Finance director outlines Munis upgrade, IT needs, TIF balances and rising welfare costs

Finance Director Glenn Smith told the Laconia City Council on May 20 that the city plans to replace its legacy budget and accounting spreadsheets with Tyler Technologies’ Munis system and that IT, licensing and cybersecurity costs are growing as the city expands digital services.

Smith said the new integrated financial system will replace a collection of interconnected spreadsheets that have been used for decades, and while the city‑wide go‑live date will come after implementation work, the change is expected to streamline accounting, budgeting, asset management and related workflows. He said the Munis deployment is for the city’s general fund and administrative systems; the water department and other enterprise funds may opt in later.

On information technology, Smith said IT staffing is limited (two staff, with one absent for a recent period), licensing and renewal costs increased about $45,000 in the current proposal, and the city contracted a web‑accessibility consultant (~$12,000) to make the website ADA compliant by the April 2027 deadline. He told council the city has invested significant grant funding in cybersecurity over recent years (roughly $200,000 in grant‑funded cybersecurity efforts) and that critical SCADA cybersecurity projects were grant aided.

Smith summarized TIF finances: Downtown TIF’s maximum increment is roughly $483,000 with a recommended increment of $325,000 to cover existing obligations (including a 2015 bond and Colonial theater fee); the downtown TIF balance is being reduced gradually from over $1 million a few years ago to an estimated ~$714,000 at the end of the coming fiscal year. Lakeport and Weirs TIF districts were summarized similarly: Lakeport with modest balances and a recommended increment around $75,000 for promenade work; Weirs with a large maximum increment (over $1 million) and recommended increment of $230,000 to cover the 2016 Lakeside Avenue bond and the recently approved docks bond.

On grants, Smith listed recurring, anticipated police grants (DWI, speed‑enforcement and equipment grants) totaling about $77,000 with a local match of roughly $13,000. He said anticipated grants shown in the budget are limited to recurring, short‑term grants rather than long‑lead federal/state project grants, which the city will add later when awards are final.

Finally, Smith reviewed welfare trends: vouchers and shelter costs are up markedly. He said the department issued 248 vouchers in the prior year and 253 so far in the current fiscal period, and the average cost per voucher is now about $759 — driven largely by motel/hotel placements because shelter beds are full at local facilities. Smith said the city coordinates with regional partners (CAP, Isaiah’s, other social service providers) to limit direct cash payouts but warned that state or federal changes to benefits could increase city welfare costs.

Ending: Smith said staff will return with implementation timelines for the Munis migration, details on IT staffing and licensing, and updated TIF and grant entries as awards are finalized; councilors asked for follow‑up on bonding capacity and the city’s remaining borrowing capacity.