FY24/25 Recommended Budget Public Hearing Notice

Published on March 05, 2024

March 5, 2024

Honorable Mayor Moran and Board Members:

2024 will be an exciting and transformative year for the Town of Manchester. Following many years of comprehensive engagement and planning, several projects that significantly enhance quality of life for residents will commence. From construction of the long-awaited 21^st century library, to finalizing elementary school renovations, to major investments in parks and recreation, the repurposing of schools, economic development initiatives moving forward, to the on-going revitalization of Downtown, the FY2025 budget period will be a time of Building A Better Manchester.

It is with that sense of excitement that I present the FY2025 budget. This spending plan continues Manchester’s proud tradition of being financially sound while providing the necessary resources for important programs and services for our great residents.

The submission of the Town Manager’s proposed budget marks the culmination of a collaborative, multi-month process during which all departments provided input on anticipated personnel and operating expenses in the coming fiscal year.

As Manchester continues to grow, the goal of this 2025 budget recommendation is balancing the needs of the community, expectations of Manchester residents, and the obligation to develop a financing plan that is fiscally responsible. It builds on prior year’s investments in our Town’s provision of basic city services and public education, while ensuring the on-going support for the community’s most vulnerable populations.

Notable investments in this budget include:

• Board of Education increases 3.89% or $4.78 million in Manager’s recommended budget, based on the actions of the Board of Education.
• In response to increasing public safety demands, this budget invests in an additional Assistant Fire Chief and an additional police patrol officer, while also continuing to fund police transparency initiatives.
• In response to increased regulatory enforcement needs, the budget also invests in a new Property Maintenance Code Enforcement Officer.

• Human Service and Equity investments (previously funded by ARPA) 
  • Early Childhood Engagement Specialist
  • Part time Senior Center bilingual assistant
  • Health Equity Worker
• Critical city service programs (currently funded by ARPA)
• • police body cameras & cruisers,
  • the Town’s MS365 network operating system
  • reducing the ARPA subsidy of capital improvements from $1M to $520,000.
• Increasing assistance to community agencies by roughly $50,000 to ensure Manchester’s most at-risk residents can receive the support services they need.
  
  

Other highlights of the FY25 budget:

• Debt service increases by $1.9M, reflecting the first major installment of funding for construction of the new library as well as recurring public infrastructure and roadway investments.
• Retiree health & pension costs increase by $1.4M in accordance with actuarial valuation of those benefits programs.

Read the Full Public Notice(DOC, 98KB)