The Hooksett Town Council spent an extended portion of its Oct. 8 meeting reviewing potential warrant articles for the 2026–27 budget and discussing priorities, grouping options and funding sources.

Christine (Finance Director) and staff walked councilors through recurring capital-reserve warrants and several proposed new items. On the revaluation, Christine said the town has $30,000 currently in a revaluation account and staff recommended saving toward a statistical update in 2028. Council discussion clarified the estimate of a statistical update as roughly two years at $110,000 per year (i.e., $110,000 requested in the first year), producing about $250,000 including the existing $30,000 in the account. Christine summarized: “we have 30,000 in the account currently, and we estimate needing…$2.50” (meaning approximately $250,000 total saved over the proposed period). The meeting record shows some councilors and the former assessor had previously recommended a full-value revaluation but staff noted the statistical update has been the town’s prior and typical approach.

Councilors urged fuller voter-guide explanations that the revaluation is required and that funding in advance smooths tax impacts. A councilor asked whether the state would force a revaluation and whether unpaid revaluation costs could be imposed on the town; staff said the state Department of Revenue Administration can compel a revaluation and, if the town did not plan for it, the state-contracted work could create an unplanned bill.

Other warrant items discussed:
- Retirement expendable trust: Christine said $150,000 was added in 2021 and most of that has been spent; staff proposed replenishing the account with $100,000 to cover retirements without inflating the operating budget in any single year.
- DPW vehicles capital reserve: staff proposed a $250,000 warrant to maintain vehicle replacement schedules; DPW described the need to replace older plow trucks (t106, a 2006 Freightliner, and t105, a 2005 Freightliner) and noted ordering lead times of nine months to a year.
- Building maintenance reserve: routine capital reserve for roofs, HVAC and boilers at town buildings.
- Drainage/stormwater projects: staff highlighted older drainage in areas such as Pinnacle, Hummingbird and Morningfair and said the sewer department’s new TV camera system will help inspect storm drains to better target repairs.
- Parks and recreation facilities: ongoing reserve (proposed $50,000) to fund items like Petersburg field lighting, track and tennis repairs and Lambert’s Park pavilion costs.
- Scale house and retaining wall at the transfer station: staff presented 60% construction drawings and reported the engineer’s estimate exceeds the $450,000 warrant currently proposed — “the engineer's estimate is over 2 times what we have here,” Ben said. Staff said one funding option under review is bonding the project and paying debt service from the transfer-station special revenue fund so there would be no general-taxation impact. Ben and Christine said they will present options including bonding and that the recycle/transfer advisory committee will review the 60% drawings before council action.

Finance staff reported a June 30, 2025 fund balance of $5,097,231, an increase of roughly $500,000 from the prior year; the finance director and staff stressed the trade-offs between using fund balance for warrant items vs. placing items on the ballot for voter approval.

No final votes were taken on warrant articles at Oct. 8; council members requested clearer voter-guide language and additional analysis of bonding and fund-balance options before placing items on the ballot.