KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) Cheshire County Administrator Chris Coates and Finance Director Sheryl Trombly joined Dan Mitchell on WKBK Radio’s Good Morning with Dan Mitchell program Monday to give listeners a comprehensive update on county operations, finances, and the challenges of maintaining essential public services.

Covering 729 square miles across 22 towns and the City of Keene, Cheshire County operates 20 departments, ranging from elder care to emergency medical services. Coates and Trombly explained that roughly 86 percent of county services are mandated by state law, leaving little discretion in how funds are allocated.

Coates said the county has worked to control spending and avoid large tax increases, noting that from 2019 through 2025, annual property tax growth averaged less than 1 percent. “We’ve tried to thoughtfully grow while keeping costs down and making sure staff are fairly paid,” he said. In fact, the county recorded a tax decrease in 2024 and a 3.4 percent increase this year.

One of the county’s largest and most demanding departments, the Maplewood Nursing Home, continues to face staffing shortages that have kept it from operating at full 150-bed capacity. Coates said the county is addressing this by recruiting nurses from Canada through a three-year visa program and providing local housing to attract and retain healthcare workers.

The interview also highlighted the success of Cheshire EMS, the county’s ambulance service that began operating just two years ago. The program now serves 19 towns and is already breaking even financially, earlier than projected. Unlike most county departments, Trombly noted, the EMS service is self-sustaining through billing and not funded by taxpayers.

Another key topic was the Cheshire County House of Corrections, which houses both local and federal inmates. The facility, which averages around 115 to 120 inmates, generates approximately $2 million annually from federal contracts. Coates said the county has declined to house ICE detainees, citing facility limitations and a desire to preserve its working relationship with the U.S. Marshals Service.

Still, the county faces growing financial pressures, including potential losses tied to changes in Medicaid reimbursement, which could cost the county $300,000 to $400,000 annually, and a $440,000 increase in its mandated contribution to state-run nursing home programs.

Trombly emphasized that despite these challenges, county officials remain focused on fiscal responsibility and transparency. “The statutes that govern county government were created because someone has to handle these responsibilities — the jail, the courts, the nursing home, emergency services,” she said.

The county’s budget process is already underway, running through March 30, and involves approval from both the three-member County Commission and the 22-member County Delegation of state representatives.

Monday’s discussion on WKBK reflected a recurring message from Coates and Trombley: Cheshire County aims to balance essential public services with careful financial management, ensuring that taxpayers get the most value from the roughly $3 per $1,000 they pay in county property taxes.

Listen to the full interview: