Hanover Borough Council approves 2026 budget over resident objections

Hanover Borough Council approved its 2026 budget after a separate roll-call vote, passing the measure 7–3. Councilors removed the budget from the consent agenda for individual consideration before voting.

Residents who spoke during public comment urged the council to provide clearer budget line-item detail and to explain long-term debt service. Audrey Coppersmith, participating by video, said residents had uncovered “about 1 and a half million dollars in interest on the debt alone,” and called for better transparency about spending and minutes for boards that affect public services. Robert Holt, a 3rd Ward resident, told the council he believed taxpayers would be paying bond debt on a recent building project “until 2044,” and criticized perceived gaps in public notice and committee appointments.

Council leaders framed the vote as a routine adoption of the budget document after permitting public comment and a recorded roll call. The council recorded seven votes in favor and three opposed; the meeting minutes reflect that the budget was removed from the consent agenda and then approved separately.

The council did not, during the meeting, provide a line‑by‑line answer on the specific entries raised by residents (for example, a $47,500 line for library meeting rooms, a $1,675,511 library figure on page 25, or whether an HVAC grant for $184,000 was accounted for as a revenue offset). Several residents asked staff to follow up with written explanations after the meeting.

The council did not announce an immediate timetable for posting the requested clarifications. Town staff indicated they would follow up with commenters after the meeting.