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.

Fire $9.96M
Police $9.52M
Public Works $5.92M
Finance $4.07M
Parks & Recreation $2.35M
Information Technology $2.19M
Library $2.03M
Facilities $1.90M
Community Development $1.69M
Airport $0.90M
City Manager's Office $0.86M
City Clerk $0.80M
Human Resources $0.79M
Mayor & Council (operations) $0.62M
City Attorney $0.49M
Assessing $0.48M
Citywide obligations $12.4M

Total: $57,011,251

Department FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
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%
Mayor & Council (operations) $624,572 $619,262 -$5,310 -0.9%
City Attorney $453,945 $489,275 +$35,330 +7.8%
Assessing $460,488 $483,799 +$23,311 +5.1%
Citywide obligations $10,772,646 $12,422,125 +$1,649,479 +15.3%
Total $53,198,361 $57,011,251 +$3,812,890 +7.2%

Debt service and interfund transfers to capital and other funds are city-wide obligations that the City books under Mayor and Council. They are shown as a separate row here because they are not departmental 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 $13,041,387
Cost Center FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
Transfer-Capital & Other $6,951,263 $7,525,049 +$573,786 +8.3%
Debt Service $3,821,383 $4,897,076 +$1,075,693 +28.1%
Essential Community Svc $354,850 $334,764 -$20,086 -5.7%
Mayor & Council $132,115 $129,416 -$2,699 -2.0%
Community Funded Events $108,688 $123,138 +$14,450 +13.3%
Boards & Commissions $28,919 $31,944 +$3,025 +10.5%
Total $11,397,218 $13,041,387 +$1,644,169 +14.4%
Fire $9,964,141
Cost Center FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
Fire-Suppression $4,901,459 $4,976,412 +$74,953 +1.5%
Fire-Ambulance $2,948,968 $2,983,555 +$34,587 +1.2%
Fire-Administration $1,577,853 $1,657,149 +$79,296 +5.0%
Fire-Prevent/Inspect/Alarm $269,248 $288,975 +$19,727 +7.3%
Fire-Call Personnel $58,682 $58,050 -$632 -1.1%
Total $9,756,210 $9,964,141 +$207,931 +2.1%
Police $9,520,965
Cost Center FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
Police-Patrols $4,536,580 $4,770,843 +$234,263 +5.2%
Police-Administration $1,464,021 $1,577,444 +$113,423 +7.7%
Police-Investigations $1,007,965 $1,124,520 +$116,555 +11.6%
Police-Special Services $641,627 $934,446 +$292,819 +45.6%
Police-Dispatch $532,100 $556,411 +$24,311 +4.6%
Police-Prosecution $317,031 $325,830 +$8,799 +2.8%
Police-Training $230,693 $231,471 +$778 +0.3%
Total $8,730,017 $9,520,965 +$790,948 +9.1%
Public Works $5,924,121
Cost Center FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
Pw-Street Maintenance $2,158,469 $2,394,365 +$235,896 +10.9%
Pw-Winter Maintenance $1,315,451 $1,383,375 +$67,924 +5.2%
Pw-Drainage & Leaf Pickup $731,427 $770,870 +$39,443 +5.4%
Pw-Administration $747,755 $550,085 -$197,670 -26.4%
Pw-Engineering $384,990 $537,612 +$152,622 +39.6%
Pw-Downtown Maint $178,373 $214,107 +$35,734 +20.0%
Pw-Hazardous Waste Site $58,965 $58,965 $0 0.0%
Pw-Nondepartmental $36,239 $14,742 -$21,497 -59.3%
Total $5,611,669 $5,924,121 +$312,452 +5.6%
Finance $4,066,899
Cost Center FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
Finance-HS General Assist $924,375 $972,550 +$48,175 +5.2%
Finance-Accounting $779,197 $837,218 +$58,021 +7.4%
Finance-Property & Liab Ins $361,049 $581,852 +$220,803 +61.2%
Finance-Revenue Collection $586,288 $512,494 -$73,794 -12.6%
Finance-Administration $387,595 $404,451 +$16,856 +4.3%
Finance-Human Services $377,560 $374,014 -$3,546 -0.9%
Finance-Purchasing $259,214 $264,320 +$5,106 +2.0%
Finance-HS Health Services Cont $120,000 $120,000 $0 0.0%
Finance-Citywide Pcard $0 $0 $0 0.0%
Total $3,795,278 $4,066,899 +$271,621 +7.2%
Parks & Recreation $2,351,304
Cost Center FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
P&R-Parks-Maint & Develop $759,269 $861,169 +$101,900 +13.4%
Parks & Rec-Administration $524,640 $554,872 +$30,232 +5.8%
Recreation-Programs $394,251 $378,982 -$15,269 -3.9%
Cemetery-Maint & Op $250,897 $226,628 -$24,269 -9.7%
P&R-Youth Services $174,176 $204,661 +$30,485 +17.5%
P&R-Parks-Pools $116,014 $118,789 +$2,775 +2.4%
Cemetery-Sumner Knight $6,203 $6,203 $0 0.0%
Total $2,225,450 $2,351,304 +$125,854 +5.7%
Information Technology $2,187,156
Cost Center FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
Information Technology $1,568,156 $1,606,477 +$38,321 +2.4%
It-Cloud Applications $460,300 $580,679 +$120,379 +26.2%
Total $2,028,456 $2,187,156 +$158,700 +7.8%
Library $2,031,993
Cost Center FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
Library $1,972,079 $2,031,993 +$59,914 +3.0%
Total $1,972,079 $2,031,993 +$59,914 +3.0%
Facilities $1,898,777
Cost Center FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
Facility-City Hall $496,639 $502,400 +$5,761 +1.2%
Facility-Dpw $436,295 $450,533 +$14,238 +3.3%
Facility-Library $393,396 $407,551 +$14,155 +3.6%
Facility-Rec Ctr $248,740 $260,109 +$11,369 +4.6%
Facility-Fire Cntrl $118,831 $122,081 +$3,250 +2.7%
Facility-Airport $82,959 $65,209 -$17,750 -21.4%
Facility-Fire West $54,769 $54,769 $0 0.0%
Facility-Tran Ctr $33,125 $36,125 +$3,000 +9.1%
Total $1,864,754 $1,898,777 +$34,023 +1.8%
Community Development $1,693,735
Cost Center FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
Community Development $1,571,235 $1,629,575 +$58,340 +3.7%
Comm Dev-Pest Control $51,000 $51,000 $0 0.0%
Comm Dev-Regulatory Notices $13,160 $13,160 $0 0.0%
Total $1,635,395 $1,693,735 +$58,340 +3.6%
Airport $902,992
Cost Center FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
Airport $783,523 $902,992 +$119,469 +15.2%
Total $783,523 $902,992 +$119,469 +15.2%
City Manager's Office $863,022
Cost Center FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
City Managers Office $395,956 $380,450 -$15,506 -3.9%
Dcm Facilities $240,946 $253,199 +$12,253 +5.1%
Dcm Information $223,270 $218,906 -$4,364 -2.0%
Emergency Ops Ctr $50,779 $10,467 -$40,312 -79.4%
Total $910,951 $863,022 -$47,929 -5.3%
City Clerk $796,808
Cost Center FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
City Clerk $496,652 $507,685 +$11,033 +2.2%
City Clerk-Archives $142,124 $147,915 +$5,791 +4.1%
City Clerk-Records $73,256 $72,502 -$754 -1.0%
City Clerk-Elections $65,561 $68,706 +$3,145 +4.8%
Total $777,593 $796,808 +$19,215 +2.5%
Human Resources $794,877
Cost Center FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
Human Resources $524,746 $519,288 -$5,458 -1.0%
Hr-Citywide Benefits $270,589 $275,589 +$5,000 +1.8%
Total $795,335 $794,877 -$458 -0.1%
City Attorney $489,275
Cost Center FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
City Attorney $453,945 $489,275 +$35,330 +7.8%
Total $453,945 $489,275 +$35,330 +7.8%
Assessing $483,799
Cost Center FY26 Budget FY27 Recommended Change ($) Change (%)
Assessment $460,488 $483,799 +$23,311 +5.1%
Total $460,488 $483,799 +$23,311 +5.1%

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 %
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%
Mayor & Council (operations) $195,830 $423,432 $619,262 32%
City Attorney $435,651 $53,624 $489,275 89%
Assessing $432,720 $51,079 $483,799 89%
Citywide obligations $0 $12,422,125 $12,422,125 0%
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. The Citywide obligations row is entirely non-personnel spending (debt service and transfers).

See also

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.