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.