NASHUA — Tension filled the aldermanic chambers on Thursday as city officials criticized Review and Comment Commissioners for failing to provide necessary budget documentation.

The chairman of the Review and Comment Commission, a volunteer board that reviews funding requests from local human service agencies and votes on recommended funding levels, acknowledged that she has not kept minutes from meetings during her tenure as chair.

Leslie Mendenhall, chairman of the Review and Comment Commission, said she was unaware that meeting minutes were required, stressing she was only told that a sign-in sheet was necessary. “I am happy to correct the process,” she told members of the aldermanic Budget Review Committee on Thursday, adding she already “re-created” the minutes from the past year from various notes and sign-in sheets.

Alderman-at-Large Lori Wilshire argued that while that is appreciated, it does not help aldermen understand why certain funding recommendations to various agencies were either supported or rejected by the commission during the budget cycle.

Wilshire said she could not support a budget without any documentation on how commission votes were made, or without any clarification on how a pool of about $438,000 in city tax dollars will be distributed to nearly 30 agencies.

Nashua Children’s Home

One of those agencies, the Nashua Children’s Home, received a cut of 33 percent in the upcoming fiscal year, or a reduction from $15,000 to $10,000 if approved by aldermen.

“I would urge you to reconsider the funding decision made by the Review and Comment (Commission) and consider the total value,” David Villiotti, executive director of the Children’s Home, told elected officials Thursday.

The funding cut being proposed will hinder the home’s transitional living program for young people, a program that keeps Nashua youth identified with special needs connected to their families and within their own school district, he said.

Kevin Moriarty, one of the Review and Comment commissioners, explained that various agencies requested nearly $780,000 in funds, but there was only $438,000 in city dollars available.

“We had to cut 33 percent of the funds,” said Moriarty, maintaining the commission was not provided with any type of guidance or priority list from aldermen.

Prior to Tuesday, none of the meeting minutes or agency request applications were posted online, but since this issue has been raised in recent days, the applications and re-created minutes are now available. Still, Wilshire said actual votes by commissioners and the 20 to 30 volunteers assisting the commission have not been recorded and are still a mystery.

“We are doing the best we can to rectify them,” said Mendenhall, reassuring aldermen that it won’t be a problem moving forward.

Increase of 250 percent

Despite reductions in funding to several agencies, a handful of organizations did obtain funding increases. The Tolles Street Mission was one of those agencies that saw an increase from $7,100 in 2012 to a recommended $25,000 in 2013, or a jump of about 250 percent.

When Wilshire asked for clarification on why such an increase was supported by the commission, Mendenhall did not have an answer, saying the report on that application has not yet been submitted by the commission’s liaison, Alderman Mark Cookson.

A recommendation was made for at least one aldermanic committee to provide guidance and oversight to the Review and Comment Commission, possibly also having city staff available at meetings for support.

“These are tax dollars,” Wilshire said, explaining someone needs to be held accountable on how and why they are being distributed or not being distributed to certain agencies.

Some of the agencies requesting funds include the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter, Child Advocacy Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Nashua Senior Center, Nashua Pastoral Care, Harbor Homes and more.

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Kimberly Houghton may be reached at khoughton@newstote.com.