My predecessor on the City Hall beat told me there would come a time when someone showed interest in the city-owned land on Hackett Hill, but like the many other proposals for the property made in the past decade, nothing would ever come of it.

It appears he was right. Two years after developer Richard Danais of Danais Realty Group made an offer to buy 12 lots of the Northwest Business Park for $2.8 million, not much has happened.

The Board of Aldermen voted on Tuesday, with Mayor Ted Gatsas breaking the tie, to enter into a new deal with Danais and release him from building a new fire station on Hackett Hill Road. In exchange for the land, Danais owes the city $2.6 million, which he has until 2018 to pay back.

Those who favored signing the new contract said it would allow the city to move forward with building a fire station on its own, something Fire Chief James Burkush said is desperately needed. But the ordeal is still held in limbo after Ward 12 Alderman Patrick Arnold announced at the end of Tuesday's meeting he wanted to bring the issue up again on May 15. Per board rules, an alderman can place a defeated issue on the next meeting's agenda if he was on the losing side of the vote.

Arnold had hoped to see a provision added to the amended contract restricting Danais from building anything banned by zoning on the parcel — specifically a prison. Alderman Jim Roy noted there was no need to add this provision when the zoning already prohibits a prison.

According to the city solicitor, the only way Arnold's amendment could get into the contract is if Danais agreed to it. Arnold argued that it should at least be presented to Danais. If he turns it down, “that would be very telling,” said Arnold.

The conversation on Hackett Hill, if you include the 20-minute discussion that took place behind closed doors, took more than 90 minutes of the meeting on Tuesday. It could occupy about as much time next week when Arnold and his allies try to put together enough votes to override a promised Gatsas veto on any motion to kill the new contract.

But after two years of talk, what's another 90 minutes?

- - - - - - -

DON'T EXPECT MANY CHANGES to the mayor's city-side budget when the aldermen present their budget. Board of Alderman Chairman Dan O'Neil said he and a group of aldermen spearheading the alternative to the mayor's budget received updated projections from city department heads on Monday. Where savings have been realized, the aldermen will make adjustments, said O'Neil. For example, union concessions in the Highway Department will save enough money to prevent the six department layoffs in Gatsas' budget.

Where things get tricky is on the school side. Aldermen have asked the school district for information about its budget, but, as of Wednesday, hadn't received it, O'Neil said.

“It's hard to make comments about the schools because the aldermen have asked for information and not gotten it yet,” said O'Neil.

Although the schools largest union, Manchester Education Association, turned down a proposal reached by union heads and the district, O'Neil said aldermen are still hopeful a deal with school unions can be reached.

- - - - - - -

THERE ARE 900 domestic violence cases that come through Manchester District Court every year. As of July 1, it will be the city's responsibility to prosecute them.

Budget cuts in the Hillsborough County Attorney's Office have pushed responsibility for prosecution of misdemeanor domestic violence cases back onto the City Solicitor's Office. The Committee on Human Resources and Insurance last week gave the go-ahead to funding a new city prosecutor position to handle these cases.

The position will cost $95,000 a year for the salary and benefits, about half of which will be paid for through a grant from Granite United Way.

When the committee hesitated on the funding issue, Mayor Gatsas came out of his office and took a seat before the aldermen to emphasize the urgent need for this position. If an attorney isn't hired, he said, prosecuting these cases “is going to fall on the solicitor's office without any help.”

- - - - - - -

PINK SLIPS: The school district issued pink slips Friday. The school board had authorized Superintendent Thomas Brennan to lay off up to 161 staff, including teachers, administrators and paraprofessionals, but if the Board of Aldermen give the school district the $150 million Mayor Gatsas has suggested in his budget, Brennan may need to lay off more people to balance his budget. No paraprofessionals were laid off Friday, Brennan said.

The school board is set to meet again on May 14. Committee Vice Chairman Dave Gelinas said members have not asked him to set up a special meeting to adjust the number before the layoff deadline.

Gelinas said he was going to wait and see what members want before he schedules one.

“No one that I know of has asked for one or discussed it,” said Gelinas on Wednesday. “That doesn't mean it won't happen. We still have eight more days to go.”

- - - - - - -

WARD 2 RESIDENTS will have a chance to meet with their state reps on Thursday, May 10. Reps. Cameron DeJong, Win Hutchinson and Mike Ball are holding a town hall meeting at St. Paul's United Methodist Church on Smyth Road.

Read Beth LaMontange Hall's coverage of Manchester City Hall in the New Hampshire Union Leader. Email her at bhall@unionleader.com.