Proposed FY2025 budget before City Council Feb. 14

posted on: 2/12/2024

City Manager J. Michael Joyal, Jr. will introduce his proposed fiscal year 2025 budget at the City Council meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 14.

The City Manager’s budget will incorporate the School Board’s recommended budget for the School Department, which the School Board approved on Jan. 16. The city-wide budget will also include the first-year projects in the latest six-year Capital Improvements Program adopted in December.

The introduction of the budget, which will occur during the City Manager’s report, begins two months of budget review by the City Council. In subsequent weeks, the City Council will hold workshops to review each department's budget. The Council will also hold two public hearings: one for the public education component of the budget, and one for all other city departments. By City Charter, the City Council must adopt its budget annually by April 15.

Once the budget is introduced, a digital version will be available on the FY2025 Budget Revealed webpage, which will also include video recordings of budget meetings and workshops, and any accompanying documents. A physical copy of the budget will also be available for review at the Dover Public Library and the City Clerk’s office.

During the budget season, City Manager Joyal will also release a weekly newsletter that recaps any budget-related presentations and a look ahead to what will occur the following week. Sign up for the newsletter at bit.ly/doverdownload, and select "Budget Revealed" from the list of newsletters.

The City Council will also consider several other matters at the meeting, including:

Bid award for replacing Portland Avenue retaining wall

Also on the City Council’s agenda is a resolution to authorize awarding the bid to replace the Portland Avenue retaining wall to GW Brooks & Son, Inc., of Freedom, for a cost not to exceed $955,845. In addition to the retaining wall, the project is also to include installing and widening the sidewalk on a section of Portland Avenue and installing a crash-test railing and new streetlights. An accompanying resolution would authorize expending $158,00 to Wright-Pierce of Portsmouth for construction oversight and additional design items the city requested.

The retaining wall replacement will impact Portland Avenue traffic, as the road is anticipated to be reduced to a single lane of alternating traffic for a significant portion of the project. As such, the city will provide regular updates after the bid is awarded and the project schedule is determined. To sign up for project-specific emails, visit https://bit.ly/dovernewsletters and add “Project updates: Portland Avenue retaining wall” to your current email subscription list.

Authorize negotiation to extend curbside trash, recycling contracts; add new charge to Solid Waste Advisory Committee

Following the Jan. 31 workshop on the city’s Solid Waste and Recycling Collection Feasibility Study, the City Council is set to charge the Solid Waste Advisory Committee to review, study, and make recommendations to the City Council as to what should be the city’s path forward when its current curbside disposal contract runs out.

The feasibility study warned of the potential of significant cost escalations in any future collections contract and suggested providing in-house services via city staff and equipment may be prudent and cost-competitive. The feasibility study also stressed the trend of converting to automated collection using trucks with manual loading arms and portable toters for curbside collection. Click here to watch the workshop.

With the current contract with Waste Management set to expire on June 30, 2025, the resolution would also authorize the City Manager to open negotiations for a possible contract extension to allow for sufficient time to weigh and research future solid waste and recycling options.

Adoption of 2024-2025 City Council Goals

The City Council is also set to establish its goals for its current term. The goals include increasing the availability of attainable housing, ensuring the city is civically engaged, continuing the city’s path of resiliency, ensuring the city is safe, inviting, inclusive, and welcoming, that it has sustainable financial policies, and creating opportunities for all people with inviting public spaces.

Click here for the complete agenda.

The meeting will be televised on Channel 22 and online at https://dovernh.viebit.com, where it will also be available for on-demand viewing.