Budget season moved forward as the Hudson Budget Committee wrapped up presentations on various elements of the town budget. However, members expressed frustration over the lack of information on upcoming warrant articles, many of which remain unfinished.
“I thought we were going to receive draft narratives for each of these articles,” said Committee member Kevin Walsh.
Bill Cole pressed for clarity on warrant articles tied to new staff positions, including one proposing four additional firefighters.
“I want to see a draft, a narrative that shows what Chief Tice is trying to tell us in his warrant article,” said Cole. “I think that’s a pretty simple document.”
Fire Chief Scott Tice reported that the department is close to filling current vacancies, excluding two anticipated retirements, but could not predict how long it would take to fill new positions.
“I don’t understand why we can’t get those overviews now,” added Vice-Chair Kim Rice. “What’s that going to hurt?”
Town Administrator Roy Sorenson explained that drafts would only be available after review by the Board of Selectmen.
“We don’t have these other than they’re in concept form,” said Sorenson.
Cole pressed for a timeline.
“Would you tell me, looking at the schedule, when that’s going to happen?” he asked, noting the unusually late timing for new budget details.
Committee Chair James Lawrence confirmed that updates would not come until the Dec. 3 meeting, originally scheduled to address the Hudson School District budget.
“The warrant article process is taking longer than we thought it would,” admitted Lawrence.
Committee member Shawn Jasper also requested more details on town revenue for the 2027 budget.
“Regarding the revenue, there’s not any major significant changes versus ’26, other than we did raise the motor vehicle fees,” said Sorenson. “That continues to be the largest driver in revenues each year. Everything else mimics what we had.”
Walsh suggested raising vehicle permit fees slightly to generate an additional $200,000 in revenue, potentially reducing the property tax rate by about four cents per $1,000 assessed.
“Is it good or bad to do what we’re doing?” asked Randy Brownrigg, warning that higher fees could reduce registrations and jeopardize the estimated $6.5 million expected from permits.
“I do not recall motor vehicle receipts ever going down year-over-year,” said Jasper, supporting the proposal. “We raised it last year and still exceeded the estimate.”
Sorenson cautioned against raising fees “too fast,” noting that missing revenue targets would mean higher property taxes next year.
The Budget Committee ultimately voted to recommend an increase in vehicle registration fees.
