Dover Download

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Police Chief David Terlemezian, Fire Chief Brendan Driscoll, Public Library Director Denise LaFrance, and Information Technology Director Annie Dove as part of an ongoing look at the City of Dover's FY 27 municipal operating budget.

Chief Terlemezian, in his first budget as chief, explains that despite the department's $13 million budget, very little is discretionary — the bulk is driven by personnel and operational needs. He highlights two notable increases: a shift to annual payments for body cameras at roughly $90,000 per year, and a growing city match requirement as federal grants for the prevention and social work units become less reliable.

Chief Driscoll describes a collaborative process built around input from officers who oversee specific areas of responsibility. He notes a modest increase in vehicle maintenance costs but credits recent Capital Improvement Program investments in new apparatus for keeping those costs lower than expected.

Library Director LaFrance discusses the department's anticipated move back into its newly renovated building, which required educated guesses on utilities and drove a modest increase in part-time staff hours to prepare for anticipated higher foot traffic. She also notes rising demand for programming and confirms the library will not resume passport services.

DoverNet Director Annie Dove outlines a largely flat budget focused on keeping hardware current and applications supported. She highlights two new cybersecurity investments stemming from Homeland Security assessments and notes that the city has added a paid subscription to the MS-ISAC threat intelligence service after federal funding for the program was discontinued.

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Dover School District Superintendent Christine Boston about the district's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget. Boston outlines the budget development process, which begins each September with building-level administrators submitting their needs before she and CFO Michael Limanni compile and refine the numbers through the fall. She emphasizes that this year's budget is closely aligned with the district's five strategic pillars — academic knowledge, well-being, equity and inclusion, continuous improvement, and a team approach — developed through extensive community engagement.

In their presentation to the city council, Limanni details the revenue and expense drivers behind the budget's roughly 6.77% increase, highlighting a 6.5% rise in health insurance costs, collective bargaining negotiations, increased transportation and special education expenses, and a decrease in tuition revenue from surrounding districts. Boston explains that over 70% of the budget supports staffing and contracted services. The district is requesting only a few new positions mandated by law or necessitated by funding reductions, including a social studies teacher required by new state curriculum rules, a counselor for Dover Adult Learning Center to offset lost federal funding, and a school psychologist position that would save money by replacing contract services. Boston also discusses efforts to bring special education programming in-house to reduce costs and better serve students. She closes by reinforcing the district's commitment to maintaining class sizes, counseling services, and strategic progress while remaining mindful of taxpayer constraints.

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Media Services Director Mike Gillis about the highlights of February 2026 in Dover city government. The conversation centers on the FY 2027 budget rollout, which dominated the City Council's February agenda across multiple meetings, including workshops, presentations, and a public hearing on the school portion. Parker explains the downtown Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district's success, noting that private development around the parking garage has exceeded projections by roughly $102 million, potentially allowing the city to pay off the garage debt 13 years early and return $3.1 million to the general fund. They also discuss the council's approval of the FY 2027 Community Development Block Grant Action Plan and a Recovery Residence grant on Avon Avenue in partnership with the Dover Housing Authority. On the planning front, the Planning Board adopted a new Land Use chapter of the Master Plan — the first update since 2014 — and reviewed several significant development projects, including a 160-unit LIHTC housing project at 99 Knox Marsh Road and a mixed-use building on Mechanic Street. The School Board began work on a generative AI policy for students and staff, prompting broader discussion about AI's role in education and municipal government. Finally, updates on the Dover High School athletic complex and the waterfront development round out the episode, with Nebi Park's opening tentatively targeted for early July.

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with Finance Director Dan Lynch, Planning and Community Development Director Donna Benton, and Public Welfare Director Dave Balian about their respective fiscal year 2027 budget presentations. Parker begins with a brief overview of the Executive Department budget, noting it is largely personnel-driven with no major capital costs. Lynch explains that the Finance Department budget is developed with input from division supervisors across Purchasing, Accounting, the City Clerk/Tax Collector, and Assessing offices. He notes that unlike recent years, which saw the implementation of new voting machines and a computer-aided mass appraisal system, FY2027 has no major capital purchases.

Benton discusses the Planning Department budget, highlighting a reduction in the Transportation chapter of the Master Plan line item from $100,000 to $40,000 as the department shifts to the Stewardship chapter. She notes her request for an additional building inspector to handle increasing development activity was not included in the proposed budget.

Balian outlines the welfare department's five-point approach to budget development, which considers current and historical spending, economic factors, employment trends, and potential legislative cost shifts. He emphasizes that local welfare is state-mandated but funded entirely through local general funds, and that his department has held its budget flat for several years by investing in better case management and partnerships with outside agencies.

Listeners can explore all budget presentations on the city's Budget Revealed page at: https://www.dover.nh.gov/government/open-government/budget-revealed/fy2027-budget/.

In This Week in Dover History, we look back at "Dover's Black Day" — the catastrophic flood of March 1, 1896, when a 10-hour rainstorm caused the Cochecho River to rise between six and 10 feet. The flood destroyed five bridges, swept buildings from the Central Avenue Bridge into the river, caused over $300,000 in damages, and effectively ended Dover's shipping industry by filling the river with silt and debris.

In this episode of the Dover Download podcast, Deputy City Manager Christopher Parker chats with City Manager J. Michael Joyal, Jr., about the City of Dover's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget, which was presented to the City Council on Feb. 11, 2026. Joyal, presenting his 21st budget to the council, provides an overview of the 900-page document, which reflects total spending of $227.4 million across all funds, an overall increase of 8.9%. The general fund, supported by property taxes, is proposed at approximately $183 million.

Joyal highlights a notable development: for the first time, revenue from the downtown Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district exceeds the amount needed to cover parking garage debt, allowing excess funds to flow into the general fund and help offset the property tax increase for all taxpayers. The proposed budget exceeds the tax cap by approximately $877,000, meaning adoption would require a two-thirds council vote. For the average residential property valued at $527,000, the overall tax bill increase would be roughly $365. Other significant budget items include school department funding, a COPS grant match for a police officer position, body-worn camera maintenance, increased street and infrastructure funding, the final year of the bag-and-tag program before converting to a toter system, and utility rate adjustments.

Joyal outlines the council's budget review schedule through the anticipated April 1st adoption date and encourages residents to stay engaged through public hearings, workshops, and online resources available at the city's Budget Revealed webpage.