Hooksett Town Council on Nov. 5 voted to approve a recommended FY2026'27 operating budget and to place a package of capital-reserve and other warrant articles on the town warrant.

Final recommended operating budget: after last-minute adjustments including insurance premium changes and the previously approved $20,000 fire-maintenance increase, staff and council settled on a recommended operating total presented to the budget committee of $22,918,112.

During extended budget discussion council members focused on the effects of rising health and property-liability premiums, the town's approach to retirement-payout management, and the need for continuing outreach (Town 101 follow-up). Finance staff explained that property/liability premiums rose significantly due to the end of a capped contribution program and to recent large claims that affected the town's experience rating.

Warrant-article recommendations: council debated whether to group smaller capital requests into fewer ballot articles. By a series of motions and roll-call votes, council recommended a mix of stand-alone and grouped articles to present to voters and the budget committee. Key recommendations (motion language and outcomes recorded at the Nov. 5 meeting) include:

- Fire apparatus capital reserve fund: $250,000 (stand-alone) ' motion approved by roll call.
- Public-works vehicles capital reserve fund: $250,000 (stand-alone) ' motion approved by roll call.
- Fire equipment capital reserve fund: combined article for air packs/bottles ($30,000) and rescue tools/equipment ($50,000) for a combined $80,000 ' motion approved by roll call.
- Police equipment/emergency radio communications: combined article totaling $150,000 ($75,000 each) ' motion approved by roll call.
- Town building maintenance: $250,000 (stand-alone) ' motion approved by roll call.
- Drainage upgrades: $100,000 (stand-alone) ' motion approved by roll call.
- Information-technology upgrades: $60,000 (stand-alone) ' motion approved by roll call.
- Parks & recreation / conservation improvements: combined article $70,000 ($50,000 parks facility; $20,000 conservation) ' motion approved by roll call.
- Fire radios capital reserve fund: $162,000 (stand-alone) ' motion approved by roll call.
- One full-time assistant finance director (new position): $133,132 (warrant article for a funded position) ' motion approved by roll call (several councilors recorded nay votes but the motion passed).
- Revaluation: $110,000 (stand-alone) ' motion approved by roll call.
- Retirement trust capital reserve: $100,000 (stand-alone) ' motion approved by roll call.

Councilors said the grouping approach aimed to reduce ballot length while preserving voter choice on the largest-ticket items (the two largest vehicle-capital items were placed as stand-alone articles). Budget committee feedback at an earlier session had favored fewer groupings; councilors debated and ultimately adopted a compromise of selected groupings and separate major items.

Next steps: the council's recommended operating budget and the set of warrant-article recommendations will be transmitted to the budget committee and included in the warrant materials for the town deliberative session. Finance staff will finalize numbers when the state sets the town's tax rate and will provide updated revenue and insurance figures to the budget committee.

Sources: staff presentation (Finance, Administrator), council roll-call votes Nov. 5 including motions recorded in the meeting minutes.