Hooksett committee flags steep insurance hikes as council raises municipal budget

The Hooksett Budget Committee on Monday reviewed council-recommended changes that raised the town’s proposed operating budget and identified large increases in insurance premiums as a leading reason for the jump.

Christine Tuxbury, the town finance director, told the committee the council recommended an operating figure of $22,918,112 (not including wastewater) after voting to add roughly $573,000 in amendments. That council recommendation, when combined with wastewater figures presented separately, brings the combined working total the committee will consider to $25,699,803.

“The premiums are not an average of 14.5%, but we also had employees change plans,” Tuxbury said, describing the health-insurance impact on the budget as $466,880. She said the three-year history of health-premium increases showed…