OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Nashua Finance Committee Meeting - August 6, 2026

Board of Aldermen Meetings — Thursday, August 6, 2026
BodyNashua, New Hampshire
SessionBoard of Aldermen Meetings
DateThursday, August 6, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 44:24
Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

All set.

0:02

Let me check.

0:03

Okay.

0:04

Sorry.

0:06

But I'm not going to do that.

0:10

All right.

0:11

Well, we will not have the audit.

0:14

They it turned out they weren't ready, so we're not going to get the audit tonight, but that'll be in soon.

0:20

But with that, do we have public comment regarding any of the items on tonight's agenda?

0:30

Please state your name and your town or city of residence.

0:35

Laurie Orlando Nashua.

0:37

Mine is on number one, two, three, let's see, on the audit.

0:42

Auditing services, the number two on a $340,000 must be going to say a contract.

0:50

But for 26, 27, probably.

1:27

All right.

1:27

So now we are on to communications.

1:29

The first being from Amy Gerard purchasing manager.

1:34

Aldman Sullivan.

1:35

Yes, I'd like to make a motion to accept place on file and approve the purchase of 27 no ink poll pads used to check in voters on election day with LHS associates in the amount not to exceed $63,000.

1:53

The funding will be through Department 107 City Clerk Fund, General Fund 71 Equipment.

2:11

So I'm here tonight to purchase the remainder of our poll pads last year.

2:17

I came before the finance committee for 28 poll pads, which was approximately half of the 55, little over half of the 55 that the vendor recommended.

2:36

We did wards one, eight, and nine for the uh last local election in November, and they worked out pretty well.

2:45

And now I'm looking to purchase the additional 27 to get all the wards with the poll pads.

2:56

And for this past election, so we had uh eight in each location.

3:02

Some wards, smaller wards might have nine, some might have seven, depending.

3:08

I'll distribute them as as we see fit, but the vendor recommended the 55 for the city.

3:14

Uh the invoice for that, the quote that I got would be uh $56,800.

3:21

Uh there is a $325 annual maintenance fee on all the poll pads.

3:26

The current poll pads for this previous year I believe were $300.

3:30

They increased the rates at $325.

3:33

So if this is authorized each year, there will be $325 on each poll pad totaling $17,875 as an annual cost.

3:46

Um for the maintenance and in different things.

3:51

Uh it's $300 per election for programming, and that's per election.

3:56

It's not per poll pad.

3:58

So each election the the cost to program for the city is $300.

4:02

Uh the vendor will be doing on the quote at list one two-hour training.

4:07

I believe last year that's what it listed.

4:09

They did two trainings for us with the amount that we're purchasing.

4:14

Uh they're pretty flexible with the city.

4:16

So if we want additional trainings, uh, they're usually pretty receptive to that.

4:20

Uh they had a representative on site in November of 25 when we rolled out the poll pads that stayed in the city for any questions, helping uh the different the the three wards.

4:35

I believe they will have another representative for the upcoming election.

4:40

Being so close to the primary, if this is approved, they would the remaining wards will be using these in November.

4:49

So it won't be for September.

4:52

There's just not enough time to order them, get them delivered, and get everyone trained.

5:00

So my um thinking is that I'm going to keep the same three wards that were using the poll pads prior, uh using them again instead of taking them away, then giving them back next election.

5:10

So the same three wards will use them, which is wards one, eight, and nine.

5:15

Um beyond that, uh the only thing too for IT is initially I need I needed a Wi-Fi, a secure Wi-Fi here that they could connect to, so they set that up.

5:29

Um that's pretty much the only involvement that IT has anything else actually relating to the poll pads and any maintenance is through the vendor.

5:37

But there's small things that they do need help with, like the the Wi-Fi here, and then the Wi-Fi at the schools, the schools set up a Wi-Fi, so when the poll pads go there, they connect to that Wi-Fi.

5:49

And I guess one other thing is once all the wards have the poll pads, uh, there's a um website that with a secure login that I can go to and I can see in real time how many people have checked in across the city.

6:05

So I could see that the last election, but it was only three wards, so it's not really an accurate number of how many people have voted in the city.

6:13

But as we move forward with this, if it's approved, in real time, if you know I get a that question, how many people have voted so far?

6:23

It's one o'clock in the afternoon, I'll have a pretty accurate number for that.

6:28

Um, and it starts to have um trending in there.

6:32

There's graphs, it will it will show you know our peak time.

6:35

So over time, we'll get a good idea of when the high volume times are.

6:41

I mean, we know uh five, six o'clock uh in the evening is a peak time, but we can see trends throughout the day, see if you know if there's any dips and things.

6:50

So for staffing going forward as well.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procurement Processes████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Election Procedures█████████████████████21%
Public Safety███████████████15%
Public Engagement███████7%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%
Parking Regulations████4%
Parks and Recreation████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Nashua Finance Committee Meeting - August 6, 2026

The Nashua Finance Committee met on August 6, 2026, to consider a series of purchase and contract approvals, hear public comment, and enter non-public session. The audit for the city was postponed as the auditors were not ready. All motions presented were approved by voice vote, with occasional opposition noted on one item.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Laurie Orlando (Nashua resident) addressed the committee regarding her concerns with Right-to-Know requests and interactions with city officials. She expressed frustration with responses from the city, accused Mayor Donches of lying, and used vulgar language directed at the mayor and city employee Tim Cummings. She claimed that records of trauma counseling provided to employees due to interactions with her were not documented and that her Right-to-Know requests were delayed. The Mayor responded that trauma counseling was provided pro bono by Greater Nashua Mental Health and through the Employee Assistance Program due to treatment by a member of the public. Alderman Clemens stated he does not take anyone seriously who uses foul language.

Discussion Items

  • Audit Postponement: The chair announced that the audit would not be presented because the auditors were not ready; it will be available soon.
  • Purchase of 27 Poll Pads (LHS Associates): Amy Gerard, Purchasing Manager, explained the purchase of 27 electronic poll pads for voter check-in at a cost not to exceed $63,000, plus annual maintenance of $325 per pad ($17,875 total) and $300 per election for programming. The pads will be used in three wards for the November 2026 election. The motion passed unanimously.
  • Audit Services Contract (CBIZ CPAs PC): A two-year contract for general purpose financial statements, federal single audit, and schedules for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 was approved at not to exceed $340,000 ($149,000 for FY26, $155,000 for FY27, and $36,000 for single audits). Alderman Sullivan noted the firm changed due to acquisition and had questions about single audit scope and school district use; he will follow up with the CFO. Approved.
  • Snow Plowing Contract (DOD Group Inc.): Matthew Downing, Parking Department, presented an annual extension for snow plowing of 18 parking lots and optional sand/salt treatment at not to exceed $50,000, at the same rate since 2021. Alderman Sullivan asked about re-bidding; the department will consult with the manager. Approved (with one opposed vote noted).
  • Pavement Management Services (Stantec Consulting): City Engineer Dan Hudson explained a contract for pavement condition assessment of half the city on a rotating basis at $43,700. Approved.
  • Purchase of Mower (Toro GM 5910): Parks Superintendent Brian Conant presented the replacement mower at $173,091.95, funded through capital improvements. Approved.
  • Infield Groomer (ABI Force Z23): A new infield groomer for baseball and softball fields at $59,826.61, with additional attachments compared to competitor. Approved.
  • Playground Structure at Jeff Moore Park (Ultiplay): New playground equipment at $153,483, funded by a $150,000 donation from the Moarin family and $3,483 from capital improvements. Approved.
  • Playground Structure at Los Amigos Park (Ultiplay): New playground at $145,000, funded through capital improvements. Approved.
  • HVAC Maintenance Contract (Trane U.S. Inc.): Facilities Manager Mike Noble presented renewal for police department HVAC for $29,920, covering proprietary Trane and Mitsubishi equipment. Approved.
  • Ammunition Purchase (Eagle Point, TJ Morrison's Son): Officer Moriarty presented annual duty and training ammunition for police at $120,632. Approved.
  • Department Issue Clothing (East Coast Emergency Outfitters): Business Manager Karen Smith presented annual clothing purchase at $120,000 ($90,000 for department issue, $30,000 for clothing allowance). Approved.
  • Bulletproof Vests (Second Chance SX02): 29 vests for officers at $36,996, with half funded by grant. Approved.
  • Transit Contract Amendment (Transdev): Community Development Director Matt Sullivan requested a 45-day extension (through September 30, 2026) at $459,843 to finalize a new contract that shifts insurance from city to vendor. Discussion included risk management and future cost considerations. Approved.
  • Record of Expenditures: Alderman Sullivan moved to approve expenditures for periods June 12-25, 2026 and July 10-30, 2026, certifying compliance with charter and ordinances. Approved.

Key Outcomes

  • All motions presented passed, including 13 purchase/contract approvals and the record of expenditures.
  • The committee voted to enter non-public session (roll call vote: all ayes) at 7:46 PM to discuss matters related to emergency functions preparation per RSA 91-A:3, II.
  • The transit contract extension will allow staff to develop administrative procedures for vendor insurance, with a longer contract expected in September.
  • The audit will be presented at a future meeting.

Meeting Transcript

All set. Let me check. Okay. Sorry. But I'm not going to do that. All right. Well, we will not have the audit. They it turned out they weren't ready, so we're not going to get the audit tonight, but that'll be in soon. But with that, do we have public comment regarding any of the items on tonight's agenda? Please state your name and your town or city of residence. Laurie Orlando Nashua. Mine is on number one, two, three, let's see, on the audit. Auditing services, the number two on a $340,000 must be going to say a contract. But for 26, 27, probably. All right. So now we are on to communications. The first being from Amy Gerard purchasing manager. Aldman Sullivan. Yes, I'd like to make a motion to accept place on file and approve the purchase of 27 no ink poll pads used to check in voters on election day with LHS associates in the amount not to exceed $63,000. The funding will be through Department 107 City Clerk Fund, General Fund 71 Equipment. So I'm here tonight to purchase the remainder of our poll pads last year. I came before the finance committee for 28 poll pads, which was approximately half of the 55, little over half of the 55 that the vendor recommended. We did wards one, eight, and nine for the uh last local election in November, and they worked out pretty well. And now I'm looking to purchase the additional 27 to get all the wards with the poll pads. And for this past election, so we had uh eight in each location. Some wards, smaller wards might have nine, some might have seven, depending. I'll distribute them as as we see fit, but the vendor recommended the 55 for the city. Uh the invoice for that, the quote that I got would be uh $56,800. Uh there is a $325 annual maintenance fee on all the poll pads. The current poll pads for this previous year I believe were $300. They increased the rates at $325. So if this is authorized each year, there will be $325 on each poll pad totaling $17,875 as an annual cost. Um for the maintenance and in different things. Uh it's $300 per election for programming, and that's per election. It's not per poll pad. So each election the the cost to program for the city is $300. Uh the vendor will be doing on the quote at list one two-hour training. I believe last year that's what it listed. They did two trainings for us with the amount that we're purchasing. Uh they're pretty flexible with the city. So if we want additional trainings, uh, they're usually pretty receptive to that. Uh they had a representative on site in November of 25 when we rolled out the poll pads that stayed in the city for any questions, helping uh the different the the three wards. I believe they will have another representative for the upcoming election. Being so close to the primary, if this is approved, they would the remaining wards will be using these in November. So it won't be for September. There's just not enough time to order them, get them delivered, and get everyone trained. So my um thinking is that I'm going to keep the same three wards that were using the poll pads prior, uh using them again instead of taking them away, then giving them back next election. So the same three wards will use them, which is wards one, eight, and nine. Um beyond that, uh the only thing too for IT is initially I need I needed a Wi-Fi, a secure Wi-Fi here that they could connect to, so they set that up. Um that's pretty much the only involvement that IT has anything else actually relating to the poll pads and any maintenance is through the vendor.

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