Keene opens budget hearing as contentious fleet-lease proposal draws public and council scrutiny

Keene — The Keene City Council opened a public hearing Sept. 11 on the proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget and spent much of the evening debating how to replace a municipal fleet whose average vehicle age the city manager described as “17 years old.” The public hearing featured multiple resident speakers and a vendor presentation about leasing and maintaining city vehicles.

Why it matters: Council members and residents said decisions about how the city replaces or leases police, fire and public works vehicles will affect the annual budget, the city’s ability to respond to emergencies and how other capital needs are prioritized.

Residents voiced mixed views during the hearing. Samantha Gillen, who identified herself from 218 West Fourth Street, urged council to consider leasing, saying some nearby cities saw lower repair bills and better fleet reliability when they leased vehicles and used outside maintenance programs. “...leasing equipment for the city, as opposed to buying our equipment,” Gillen told the council, could reduce downtime and maintenance costs, she said.

Other commenters raised affordability concerns. Nathan Cosme of 1212 Honeysuckle Drive challenged the scale of the proposal and the per-vehicle costs cited during meetings: “29 vehicles. 29. … I don't spend $13,793 a year on upkeep of my vehicle,” he said, arguing that the projected costs did not align with residents’ priorities.

City staff and the vendor defended the proposal as a practical response to a longstanding maintenance shortfall. Jonathan Sykes, Keene’s city manager, said the fleet’s age and recent breakdowns left the city unable to…