What does $57 million buy?
Keene's General Fund is the City's main operating account. It pays for police, fire, public works, the library, parks, city administration, and debt service on municipal bonds. For fiscal year 2027, the City Manager recommends a General Fund budget of $57,011,251, an increase of $3,812,890 (+7.2%) over the FY26 adopted budget of $53,198,361.
Source: General Fund expenditure detail, pages 24–30, and departmental summary, pages 31–32 of the FY27 budget.
By department
The General Fund supports 16 departments. The table below shows each department's FY27 City Manager recommended budget alongside the FY26 adopted budget.
| Department | FY26 Budget | FY27 Recommended | Change ($) | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor and Council | $11,397,218 | $13,041,387 | +$1,644,169 | +14.4% |
| Fire | $9,756,210 | $9,964,141 | +$207,931 | +2.1% |
| Police | $8,730,017 | $9,520,965 | +$790,948 | +9.1% |
| Public Works | $5,611,669 | $5,924,121 | +$312,452 | +5.6% |
| Finance | $3,795,278 | $4,066,899 | +$271,621 | +7.2% |
| Parks & Recreation | $2,225,450 | $2,351,304 | +$125,854 | +5.7% |
| Information Technology | $2,028,456 | $2,187,156 | +$158,700 | +7.8% |
| Library | $1,972,079 | $2,031,993 | +$59,914 | +3.0% |
| Facilities | $1,864,754 | $1,898,777 | +$34,023 | +1.8% |
| Community Development | $1,635,395 | $1,693,735 | +$58,340 | +3.6% |
| Airport | $783,523 | $902,992 | +$119,469 | +15.2% |
| City Manager's Office | $910,951 | $863,022 | -$47,929 | -5.3% |
| City Clerk | $777,593 | $796,808 | +$19,215 | +2.5% |
| Human Resources | $795,335 | $794,877 | -$458 | -0.1% |
| City Attorney | $453,945 | $489,275 | +$35,330 | +7.8% |
| Assessing | $460,488 | $483,799 | +$23,311 | +5.1% |
| Total | $53,198,361 | $57,011,251 | +$3,812,890 | +7.2% |
Mayor and Council includes $4,897,076 in debt service and $7,525,049 in interfund transfers to capital and other funds. These are city-wide obligations housed administratively under this department, not spending on council operations.
By functional category
Departments grouped by their primary function. Debt service and capital transfers are broken out separately because they are city-wide obligations, not departmental operations.
| Category | FY26 Budget | FY27 Recommended | Change ($) | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Safety | $18,486,227 | $19,485,106 | +$998,879 | +5.4% |
| General Government | $9,846,618 | $10,301,098 | +$454,480 | +4.6% |
| Public Works & Facilities | $7,476,423 | $7,822,898 | +$346,475 | +4.6% |
| Community Development | $1,635,395 | $1,693,735 | +$58,340 | +3.6% |
| Culture & Recreation | $4,197,529 | $4,383,297 | +$185,768 | +4.4% |
| Airport | $783,523 | $902,992 | +$119,469 | +15.2% |
| Debt Service | $3,821,383 | $4,897,076 | +$1,075,693 | +28.1% |
| Capital Transfers | $6,951,263 | $7,525,049 | +$573,786 | +8.3% |
| Total | $53,198,361 | $57,011,251 | +$3,812,890 | +7.2% |
By spending type
Another way to read the budget: not by department, but by what the money pays for.
| Category | FY27 Amount | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel | $33,228,292 | 58.3% |
| Operations | $11,356,884 | 19.9% |
| Transfers | $7,528,999 | 13.2% |
| Debt Service | $4,897,076 | 8.6% |
| Capital | $0 | 0.0% |
| Total | $57,011,251 | 100.0% |
Personnel includes wages, overtime, benefits, insurance, and retirement contributions. Operations covers professional services, supplies, contracted services, and recurring costs. Transfers move General Fund money to capital reserves and other funds. Debt service pays principal and interest on municipal bonds. The $0 capital figure reflects that capital spending flows through the Capital Improvement Program and enterprise funds, not the General Fund operating budget.
Department detail
Each department's budget is divided into cost centers — the specific programs and divisions that receive funding. Click a department to see the breakdown.
Mayor and Council $13,041,387
Fire $9,964,141
Police $9,520,965
Public Works $5,924,121
Finance $4,066,899
Parks & Recreation $2,351,304
Information Technology $2,187,156
Library $2,031,993
Facilities $1,898,777
Community Development $1,693,735
Airport $902,992
City Manager's Office $863,022
City Clerk $796,808
Human Resources $794,877
City Attorney $489,275
Assessing $483,799
Personnel vs. operating by department
How each department divides its budget between personnel costs (wages, benefits, retirement) and operating costs (supplies, services, contracts).
| Department | Personnel | Operating | Total | Personnel % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor and Council | $195,830 | $12,845,557 | $13,041,387 | 2% |
| Fire | $8,740,868 | $1,223,273 | $9,964,141 | 88% |
| Police | $8,694,128 | $826,837 | $9,520,965 | 91% |
| Public Works | $3,129,064 | $2,795,057 | $5,924,121 | 53% |
| Finance | $2,081,139 | $1,985,760 | $4,066,899 | 51% |
| Parks & Recreation | $1,763,281 | $588,023 | $2,351,304 | 75% |
| Information Technology | $1,183,887 | $1,003,269 | $2,187,156 | 54% |
| Library | $1,797,438 | $234,555 | $2,031,993 | 88% |
| Facilities | $803,377 | $1,095,400 | $1,898,777 | 42% |
| Community Development | $1,521,482 | $172,253 | $1,693,735 | 90% |
| Airport | $504,709 | $398,283 | $902,992 | 56% |
| City Manager's Office | $753,367 | $109,655 | $863,022 | 87% |
| City Clerk | $690,839 | $105,969 | $796,808 | 87% |
| Human Resources | $500,512 | $294,365 | $794,877 | 63% |
| City Attorney | $435,651 | $53,624 | $489,275 | 89% |
| Assessing | $432,720 | $51,079 | $483,799 | 89% |
| Total | $33,228,292 | $23,782,959 | $57,011,251 | 58% |
The dept_expenditure_summary in the budget classifies all spending as either Personnel or Operating. This is a coarser grouping than the object-code breakdown above — for example, debt service and transfers appear under "Operating" in the Mayor and Council row.
See also
- Where does the money come from? — the revenue side of the General Fund
- What's on your tax bill? — how property taxes break down
- The City's debt — bonds, schedules, and the fiscal policy ceiling
Source: General Fund expenditure detail, pages 24–30, and departmental summary, pages 31–32 of the FY27 budget. All figures are City Manager recommended unless otherwise noted.