Hooksett budget committee reviews council-recommended $22.3 million operating budget

At a Budget Committee meeting, Town Administrator Andre Guaranton presented the Town Council’s recommended operating budget of $22,324,411 — excluding the wastewater district — saying the figure represents “an increase of $493,153 or 2.3%.”

The recommended budget, Guaranton said, is the council’s version of the document he presented to council in early September and would maintain current staffing levels while restoring some line items that were reduced under the town’s default budgets.

Why it matters: the recommended spending plan frames the town’s tax and service decisions for the coming fiscal year and sets the agenda for department-by-department reviews the committee will hold over the coming weeks. Committee members asked for follow-up on several items that could affect taxes, operations and capital needs, including health-insurance rates, impact fees, legal costs and road paving.

Guaranton outlined major revenue and expense highlights. The budget assumes level staffing with about 126 full-time and 35 part-time positions and includes a planned increase in the town’s legal-services appropriation. He told the committee the town had carried a legal line of about $110,000 for several years and the proposed budget increases that amount to reflect growing demand for outside counsel and complex matters handled across town boards and departments.

On benefits, Guaranton said the town is still awaiting final Primex (the municipal risk pool) rates. He summarized last year’s increases and the current outlook: “Last year the increase was 11.4% for health and .5% for…