FY2024 Budget

City Manager J. Michael Joyal, Jr. presented the proposed fiscal year 2024 budget to the City Council on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, during a special meeting. The presentation was followed by several weeks of budget meetings, workshops and public hearings.

The City Council adopted the City of Dover’s fiscal year 2024 budget by a 6-3 vote during a special meeting on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. The final adopted budget is $183,275,839 across all funds, a $3,579,013, or a 2% increase, above the current fiscal year budget.

The General Fund portion of the budget, funded primarily through property taxes, is $146,159,594. It is a $6,384,695, or 4.6%, increase above the current fiscal year budget. It is $126,562 under the total amount allowed by the tax cap, which required only a simple majority of the City Council to adopt the budget. The city portion was $249,462 under the tax cap; the school portion was $122,900 over.

General Fund appropriations include $51,052,194 for city operations, $71,650,446 for School Department operations, $13,033,094 for debt service and $10,423,860 for county tax. These General Fund appropriations represent a $1,568,084 increase or 3.2% increase for city operations, $3,784,188 or 5.6% for School Department operations, $456,996 or 3.6% for debt service obligations and $575,427, or 5.8% increase for the county tax payment. 

The City Council reduced the City Manager's proposed General Fund appropriations by $546,076. These General Fund reductions include $156,076 from the city portion of the budget and $390,000 from the school portion.

Councilors Robert Hinkel, Deborah Thibodeaux and Debra Hackett voted against the budget resolution.

For the average residential property assessment of $418,706, the estimated tax impact is a $442 increase or 5.3%. The estimated tax rate resulting from the adopted budget is $20.90, a $1.06, or 5.3%, increase above the current tax rate. The New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration will certify the official tax rate later this year.

The budget adoption also included the FY2024 Schedule of Fees that goes into effect on July 1, 2023. The schedule of fees consists of a water rate of $6.59, an 18-cent increase, or 2.8%, and a sewer rate of $10.26, a 45-cent increase, or 4.6% above the current FY2023 Schedule of Fees.

The FY2024 budget adoption at the April 5 special meeting followed several weeks of budget meetings and workshops, including a budget workshop immediately preceding the special meeting.

The Council held a public hearing on the education portion of the budget on March 15, 2023, followed by a public hearing on the city portion on March 22, 2023.

Recordings of all budget-related workshops and meetings and all budget-related documents are available below.

The entire proposed budget can be viewed here: FY2024 Proposed Budget

All budget workshops and meetings to date can be viewed below, along with accompanying documents and presentations:

Budget Workshop, 4/5/2023

General Budget Discussion

• FY2024 Budget Adjustment Calculations, April 5, 2023

Special Meeting, 4/5/2023

Adoption of FY2024 budget

• Final FY2024 budget resolution

Budget Workshop, 3/29/2023

Community Services

• FY2024 Budget Presentation, Community Services
• FY2024 Budget Adjustment Calculations, March 29, 2023
• FY2024 Budget Adjustments, March 29, 2023
• FY2024 Grant Funding
• FY2024 Proposed New Positions by Fund
• SWEPT and Adequacy Aid, 10-Year HistoryFY2024 Proposed Schedule of Fees

Budget Workshop, 3/15/2023

Planning, Police and Fire departments

• FY2024 Proposed Schedule of Fees
• Tax Cap Override History FY2009-FY2023
• FY2024 Budget Presentation, Planning Department
• FY2024 Budget Presentation, Fire and Rescue
• FY2024 Budget Presentation, Police Department
  
  

Special Meeting, 3/15/2023

Public Hearing on School portion of proposed budget

Budget Workshop, 3/8/2023

School Department

Budget documents from the March 8 workshop:

• FY2024 Budget Presentation, School Department

Budget Workshop, 3/1/2023

Executive, Finance, Recreation, Library, Welfare, and Information Technology

CITYWIDE FISCAL YEAR 2024 DOCUMENTS

School Board FY2024 budget adoption

The School Board adopted its FY2024 revised budget on Jan. 30, 2023, and sent it to the City Manager to be included in the overall budget that was presented on Feb. 15, 2023. 

The School Board began its budget process on Nov. 14, 2022. Below are videos of meetings and budget workshops as well as budget documents presented in the meetings/workshops, from the initial budget presentation to final adoption on Jan. 30. 

The City Council will hold a public hearing on the School Department's portion of the budget at a special meeting on Wednesday, March 15, 2023.

School Board special meeting, 1/30/2023

Immediately following the Jan. 30 workshop, the School Board held a special meeting to adopt a revised fiscal year 2024 operating budget. The revised adopted budget will now be incorporated into the City Manager's budget, which will be presented to the City Council in February. A public hearing on the School Department's budget is planned for March.

• FY24 School Board Budget Book – Jan. 30, 2023

School Board budget workshop, 1/30/2023

The School Board held a budget workshop on Jan. 30 to further review and refine the budget the board adopted on Jan. 17, 2023. 

• FY24 School Board Budget Book – Jan. 30, 2023

School Board special meeting, 1/17/2023

The School Board adopted the School Department's 2024 fiscal year budget at its Monday, Jan. 17 special meeting session. The adopted budget will now be incorporated into the City Manager's budget, which will be presented to the City Council in February. A public hearing on the School Department's budget is planned for March.

Documents provided to the School Board at the meeting:

• FY24 Budget Summary (Revised)
• FY24 Major Cost Items (Revised)

School Board Fiscal Year 2024 Documents