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Keene faces tight budget year; council to weigh wage, benefit costs and a $50,000 warming shelter increase
Keene City Council · April 23, 2026
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Summary
City Manager Elizabeth Ferland said rising wages and benefits drive budget pressure; staff proposed a $50,000 increase to human services for warming-shelter support, a pay-and-comp study is underway and HR proposed raising the non-union insurance buyout to $5,000.
City Manager Elizabeth Ferland told the podcast the 2025 municipal budget is under pressure mainly from wage and benefit increases. "The majority of the increases are tied to two things. it's wage and benefits," she said, adding that there is little room to cut operational items and that finance staff are meeting…
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