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Town administrator presents roughly $21 million draft budget, flags insurance and library exclusions
Summary
Town Administrator Andre Garen outlined a proposed operating budget based on the default budget, describing a modest overall increase and warning that health‑insurance and dental rate changes — not yet available — could alter final totals. Library and wastewater budgets were excluded from tonight’s review.
Town Administrator Andre Garen presented the town’s initial operating proposal at the Hooksett Town Council budget review on Sept. 3, saying the figure before the council is based on the default budget the town has been operating under.
Garen said department heads produced a tight set of line items and noted the proposed operating budget reflects a roughly 2.1% increase over the current default budget. He emphasized the total does not include the library or wastewater requests and said the town is awaiting HealthTrust insurance rates; last year’s increases were about 11.4% for health and 5% for dental, he said.
“We are coming out above our actually, we’re dealing with our 2nd default budget,” Garen said, and described targeted increases for legal services and equipment that the administration judged necessary. He also said the proposed budget holds staffing at 126 full‑time and 13 part‑time positions while restoring some deferred equipment purchases.
Garen told councilors the administration increased the legal‑services line to account for services beyond NHMA support and described a plan to restore paving funding toward levels recommended in a 2020 roadway analysis. He urged the council to view the package as the administration’s starting point, noting the council and the budget committee can amend figures during the process.
Next steps: the council will continue department‑level reviews over the coming meetings and then submit a single town budget number to the budget committee, which will meet in late September to review and adjust the town’s submission.
