KEENE, N.H. – (MyKeeneNow) The Keene City Council will hold a public hearing on the 2024-2025 operating budget and elect a new Ward 1 councilor at their meeting this evening.

The Finance, Organization, and Personnel committee of the council recently concluded its portion of the budget review. Following their recommendations, which included a net reduction of over $77,000, the proposed $73.4 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year will be presented for public input on June 6. The full council is expected to make a final decision on the budget on June 20, ahead of the new fiscal year starting July 1.

Additionally, the council will vote to fill the vacant Ward 1 seat. This vacancy was created when Raleigh Ormerod resigned on April 1 to dedicate more time to other commitments.

Initially, four candidates filed to fill the seat during the first filing period in April. This race resulted in a tie between Janis Manwaring and Valarie Bradley-Walsh, each receiving seven votes, which left the seat unfilled. Both Manwaring and Bradley-Walsh chose not to re-file, leaving Jacob Favolise and Bradford Hutchinson as the returning candidates. They were joined by new contender Michael Conway, who filed during the second filing period, which concluded on May 24.

At Thursday’s meeting, each candidate will be given five minutes to present their case to the council. The 14 sitting councilors will then vote to determine who will serve the remainder of the term, ending December 31, 2025. This procedure follows the previous council meeting on May 2, where an initial vote failed to break the tie.