Nashua Personnel and Administrative Affairs Committee — November 3, 2026

The Personnel and Administrative Affairs Committee met on November 3, 2026. The transcript states the meeting was called to order as November 2, 2026, in the Aldermanic Chamber and adjourned at 8:06 p.m.; the provided record timestamp is 2026-11-03 01:34:09 UTC. Members present included Chair Shoshana Kelly, Vice Chair Ben Clemens, Thomas Lopez, Derrick Tebow, and Paula Johnson; Patricia Klee was also acknowledged as present after the initial roll. Staff included Treasurer and Tax Collector Diane Mulholland, CFO Don Enright, and Assessing Manager Michelle Welsh; Contract Assessor Supervisor Robert Gagney and the parking manager were not present. The committee handled a personnel appointment, Citizen Advisory Commission reappointments, two tax and procurement ordinances, and two parking permit amendments that were tabled.

Consent Calendar

• Accepted and placed on file a communication from Robert J. Gagney regarding elderly and disabled exemption review for the 2027 tax year.
• Recommended Dahlia Ragas for appointment as deputy treasurer and tax collector with an indefinite term, following her interview; the voice vote carried.
• Recommended reappointment of Lisa Taranjo, term expiring October 1, 2029, and Jennifer Bishop, term expiring November 1, 2029, to the Citizen Advisory Commission; the voice vote carried. The committee asked that the commission present to the committee, and the chair said the CAC would be invited to the next meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No member of the public spoke when public comment was opened. No hawker, peddler, or itinerant vendor license applicants were presented.

Discussion Items

• Personnel interview: Dahlia Ragas described more than 19 years in Derry municipal government and certification as a tax collector. She said she was not looking to leave Derry but saw the Nashua posting as a chance to work with CFO Don Enright and Treasurer and Tax Collector Diane Mulholland. She described the tax collector role as fiscal responsibility to residents, equal customer service, education about assistance programs, and following the law. She said deeding is the last step, that Derry had deeded two properties in the last four years, roughly one a year recently, and that she would first work with delinquent taxpayers and refer them to homeowner assistance, exemptions, or credits. She said she would seek process efficiencies in Nashua, which she described as about three times larger than Derry, including reporting tools to handle lien and deed letters.
• O-26-025, elderly and disabled tax exemption income limits: Alderman Clee, Alderman Clemens, and Alderman Johnson sponsored the measure. Clee said the goal is to prevent residents from losing the exemption because Social Security or retirement income rises, not necessarily to add applicants. The amendment uses a rolling three-year CPI for automatic annual adjustment and would have the Assessing Department send annual rate information. Assessing Manager Michelle Welsh said an exact fiscal note cannot be known until applications arrive; she offered to track how many people would not have qualified absent the change and anticipated not many. Alderman Tebow raised fiscal-note uncertainty and compared the issue to the veteran tax credit, but ultimately said he would vote yes. Clemens said the exemption amounts themselves are unchanged and only the income limits adjust automatically, with the option to revisit if needed. Johnson supported it, citing the addition of married-income limits and the burden on seniors when taxes rise faster than Social Security; she described the difference as minimal. The motion to recommend final passage carried by voice vote with no opposition noted.
• O-26-026, procurement and energy contracts: Purchasing Manager Amy Gerard and Energy Manager Doria Brown presented two ordinance changes in one legislative vehicle. Gerard said one change would let the city use an existing competitive contract for comparable goods or services from another department, citing the fire and police roof projects. She said contracts over $25,000 would still go to finance and contracts over $1 million would still go to the Board of Aldermen. The second change would authorize Gerard and Brown to execute contracts for electricity, natural gas, unleaded gasoline, off-road diesel, and biodiesel, with legal review; a memo would follow rather than prior finance approval for those energy purchases. Brown said ISO New England market pricing can expire at the end of the business day, and that a one-cent difference in the contract rate could cost about $104,000 more annually for Nashua municipal electricity accounts. She said the city uses about 10,000 megawatt hours a year for municipal accounts. Gerard said last year the city incurred about a $15,000 increase in additional costs for unleaded and diesel gasoline because it could not execute a contract in time through the finance process. Tebow initially objected that the first change was too broad but, after clarification, supported the whole ordinance. Lopez supported Brown but raised concern about codifying authority for a future successor; Brown said purchasing, legal review, and documentation remain as checks. Clee supported it, citing past vehicle-price delays, and Tebow supported it while still worrying about future boards. Gerard clarified that the purchasing manager serves as backup if there is no energy manager and that the two underlying ordinances, 5-84 and 5-138, are separate. The motion to recommend final passage carried by voice vote with no opposition noted.
• O-26-027 and O-26-028, parking permit amendments: Director Tim Cummings appeared after the items were introduced. He said the High Street Garage item was a companion to a finance committee item expected Wednesday involving a lease for High Street Flats and would allow permits in a garage now open to the public and metered spaces. He described it as straightforward but said he had limited understanding. Clemens said he had too many questions; Lopez said he was alarmed because parking downtown is problematic. Clee asked whether the Wednesday finance item would need tabling; Cummings said it could be acted on with a provision that both the personnel committee and Board of Aldermen approve. Chair Kelly said parking issues are not cut and dry and that a department representative should be present. Both O-26-027 and O-26-028 were tabled by voice vote. The chair said she would work with Cummings and the parking manager to arrange a more holistic parking discussion before December.
• Announcements: Members urged residents to vote on November 3, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., two ballot questions, and same-day registration available at ward polling places. They noted Ward 1 votes at Nashua High School North and Ward 5 at Nashua High School South, and that Nashua Transit provides buses to polling stations.

Key Outcomes

• Communication from Robert J. Gagney accepted and placed on file.
• Dahlia Ragas recommended for deputy treasurer and tax collector; carried by voice vote.
• Lisa Taranjo and Jennifer Bishop recommended for reappointment to the Citizen Advisory Commission; carried by voice vote.
• O-26-025 recommended for final passage; carried by voice vote, no opposition noted.
• O-26-026 recommended for final passage; carried by voice vote, no opposition noted.
• O-26-027 and O-26-028 tabled by voice vote for return in December.
• Meeting adjourned at 8:06 p.m. No numeric vote tallies were recorded; all votes were voice votes.