Budget Review Committee Meeting – April 17, 2026

The Budget Review Committee of Nashua, New Hampshire, met on April 17, 2026 (the meeting began on April 16 at 7:00 PM and concluded at 8:50 PM local time) to review the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget for the city. The meeting included presentations from the City Clerk, Mayor’s Office, Parking Department, Public Library, and the Division of Public Health and Community Services (Community Services, Community Health, and Environmental Health). The committee accepted several communications, introduced the budget resolution (ORD 26-028), and ultimately voted to table the resolution to the next meeting on May 5, 2026.

Communications

• The committee accepted and placed on file communications from the Superintendent of Englewood Suburban Cemetery, National Office of Emergency Management, the Welfare Officer, and the Legislative Affairs Manager, all regarding fiscal year 2027 operating budgets.

Discussion Items

• City Clerk (Dan Healy): Presented a budget increase exceeding the mayor’s three percent guideline, primarily due to two elections (1 election in FY26 vs. 2 in FY27) costing approximately $60,000–$70,000, and $63,000 for remaining poll pads to equip all wards. He also requested a $10,083 reduction in contracted services (line 55699) for digitizing records, now to be done in-house. He expressed confidence in revenue projections, noting increases in dog licenses, UCC fees, and marriage licenses.
• Mayor’s Office (Megan Carron, Chief of Staff): Explained that the differences between department proposed and mayor proposed budgets reflect the removal of step increases for unaffiliated employees (saving ~$420,000 in the general fund and $115,000 in enterprise funds). She noted a clerical error in the wages/interns line (51403) that should be shifted to wages/elected officials (51500). New positions proposed: communications manager, facilities manager, park foreman (2), parking staff, recreation superintendent, and resource center specialists (2). She also noted that the budget book lacks actuals columns; actuals are available on the city website.
• Parking Department (Jill Stansfield, Manager): The department is within the mayor’s three percent guideline. Revenue is projected flat compared to FY26, but actuals through March 31, 2026 show $1.338 million in total revenue (parking meter fees: $379,929 vs. $319,000 year-to-date last year). The increase is attributed to fee/fine increases implemented in January 2025. The department is under renovation and hopes to be self-sufficient via an enterprise fund in the future.
• Public Library (Jennifer McCormick, Director): The library budget came in below the mayor’s three percent guideline, with no new positions. Three positions moved to the new facilities maintenance department. The library includes $53,000 for contract negotiations and contingency for 50 Sunday overtime hours. The board of trustees and Friends of the Library fund additional programs (e.g., $128,000 in trust fund expenditures in 2026, $37,000 from Friends for calendar 2026).
• Public Health and Community Services (Bobby Bagley, Director): The community services budget increased 17% due to costs for the warming station (starting November instead of December, running through April 15) and the new resource center. The resource center is expected to be funded in part by a $300,000 fund set aside. The community health budget (Kim Bernard, Chief Public Health Nurse) includes a new electronic medical records system, a hepatitis C program, and the VaxCare program (which increased vaccine administration rates by 89%). Environmental health (Heidi Peake via Zoom) noted a need for new software to replace paper inspections and a small increase for mosquito trapping. The department licenses about 525 food service facilities and over 100 pools/spas.
• Transparency and Budget Format: Several aldermen (Johnson, Kelly, Senate, Tiabo) requested actuals (spending through March 31) and individual salary information for new positions. Karen Carron clarified that the budget book lacks actuals due to timing, but they can be provided. The committee requested that salaries for all positions be added to the final approved budget book, and that new position salaries be provided separately.

Key Outcomes

• Motion to Table ORD 26-028: Alderman O’Brien moved to table the budget resolution (ORD 26-028) to the next meeting. The motion carried unanimously. The next meeting is scheduled for May 5, 2026, focusing on the school budget.
• Requests for Information: The committee requested that the CFO provide actuals (line-item spending as of March 31) and a list of all proposed salaries (especially for new positions) before the final budget decision. The city clerk will also reduce his contracted services line by $10,083 at the budget wrap-up.
• No Public Comments: No members of the public spoke during the comment period.