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Record of Proceedings

Laconia City Council Meeting Summary - October 27, 2025

City Council — Monday, October 27, 2025
BodyLaconia, New Hampshire
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, October 27, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:15:54

Transcript — Verbatim
4:41

Uh good evening, everybody.

4:42

It's uh now seven p.m.

4:44

and we'll uh start the city council meeting for October twenty seventh, twenty twenty-five.

4:51

And uh look to the clerk to do a call order.

5:01

I apply to the flags of America and to the Republic for which the stands one nation under God and justice for all.

5:15

Thank you, Councillor.

5:17

All right, mayor.

5:19

Now I will go to the clerk and ask for uh actually I should say who was here tonight.

5:26

We have Katie Katie No, I want to mess up the last name.

5:32

Help me, Katie.

5:34

Madam Clark.

5:35

Yeah, Madam Clerk, that works too.

5:39

We have our uh city manager here, and we have Glenn Smith here who is the finance director, and Madam Clerk will ask you to do the roll call.

5:48

So councillor Cheney.

5:50

Here, Councillor Susie, President, Councillor Hoffman, President, Councillor Hayes, Councillor Bogart.

5:56

Here, Councillor Fouch.

5:58

Here, Mayor St.

5:59

Clair.

6:00

Here, thank you.

6:02

Uh I jumped right ahead on that staff there.

6:04

So we do we have a proclamation tonight?

6:06

We don't.

6:07

No.

6:07

Okay.

6:08

So I'll look for a motion to accept the meeting.

6:11

Uh the minutes from the previous meeting.

6:14

So moved.

6:15

Okay.

6:15

No objections.

6:16

No.

6:17

Okay.

6:18

Uh all in favor, bridge your hands.

6:20

Six sip.

6:21

Thank you very much.

6:24

I do not believe we have any consent and action items for tonight.

6:28

No.

6:29

Well, this is moving right along then.

6:32

So is uh for uh item nine.

6:34

Any citizens here for comments on matters not on the agenda?

6:38

Excellent.

6:39

We have somebody coming up.

6:41

Thank you, Mr.

6:42

Mayor, Councillor Patrick Wood, Chairman of the Human Relations Committee.

6:47

Um after our last meeting of the Human Relations Committee, we established a subcommittee to plan a community event to talk about the issue of homelessness.

6:59

And we have this event scheduled for Wednesday evening, November 12th at 7 to 9.30.

7:07

Um basically the the question is what do we know about homelessness in Laconia?

7:14

It'll be at the high school uh in the auditorium.

7:18

It will be videotaped.

7:20

Uh Lakes Region Public Access uh will be doing that.

7:24

Uh we'll have a panel uh consisting of representatives from um the police department, the fire department, city council, counselor Cheney is on this uh planning committee.

7:36

Um perhaps the mayor or the city manager also there.

7:41

We'll also have uh Kathy Bowler from the housing authority.

7:45

We'll have somebody either from mental health uh center or um navigating recovery.

7:53

Uh we're gonna have Peter Espanos, the county commissioner.

7:56

Um so we're gonna ask this uh event to be publicized uh on a countywide basis because the issue of homelessness, as you know, is not limited to the city of Laconia, nor is the solution supposed to be limited to the city of Laconia.

8:16

So they're going to be involved.

8:19

We also have members of the uh business community, uh Kara Chase from uh legacy New Hampshire, the real estate company, uh Peter uh sorry Paul Lang uh from Belmont who grew up here in Laconia, it's going to be part of the uh panel uh as well.

8:40

And we're working to try to get somebody from uh the courts also to be at uh the panel.

8:48

The proposal is we'll have a short presentation from each of the panel members talking about some of the things that they don't they do, what they're aware of, what their concerns are, and then open it up to the public for questions and answer.

9:02

So it should be a very interesting uh evening.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████████████35%
Budget Equity Analysis███████████11%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%
Parks and Recreation██████6%
Technology and Innovation█████5%
Public Engagement█████5%
Personnel Matters█████5%
Public Safety█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Laconia City Council Meeting - October 27, 2025

The Laconia City Council convened on October 27, 2025, to discuss routine business, public comments, and several new business items including school district funding, the Human Relations Committee, and infrastructure projects. The meeting featured a successful celebration of the Pumpkin Fest, a public health concern regarding the drug Kratom, and significant deliberation regarding the legal authority for the mayor's appointment of the Human Relations Committee, which resulted in the item being tabled. Technical issues with the meeting's live stream were briefly encountered but resolved.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes from the previous meeting were accepted unanimously.
  • No consent calendar items were presented or required tonight.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Patrick Wood, Chair of the Human Relations Committee: Announced the planning of a community meeting regarding homelessness scheduled for November 12th at 7:00 PM at the Laconia High School auditorium. He expressed the position that the issue is multifaceted and requires a countywide solution involving various stakeholders including police, fire, mental health, and the business community to listen, learn, and identify solutions.
  • Doug Robinson: Expressed strong opposition to the sale of Kratom and synthetic drugs in convenience stores, specifically targeting stores selling to minors (under 21). He proposed a local ordinance to ban these substances and presented written materials to the council for consideration.

Discussion Items

  • Pumpkin Fest Review: Councillors Cheney, Susi, Felch, and others expressed full support and gratitude for the event's success, citing strong vendor participation, family-friendly atmosphere, and positive impact on downtown businesses. Councillor Susi extended specific thanks to the City Manager and staff for organizing the event in a short timeframe.
  • Laconia Hospital Staffing: Councillor Cheney expressed concern regarding staffing levels at Laconia Hospital, particularly regarding the potential use of unused hospital space to house migrant nurses, thereby increasing their take-home pay. He requested the Mayor and City Manager meet with the hospital to explore this possibility.
  • Human Relations Committee Appointment (Item 21B): A significant procedural debate occurred regarding the Mayor's appointment of the Human Relations Committee. Councillor Bogart contested the item, arguing that Council Rules do not authorize the reappointment of members to special committees that are set to expire at the end of the year, and that the committee currently lacks a specific purpose or council oversight. Councillor Hoffman suggested the committee be made permanent under the Council's purview. Councillor Hayes noted a lack of clear direction from the Council to the committee. The consensus was that the appointment process does not align with current rules without specific procedural amendments.
  • School District Funding (Resolutions 2025-33 & 34): The Council discussed a $757,000 special assessment levied against the School District due to claims exceeding revenue in the School Care insurance pool. Superintendent Diane Clary explained the unexpected nature of the assessment and the State's adequacy cut. Councillor Susi inquired about the capital reserve fund and the turf fund for the stadium, noting the forward-thinking nature of the funding strategy.
  • Taylor Home Exit Traffic: Councillor Susi requested that the Public Works Committee investigate traffic control improvements at the Taylor Home exit on Union Avenue. The committee was asked to hold a publicized meeting at the site.
  • Winnipesaukee River Basin: The Council discussed sending a letter of concern to the NHDES regarding the management of the river basin program, citing financial concerns among the ten participating communities.
  • Wage and Compensation Plan: The Council discussed approving a proposed amendment for a Project Manager position in the Planning Department, effective January 1, 2026.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution 2025-33 (Supplemental Appropriation): Approved in first reading. The motion to schedule a public hearing for November 10, 2025, passed unanimously (6-0). This authorizes the use of unencumbered fund balance to cover the $757,000 insurance assessment.
  • Resolution 2025-34 (Fund Balance Transfer): Approved in first reading. The motion to schedule a public hearing for November 10, 2025, passed unanimously (6-0). This authorizes a $400,000 transfer from Fiscal Year 25 fund balance to capital reserve funds.
  • Item 21B (Human Relations Committee): Tabled until the next meeting (unanimous 6-0 vote) to allow the City Manager to research rules, present options (including making the committee permanent or under council purview), and clarify the appointment process.
  • Taylor Home Traffic: Referred to the Public Works Committee to investigate, with a directive to hold a well-publicized meeting at the site.
  • Letter of Concern: Approved (unanimous 6-0) for the City Manager to sign and send to the NHDES regarding the Winnipesaukee River Basin program.
  • Wage Plan Amendment: Approved (unanimous 6-0) to implement the Project Manager position with a full-year salary and benefits package effective January 1, 2026.
  • Technical Note: The Council noted a YouTube streaming delay due to fiber network changes but confirmed the meeting would be recorded and available after the delay.

Meeting Transcript

Uh good evening, everybody. It's uh now seven p.m. and we'll uh start the city council meeting for October twenty seventh, twenty twenty-five. And uh look to the clerk to do a call order. I apply to the flags of America and to the Republic for which the stands one nation under God and justice for all. Thank you, Councillor. All right, mayor. Now I will go to the clerk and ask for uh actually I should say who was here tonight. We have Katie Katie No, I want to mess up the last name. Help me, Katie. Madam Clark. Yeah, Madam Clerk, that works too. We have our uh city manager here, and we have Glenn Smith here who is the finance director, and Madam Clerk will ask you to do the roll call. So councillor Cheney. Here, Councillor Susie, President, Councillor Hoffman, President, Councillor Hayes, Councillor Bogart. Here, Councillor Fouch. Here, Mayor St. Clair. Here, thank you. Uh I jumped right ahead on that staff there. So we do we have a proclamation tonight? We don't. No. Okay. So I'll look for a motion to accept the meeting. Uh the minutes from the previous meeting. So moved. Okay. No objections. No. Okay. Uh all in favor, bridge your hands. Six sip. Thank you very much. I do not believe we have any consent and action items for tonight. No. Well, this is moving right along then. So is uh for uh item nine. Any citizens here for comments on matters not on the agenda? Excellent. We have somebody coming up. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, Councillor Patrick Wood, Chairman of the Human Relations Committee. Um after our last meeting of the Human Relations Committee, we established a subcommittee to plan a community event to talk about the issue of homelessness. And we have this event scheduled for Wednesday evening, November 12th at 7 to 9.30. Um basically the the question is what do we know about homelessness in Laconia? It'll be at the high school uh in the auditorium. It will be videotaped. Uh Lakes Region Public Access uh will be doing that. Uh we'll have a panel uh consisting of representatives from um the police department, the fire department, city council, counselor Cheney is on this uh planning committee.

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