Hooksett Town Council Meeting – May 27, 2026

The Hooksett Town Council held its regularly scheduled meeting at 6:02 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. The council accepted a community project donation, heard the Town Administrator's report, received annual reports from the Library Trustees and Conservation Commission, reviewed council goals and the FY 2026-27 default budget proposal, approved two ordinances, and approved minutes before entering nonpublic session.

Public Hearing & New Business

• The council opened a public hearing on a donation totaling $10,543.15 from local businesses to the Hooksett Department of Public Works for the Stride Together Hooksett Track and Wellness Project. Presenter Samera Dalal itemized donations: A New Order Gas Station, $2,882; Tokyo Joe Studios of Self-Defense, $350; HK Power Sports LLC, $1,000; Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Concord, $1,500; and Heritage Family Credit Union Bank, $4,811.15.
• Dalal said the remaining project funding gap was about $24,456; she had applied for a $9,220 grant, another grant opportunity would open in July-August, and the Kiwanis had indicated a significant pledge if the project continues through December. She said $1,000 from Kiwanis was already in hand.
• Councilor Smith asked whether the donations carried any commitments or hidden agenda; Dalal confirmed they were solely to offset project costs. Councilor Walzick and the Town Administrator commended her fundraising and follow-through.
• The public hearing was closed, and the council voted by roll call to waive the rules and accept the donation under RSA 31:95-b III(a). The vote was unanimous.

Town Administrator Report

• Town Administrator Andrew Girard reported two departures: Christine Damon, Recycling and Transfer Administrative Assistant, leaving July 7, 2026, and Robert Freitas, Recycling and Transfer Heavy Equipment Operator, leaving May 30, 2026. Christopher Audet will start June 1, 2026 as a Public Works/Highway Heavy Equipment Operator.
• The Capital Improvements Committee is finalizing project recommendations for the budget year and five-year plan, with presentations to the Planning Board in June and Town Council in July.
• Police training at Town Hall is scheduled after hours on Fridays, June 5 and June 12, 2026. The Peter Brook Pavilion ribbon-cutting is targeted for June 11, 2026.
• A session with legal counsel is set for June 3; two grievance hearings were postponed to a later meeting.

Public Comments

• Rich Caruso, an Allenstown resident and POW/MIA supporter, said no POW flag flies at the Gulf War Memorial pole and offered to donate one. He also offered flags for other municipal buildings if the council chooses to fly them. The council agreed to place the donation acceptance on the June 10, 2026 agenda and to plan a ceremony.

Library Trustees Annual Report

• Library Board of Trustees Chair Sandra Mack and Library Director Heather Rainier presented the library's FY 2026-27 default budget amendment. The library must meet a $91,292 reduction from its proposed budget under the town's default budget.
• Health insurance remains the largest pressure: an increase of $68,000, with an estimated 10.5% increase for calendar year 2027 and projected total insurance of $211,410.
• For the first time in the director's 21 years, the books/materials line was cut. Friends of the Library savings will provide one-time help, but the library does not expect that assistance next year.
• Online resources being discontinued include Consumer Reports and Heritage Quest; News Bank/Union Leader was renewed for one year at $130 after a vendor error, and Ancestry.com was retained because of strong genealogy-program demand.
• Museum passes were largely restored because of strong return on investment: a $4,735 investment produced about $45,000 in community savings. The Boston Children's Museum pass was discontinued due to low usage and high cost.
• The library will have no funds for paid adult-program speakers, reduced professional development, and reduced building maintenance, including HVAC work currently underway. Utilities were projected at $36,000, and the library is exploring energy-efficiency and weatherization grants.
• A councilor argued that wages are the library's largest expense and urged restructuring staff schedules instead of reducing public hours. Library representatives responded that cutting hours cuts services, and that three default budgets have already reduced evening availability. Other councilors praised the children's programs and the genealogy/historical archives program as successes.

Conservation Commission Annual Update

• Conservation Commission Co-Chairs Alan Stein and Joe Carroll reported on the commission's year, noting five members, three alternates, and monthly meetings.
• Quimby Mountain: the required 10-year stewardship plan is complete after a public meeting and will be presented to the Town Council for approval in late June or early July.
• Heads Pond Trail: trail counts average about 250 people per day in spring, summer, and fall. Construction to make the trail accessible but not ADA-compliant is expected to begin in mid-June, with possible short closures of a few days to a week. The Kiwanis is offering $20,000 for the Heads Pond Access for All project.
• Pinnacle: invasive bittersweet was cleared near the parking lot, with help from Stantec volunteers; new benches and signs were added, and graffiti/vandalism issues were addressed.
• River Walk Trail: work focused on maintenance, stewardship-plan updates, abutter encroachments, and repair of an aging boardwalk with failed boards. Open fields need periodic brush hogging to maintain pollinator and monarch habitat.
• Clay Pond Headwaters: about 750 acres, the largest unfragmented conservation area in southern New Hampshire, with connections to Bear Brook State Park. Unauthorized ATV/UTV/snowmobile use remains a challenge; class VI road gates were not allowed, but a game camera has helped reduce vandalism. The stewardship plan is being updated to add 70 newly acquired acres.
• The commission has received $210,000 in grants over the last 10 years and uses periodic warrant articles for ongoing conservation work.

Appointment

• Jim Petri was appointed to the Economic Development Advisory Committee effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029. The appointment passed by voice vote without opposition.

2025-26 Town Council Goals Review

• The Town Administrator reviewed progress on council goals. Outreach efforts included a town forum, a February TIF forum, administrator reports, and a newsletter article explaining the tax impact of warrant articles under a default budget.
• On the Legends Drive/Route 3 message-board site, a councilor asked staff to review prior meeting video to confirm whether the existing pedestal was supposed to remain after the old sign was removed. Another councilor requested cleanup of town-owned land across from the Safety Center.
• Martin Ferry Road improvements received $2 million in congressionally directed spending, with work expected to move forward through bidding. A statewide utility pole cleanup effort identified about 350 double/abandoned poles in Hooksett; Eversource expects work to begin around June and last about a month.
• The state Route 3A/Hackett Hill/Main Street project funding was increased from $4.4 million to $11.8 million, and the Route 3 project remains a $35 million project on the state 10-year plan.
• The administrator reported that recruitment for town engineer and assessor positions is very difficult; the contract assessor and Granite Hills are currently helping keep assessment work current.

Ordinances

• The council approved the amended Ordinance 0026, Signage Regulations for Town Roads, and adopted Ordinance 2601, No Through Trucking. Two public hearings had been held; signs for included roads are already in place, and future road additions recommended by the Planning Board will go to the Highway Safety Advisory Board on June 12. The motion passed with one councilor opposed, who expressed concern about singling out trucking.
• The council adopted Ordinance 2602, Sale of Tax-Deeded Property as Justice May Require, following prior public hearings. It also passed with one councilor opposed.

FY 2026-27 Default Budget Presentation

• The Town Administrator presented a recommended default operating budget because voters did not approve the proposed budget. The proposed operating budget was $25,699,803; the default operating budget is $24,643,338, a reduction of $1,056,465. The town-side reduction is $854,975, the library reduction is $91,292, and the wastewater reduction is $110,198.
• Key proposed reductions include: Town Clerk office hours reduced about $4,175; no deputy clerk stipend increase of $2,500; no increase for supervisor of the checklist from $700 to $1,400; legal services reduced by $5,000 to $125,000; fuel assumptions increased to $3.60 per gallon for gas and $3.80 for diesel. Support to several community agencies, including the Historical Society, Old Home Day, and Heritage Commission, would be suspended for a third year; a councilor noted some of these grants were not in the proposed operating budget, and the administrator agreed the slide wording needed correction.
• Family Services would cut the director's hours by four hours per week, saving $7,739, use donations for $1,500 in seasonal help, and reduce Community Action Program funding by $4,000. Finance operating expenses would be reduced by $1,500.
• Fire and Police would freeze vacant positions, saving $231,234 for firefighter vacancies and $144,006 for one police officer vacancy; police cruiser replacements would drop from two to one, saving $75,054. Fire vehicle maintenance would decline by $10,000 and security door updates would be deferred by $5,000.
• DPW savings total $167,844, including a frozen truck-driver labor reduction, reduced overtime for mowing and event parking, closing the transfer station two Saturdays per month ($56,500), and deferring equipment purchases such as mowers and a street-sweeper attachment. Line striping ($35,000), guardrail replacement ($30,000), pesticide/fence repair ($5,000), and Old Home Day support ($12,150) were also reduced or removed.
• Council discussion included disagreement over whether to cut services or restructure staffing, with some councilors saying voters have demanded lower spending and others warning that service cuts could trigger another default budget. The administrator said all reductions were difficult and noted that incoming employers continue to add demand for town services.
• The next budget discussion will continue at upcoming council meetings with department heads available; the target is a council decision by the second meeting in June, with possible flexibility into early July.

Minutes and Nonpublic Session

• The council removed from the table and approved the April 22, 2026 minutes. The May 13, 2026 minutes were also approved, with abstentions from members not present.
• The council then voted by roll call to enter nonpublic session under RSA 91-A to discuss nonpublic minutes and the Town Administrator's evaluation. Two previously scheduled grievance hearings were postponed to a later meeting.