Nashua residents deserve a budget process grounded in accuracy, transparency, and accountability. Yet the FY2027 Budget Book, distributed publicly and posted on the city website, contains significant omissions and inconsistencies that materially distort the city’s financial picture. Whether these errors stem from oversight or mismanagement, the impact is the same: taxpayers are being presented with an incomplete and misleading document.
A municipal budget is not a marketing brochure. It is a public record that must reflect all expenditures, not only those city officials choose to highlight. Anything less undermines public trust and violates the basic principles of responsible governance.
Key Omissions That Demand Immediate Correction
· Community Television In the FY2026 Budget Book, Community Television appeared under Administrative Services. In the FY2027 version, it has been removed entirely, yet the nearly $797,884 in associated expenses still exists. These costs must be included in both the budget and the tax cap. The administration does not have the authority to exclude expenditures simply because they are offset by revenue.
· The Hunt Building: This city asset has also been quietly removed from the FY2027 document, despite ongoing financial obligations that must be publicly disclosed.
· Code Enforcement Discrepancies On page 12, the FY2027 Code Enforcement budget is listed as $485,052. On page 167, the Mayor’s Proposed Budget lists the figure as $535,052. This is not a minor typo, it is a $50,000 discrepancy in a core public safety function. Such inconsistencies raise serious questions about the accuracy of the entire document.
These are not clerical footnotes. They are material omissions that alter the financial information presented to the public and to the Board of Aldermen. If these errors are visible on a first pass, how many more would residents uncover with deeper review?
Nashua Residents Deserve Better
Taxpayers have every right to expect a complete, accurate, and transparent budget before elected officials vote on it. The FY2027 Budget Book, as currently presented, fails to meet that standard.
What Must Happen Next
Residents should insist on a fully revised FY2027 Budget Book that restores all departments, all expenditures, and all financial obligations. Anything less is unacceptable.
