Laconia water department presents balanced budget, proposes drawing $368,000 from reserves

Ben Crawford, superintendent of the water department, told the Laconia City Council on May 20 that the department’s proposed fiscal 2026 budget would rely on water revenues and reserves and would need a $368,000 transfer from savings to balance operations.

Crawford said the department is an enterprise fund and runs entirely on water billing and related fees; water billing accounts for roughly two-thirds of projected income, about $2.8 million of a roughly $4.0 million budget. He described revenues as up about 7.8% from the prior year, in part because the city added about 120 customer units, while consumption per unit has not risen substantially.

Crawford outlined expense pressures that drove the request: an 11% increase in salaries tied to closing staffing vacancies, a roughly 23% rise in distribution and main‑maintenance costs after an unusually high number of main breaks last winter, and a roughly 15% increase in medical insurance costs tied to changes…