Hooksett Budget Committee Meeting – January 22, 2026

At its January 22, 2026 meeting, the Hooksett Budget Committee reviewed the 2026 operating budgets of the Central Hooksett Water Precinct and the Hooksett Village Water Precinct, held a combined public hearing, and unanimously recommended all eight monetary warrant articles to the ballot.

Consent Calendar

• The committee approved the January 5 meeting minutes after members confirmed they had reviewed the emailed copies, despite missing printed pages. Two abstentions were recorded.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public came forward to speak during the combined public hearing on the water precinct budgets.
• Committee members asked clarifying questions about water capacity, new developments, hydrant rental fees, trust-fund balances, and future supply options.
• In other business, two written public communications were reported: one from a future Hooksett voter urging higher police salaries based on Londonderry experience, and one from a public hearing attendee who felt the budget process and available information were not explained clearly enough.

Discussion Items

• Central Hooksett Water Precinct: Chairman Richard Barham and Superintendent Chris Cobelson presented a self-funded water utility serving about 1,700 metered services and drawing water from Manchester Waterworks interconnections. The proposed 2026 operating budget was $1,403,832.96, including a 3 percent rate increase mirroring Manchester Waterworks. Labor costs rose just over 9 percent because the budget included six months of salary and benefits for a future superintendent successor and an overlapping replacement for the retiring business administrator. Payroll taxes were budgeted about 50 percent higher because of those anticipated hires. The precinct also planned a $50,000 transfer to its source development trust fund. Officials stated the warrant articles carry no tax impact. Without the two anticipated hires, the budget increase would have been about 1.92 percent. Aggregate trust-fund balances were reported at about $1.6 million.
• Hooksett Village Water Precinct: Chairman Todd Smith and Superintendent Mike Iarn described a self-funded, medium-sized system with about 1,200 customers, 30 miles of pipe, four large wells, and three tanks. The proposed 2026 operating budget was $1,720,535.07, a 2.9 percent increase. Officials emphasized affordability, noting the average customer pays about $200 less per year than the New Hampshire average. They discussed aging infrastructure, service-line investigations, a proposed river crossing, and the search for new water sources. New development, including a 438-unit project and the Brady Sullivan project, was noted as a future demand challenge. The committee also heard about six trust funds with a combined balance of about $1.1 million.
• Warrant Articles: The Central precinct’s monetary articles were the $1,403,832.96 operating budget, a $50,000 source development transfer, a $1,000 increase in commissioners’ stipends, and a $480 increase in treasurer and clerk stipends. The Village precinct’s monetary articles were the $1,720,535.07 operating budget, a $190,000 transfer to the water main trust fund, a $32,000 transfer to the facility trust fund, and a $34,000 transfer to the source development trust fund. The Village transfers were to come from unassigned fund balance with no amount raised from taxation.
• Future Town Council appearance: The committee discussed an invitation from the Town Council to appear later in the spring, after the election, and agreed to coordinate a date and possible opening remarks.
• Police contract article: A committee member attempted to move Article 9, the police officer’s contract, by changing the amount by $1. The committee concluded the request was untimely after the public hearing and recommendations; the next opportunity would be at the deliberative session.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the January 5 minutes, with two abstentions.
• Accepted the Central Hooksett Water Precinct 2026 operating budget of $1,403,832.96 and moved it to the public hearing. The amount was corrected after an initial motion stated $1,455,312.96.
• Accepted the Hooksett Village Water Precinct 2026 operating budget of $1,720,535.07 and moved it to the public hearing.
• After the public hearing, the committee voted 11-0 to recommend all eight monetary warrant articles to the ballot: Central Articles 5 through 8 and Village Articles 5 through 8.
• All Central precinct commissioners’ recommendations were described as unanimous; all Village precinct commissioners’ recommendations were described as unanimous.
• The deliberative session was identified as the next opportunity for voters to amend dollar amounts on warrant articles, including the police contract article.