Votes at a glance: Laconia approves events, contracts and budget items; pumpkin festival to be city-run

LACONIA, N.H. — The Laconia City Council on April 14 approved a series of event permits, budget‑related requests, and labor agreements, and voted to have the city assume primary organization of the annual Pumpkin Festival beginning this year.

The council approved a range of temporary traffic orders and special‑event requests, allowed expanded outdoor sound hours for several summer festivals, and granted limited fee waivers. It also approved use of impact‑fee funds for two municipal projects and ratified collective bargaining agreements for police and firefighters.

Why it matters: These routine approvals shape the summer events calendar, allocate small‑scale capital funds, and finalize labor costs the city will carry into next fiscal year. Separately, the council’s vote to organize Pumpkin Festival hands event operations to city departments and a newly formed internal committee.

Votes at a glance

- Reappointment of Margaret “Peggy” Selig to Trustees of the Trust Funds: Approved (6–0). The council reappointed Selig to a three‑year term expiring March 2028.

- Wake the Lake (Lakeside Avenue, May 16–18) temporary traffic order and extended sound hours: Approved (6–0). The council granted the requested temporary traffic order, extended sound hours to 11 p.m. for the event’s Friday and Saturday nights, and approved a waiver of licensing and special‑event fees. An attempt to require the…