Hancock residents learned about the town’s proposed operating budget from the Select Board and Budget Committee during the first public hearing on the matter for 2026.
If the town votes to approve the proposal at the annual meeting in March, the total operating budget for 2026 will be $3,238,598, a $13,027 increase over the year prior.
Of note, the largest line item reduction from last year’s budget is a prosecutor group Hancock was previously using. According to Town Administrator John Coyne, Monadnock Prosecutions Group will no longer provide services to the town, which eliminates that $130,193 expense.
Another major reduction is the budget item listed as General Government Buildings. The item’s allotment for 2025 was $127,157; the proposal for 2026 reduces that by $22,913 to $104,244. Coyne said the reduction is based on how much was spent on general maintenance of town buildings.
The greatest increases in the proposed budget are from the ambulance service and Fire Department, respectively.
Hancock uses Peterborough’s Fire & Rescue for its ambulance services. The previous year’s budget included $123,638 for the service. This year’s proposal would increase it by $36,596, bringing the proposed budget item to $160,234. Coyne said Peterborough Fire & Rescue’s operating rates went up, so there is an increase in the cost of its ambulance services.
A total of $152,081 was allotted for the Fire Department in 2025. That amount has increased by $32,281, bringing the 2026 proposed budget item to $184,362. The increase was brought about by equipment purchasing and general maintenance, though Coyne also mentioned the department is discussing possible wage increases.
In addition to reductions and increases, there were some budget items whose costs remained even. General legal expenses, which are separate from the Prosecutor Group expenses, will remain at $30,000. Patriotic Purposes, which refers to money spent or allocated to Memorial Day and Old Home Day, will remain budgeted at $6,340, according to Coyne.
Among the other eight budgeted items not expecting a change in cost are the Planning, School Fields and Welfare Administration items.
Separate from the operating expenses are the town’s debt services listed as Long Term Bonds & Notes Principal, and Long Term Bonds & Notes Interest. In 2025, the combined debt service was $344,141. The proposed cost of debt services for 2026 is $405,415, an increase of $61,274.
When combined, the proposed Total Operating & Debt Service Expense for 2026 is projected at $3,644,013 which is a $74,301 increase from the year prior.
Hancock residents will have the opportunity to vote on changes to the budget at the town’s annual meeting in March.