On April 15, 2025, City Manager Katie Ambrose presented the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget during the City Council Workshop meeting. Click here to watch.

City Council will host a Budget Retreat at City Hall on Friday, May 9, beginning at 9:00 a.m. During the retreat, the Council will review information related to the operating and capital improvement budgets for various municipal departments.

Retreat Schedule

1. City Manager
   Review of April 15 Budget Presentation.

2. Director of Finance
   Overview summary of Operations & Maintenance (O&M), Interest & Other (I&O), and Capital Improvement Program (CIP).

3. Department Presentations
   Review and Q&A for the following departments:

   a. City Manager
   b. Police Department & Dispatch
   c. Fire Department & Emergency Management
   d. Legal Department
   e. City Clerk & Elections
   f. Welfare
   g. Public Buildings, Community Center & Public Works
   h. Water & Sewer Funds
   i. Recreation & Arena
   j. Library
   k. Economic Development
   l. Planning Department
   m. Building & Licensing Services
   n. IT Services
   o. Finance Department, Human Resources, Tax Collector, Assessing & General Overhead

4. Director of Finance
   Overview of Debt Service.

5. Public Input
   Community members are encouraged to share feedback and participate in the discussion.

6. City Council
   Deliberations, questions, and initial adjustments to the proposed budget.

There will be additional opportunities for public input on May 13 and May 20. Community members are strongly encouraged to participate, either in person or by submitting written comments in advance. Visit www.rochesternh.gov/getinvolved to learn more about providing input.

The FY 2026 budget is expected to be adopted in early June.

All presentations will be broadcast live and available to watch on GovTV cable channels, free streaming platforms, and video-on-demand. Visit www.rochesternh.gov/govtv to learn more.