Strafford County commissioners present 2026 budget, cite $442,000 Medicaid revenue cut and 15.5 FTE reduction

Strafford County officials on Jan. 15 unveiled a proposed 2026 commissioners’ budget that officials said would require an increase in the amount to be raised by taxation and that incorporates the impact of a recent state reduction in Medicaid revenue.

The county administrator — who presented the proposal to the board — said the budget includes a reduction in Medicaid revenue of about $442,000 that the county learned about only days before publishing the document. "We were hit with some disappointing news from the state of New Hampshire regarding our contribution not only towards Medicaid, but our revenue from Medicaid was going to be reduced by some $442,000," the county administrator said.

The administrator told the board that the proposed budget (figures transcribed in meeting materials as "93,57,853" total and a proposed amount to be raised by taxation transcribed as "46,29,890") represents a 5.97% increase in the amount to be raised by taxes over last year. Meeting speakers acknowledged those transcript figures are awkwardly formatted; the administrator described the numbers as the version published for public review and said the public hearing is set for Jan. 22 to allow residents 10 days to examine the budget and submit questions.

To offset the revenue loss and rising health insurance costs, the administrator said the budget reduces 15.5 full‑time‑equivalent positions, institutes a hiring freeze and limits new hiring mainly to replacements. "We're basically asking everybody to do more with less," the administrator said, adding that some positions had been vacant and others had been reorganized.

Board members and the presenter discussed how growth from projects in tax‑increment financing districts could improve future county revenue when those projects come online, but they emphasized the county has limited control over the property‑tax base. The administrator said the county pursued other revenue opportunities at Riverside and at the jail and worked with department heads and the new commission members to stabilize the workforce, including modest pay increases where possible to retain staff.

During public comment, a resident named Susan asked whether the 15.5 FTE reduction would lead to layoffs. The administrator replied that the change included a mix of vacant positions and reorganizations, and described at least one instance of an administrator taking on an additional role without extra pay to cover a critical function.

The board scheduled a public hearing on the proposed commissioners' budget for Jan. 22 and encouraged the public to review the materials posted with the budget. The administrator and commissioners said they would continue to monitor state actions, including federal match decisions, that affect county revenue and could require adjustments.

The meeting also included other administrative items, community announcements and a tribute to a recent local donor; the board approved routine minutes at the start of the meeting and later moved to retire into public session.