Keene reports revenue up; council awards engineering contract for downtown revitalization grant

Keene's finance director reported improved year-to-date revenue and also flagged water and sewer pressures; the council separately approved an engineering services contract tied to the city's downtown revitalization grant application.

Finance Director Mara Lam told the council year-to-date revenue stood at $4,900,409.13, which she described as "11% over our budget" and roughly 16% higher than the same fiscal period last year. Lam attributed the increase to stronger property tax and sales-tax collections and higher development-services revenue; she also highlighted a notable increase in fire-department and ambulance-service revenues. "That's where we are with our revenue, which is 11% over our budget," Lam said.

Lam also warned of utility pressures. Packet figures show water/sewer numbers indicating shortfalls in parts of the utility fund and staff explained two pumps were out of service and the city had been purchasing additional water while waiting for custom replacement parts. The city's meter-swap effort was ongoing; staff reported blank meters decreased from 338 to 267 as of the most recent check.

On the downtown revitalization grant, council awarded the application and engineering-services contract (resolution referenced in the packet) to Jacob & Martin after a scored selection process; the city manager was authorized to negotiate contract terms. Council members said the contract is central to advancing the city's $1,000,000 grant application for downtown improvements that could include park upgrades, lighting and congestion mitigation.

Next steps: Staff will finalize contract negotiations with Jacob & Martin, continue meter-swapping and monitor water-pump repair timelines; engineering work for the revitalization grant will move into phase 2 under the awarded firm.