Claremont council schedules budget hearing and manager recruitment meeting
Budget transfers, manager recruitment and a $20.6 million spending plan were all on Claremont council’s June 30 agenda, just as the city headed into a new fiscal year.
Claremont’s City Council set a special public meeting for Tuesday, June 30, at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, putting budget transfers, manager recruitment and legal consultation on the same agenda as the city moved into the final hours of its fiscal year.
The posted agenda listed FY 2026 budget review, a public hearing on Resolution 2026-61 for inter-departmental budget transfers, city manager recruitment and consultation with legal counsel. That mix signaled more than routine housekeeping: the council was dealing with money moves that can affect department spending, staffing and service timing, while also advancing a search that will shape day-to-day leadership at City Hall.
The special meeting came as Claremont was already working through a proposed 2026-27 budget of $20.6 million, which was up 3.6% from the current year ending June 30. The plan called for a $230,000 draw on surplus fund balance and projected $13.8 million to be raised by taxes. If adopted as presented, it would increase the municipal tax rate by 48 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, or 4.52%.
That budget package also carried specific local costs and policy choices. It included money for a website redesign, maintenance at the municipal parking lot off Broad Street, collective bargaining agreements, a merit-system change for non-union employees, a previously unfunded police office position and consultant work tied to the EPA Sugar River Revitalization Grant. Those items put the council in the position of deciding which operational needs would get funded first as the city crossed from one fiscal year into the next.
The recruitment item landed against a backdrop of repeated turnover at the top of city government. Nancy Bates resigned on June 1 after beginning as city manager in January 2026, following a seven-month interim period. Claremont said she would remain in the role for 60 to 90 days to help with the transition. Bates said workload demands, recruitment and retention problems and modernization needs contributed to her resignation. Valley News described her as the fourth full-time city manager in 10 years, following earlier departures by Yoshi Manale, Ed Morris and Ryan McNutt.
Claremont’s city website says Bates was selected as city manager in December 2025 after serving as acting city manager since July 1 and has 15 years of New Hampshire municipal experience. The council’s notice said its next scheduled meeting would be Wednesday, July 8, at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, keeping the next round of budget and leadership decisions close at hand.
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