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Hinsdale Select Board, Budget Committee tentatively approve multiple budget items; overall increase 2.73%
Summary
The Hinsdale Select Board and Budget Committee reviewed the draft 2026 budget on Jan. 12 and tentatively approved several departmental line items that together produce an overall proposed increase of 2.73 percent; Finance and the ambulance line were tabled for more information.
The Hinsdale Select Board met with the Budget Committee at Hinsdale Town Hall on Jan. 12, 2026, and tentatively approved multiple budget line items that together produce an overall proposed increase of 2.73 percent. Town Administrator Kathryn Lynch distributed a budget top sheet and led the review; motions on individual lines carried unanimously.
Why it matters: The tentatively approved figures set the framework for warrant articles and the town’s spending plan for the coming year, affecting services from government buildings maintenance to elections and public safety budgets.
Key approvals and actions included tentative approval of the Executive budget at $265,906; Revaluation of Property at $63,102; a legal-expenses budget totaling $54,500 (the board noted a $1,500 item tied to Right-to-Know requests); insurance at $64,000; Street Lights and Transit at $31,533; Government Buildings at $121,725 to address repairs including the Plain Road Schoolhouse and the former historical society building; the Trust Fund at $6,426; the Town Clerk budget at $132,878; Elections at $13,444 after new machine-setup mandates were described by Karen Johnson; and the TAX budget at $53,137. Most of those motions were moved and seconded by Selectmen and approved 4-0 (Diorio, Carrier, Rideout, Hodgman).
Board members raised several items for additional follow-up. The ambulance budget showed a 13.87% increase and drew questions about underlying costs; the board tabled further action on that line to collect more information. The Finance budget (noted as up 8.98%) was also tabled for further review. A motion to approve a Treasurer Budget Committee line at $4,239 was made and later rescinded. The Budget Committee, which joined the meeting, adjourned separately and the Select Board later entered a non-public session under RSA 91-A:3 II(e) to discuss negotiations. The meeting reconvened and adjourned at 8:31 p.m.
Town Administrator Kathryn Lynch said figures were rounded for the top sheet and that potential warrant articles were under consideration; she also noted staffing and health-care/retirement cost drivers in the Executive and Town Administrator lines. The board discussed pursuing a Holt Grant for building repairs and set follow-up tasks to provide more detail on the ambulance and finance lines before finalizing the warrant.
The Select Board and Budget Committee scheduled additional meetings to continue budget work: a joint meeting on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, and a Budget Committee session on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026.
