the unrest following Gray's death and sold them through his friend, bail bondsman Donald Stepp . According to federal prosecutors: "From 2015-2017, Stepp obtained significant quantities of narcotics from Jenkins and robbed citizens of their property, including drugs, cash, and watches. To facilitate the robberies and drug trafficking, Jenkins brought Stepp to search locations in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, and falsely represented to other law enforcement agencies that Stepp was an officer with BPD. Jenkins would travel to Stepp's residence after he had robbed citizens and Stepp would store the stolen drugs in his tool shed. Stepp then sold the stolen drugs and returned hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash proceeds to BPD officers. Jenkins took a portion of the proceeds from the drug sales and paid other officers in the BPD who participated in the robberies with Jenkins and Stepp. On December 14, 2017, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Stepp's residence and recovered approximately 423 grams of crack cocaine, 262 grams of cocaine, 14 grams of heroin, 28 grams of MDMA, digital scales, packaging material, a large sum of cash, and several high-value watches." In June 2015, police blamed the looted narcotics on a surge in shootings and killings . There would have been no Department of Justice investigation without Freddie Gray's tragic death. WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren: "Can you think of another incident that changed policing more than that one?" BPD Commissioner Richard Worley: "For us, no." "I think if it didn't happen at Freddie Gray, it would have happened at George Floyd," Commissioner Worley said. "I think it was bound to happen at some point. We were moving further apart from the community, as opposed to coming together with the community. And the police department and the city could never succeed when your police department and the community can't get along." Worley said community engagement is a key component of reform, and morale among officers is better within the department today. "It was really bad, and I think it has improved. Commissioner Harrison came in. He got us on the right track, and then he turned it over to someone from within the department," Commissioner Worley said. "And the fact that I came up through the ranks helped with morale. But I also had to prove myself because I was also here during the bad times, and I know when I went through those town halls, people thought we were going to revert to the old way, and were not going to revert to the old way. We want to provide a better police department, and I think that's what we're doing." Body cameras, new transport policies, and a drastic reduction in arrests without probable cause are some of the successes. "There have been changes, but I want to see more change, and I think I'm in good company," said Billy Murphy, who represented Gray's family. WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren: "Could you see it happening all over again?" Gray family attorney Billy Murphy: "I don't think it can happen the way it happened in the Freddie Gray case because there are too many checks and balances that have been implemented." James Bredar, the judge overseeing police reform, recently warned the department it was "playing with fire" because of severe understaffing . That is a problem the commissioner acknowledges, being more than 500 officers down on a force that's smaller than when Gray was arrested. There were roughly 3,000 officers then. There will be almost 2,000 in 2025. The biggest strides have been made in training and the transport of detainees . Commissioner Worley believes federal oversight has turned a troubled department into a touchstone. "Never did I ever think the Baltimore police department would be the agency that other agencies around the country and the world are coming to see how to do things right," Worley said. Police Commissioner Worley is hopeful the judge will find the city fully compliant and remove Baltimore from federal oversight by the time his contract is up in 2028. But there are no guarantees, and Judge Bredar has given no timetable on when he will find the city fully compliant. You can read the consent decree agreement here .
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
DOS announces third virtual learning day for schools on Feb. 21
Director of School William Stepp announced that Cumberland County Schools would be utilizing a third virtual learning day for Feb. 21. 'The CCS team along with our EMA partners will continue monitoring the weather and road conditions to ensure safe travels for our students, buses, and CCS stakeholders,' said Stepp. Stepp shared this message via Facebook and the online messaging program. See more in Tuesday's Chronicle regarding how the school system will proceed following the weekend.
