Hillsborough selectmen review 2026 budget, weigh big-ticket fire purchase and aid requests

The Hillsborough Board of Selectmen spent its Feb. 2, 2025, budget work session reviewing the proposed 2026 operating and warrant-article budget, which Town Administrator Laura Buono said shows a 3.68% increase that includes an extra payroll week next year.

Buono told the board that the town’s budget percentage is lowered in part because one piece of fire equipment was paid off and the town removed $150,000 for NH Retirement from the calculations. She said a proposed new fire apparatus will take about two years to build and is expected to cost about $1.5 million; the board asked staff to explore leasing and timing options given the multi‑year lead time.

The board discussed a five‑year lease estimate for a sidewalk tractor of about $50,000 per year and noted an outright purchase price of slightly more than $208,000. Buono said she will check whether the town can enter a lease agreement now for equipment that will not be delivered for a couple of years.

Selectmen also debated a $10,000 Conservation Commission warrant-article request. Buono said the town’s conservation fund currently contains about $270,000 that the commission could draw from instead of adding appropriations. The board agreed to consider that option before adding the warrant item.

Buono recommended raising the elderly tax exemption, saying Hillsborough’s current limits are comparatively low: income limits of $30,000 for a single filer and $45,000 for married filers, and asset limits of $71,000 (excluding the home). The board took the recommendation under advisement as it continues budget deliberations.

Granite VNA requested an $18,000 warrant article to support home‑visit services for residents who lack insurance or means to pay; the agency served 383 Hillsborough patients in 2025. Trustee Riche’ Colcombe said the trustees’ report lists a medical services fund as a multi‑purpose “scholarship” account with $13,385 available, most of which is already earmarked for high‑school scholarships, leaving only a small balance that could go toward the VNA request. Selectman Richard Pelletier asked staff to review the trust’s allowable uses before the board takes final action on the warrant article.

Pelletier pressed budget growth against inflation, noting a 2.7% inflation rate versus the 3.68% budget increase and asking that staff remove the extra payroll‑week cost for an apples‑to‑apples comparison. Chairman James Bailey responded that annual increases are largely driven by contract and wage/benefit growth.

The board scheduled an assessment briefing with the Assessor before the public hearing and asked for a report on police coverage provided to neighboring Deering. Members also asked Deering whether it will continue to pay $25,000 to use Grimes Field and discussed possible implications if Deering withdrew from Hillsborough’s school district.