China selectmen review proposed budget; OK five appointments

by Mary Grow

At their Jan. 19 meeting, China selectmen began review of the proposed 2021-22 town budget and made five committee appointments.

Town Manager Becky Hapgood summarized the town’s current financial position and she and selectmen discussed future expenditures. Board members deliberately made no decisions, postponing their recommendations until the end of the review.

The discussion covered town administration, including Hapgood’s recommended salary increases; repairs the town office building needs; town committees’ fund requests; dues for organizations to which the Town of China belongs; and other topics.

The draft budget includes a proposal to increase local law enforcement resources by making an agreement with the Kennebec Sheriff’s Office. Proposals to hire a full-time town policeman or to contract with the sheriff’s department were deleted from the 2020 warrant for the town business meeting when Covid-19 forced a change from an April open meeting to a July written ballot.

The committee appointments were:

• To the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee, former Selectman Robert MacFarland as a member and former TIF Committee secretary Trishea Story as an alternate.
• To the Revolving Loan Fund Committee, Thomas Rumpf, Robert Batteese and Janet Lully.

After an executive session discussion of Hapgood’s position, selectmen took no action.

Board members scheduled a special meeting for continued budget review for Monday evening, Jan. 25. Their next regular meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1.

A recording of the Jan. 19 meeting is available on the town website, www.china.govoffice.com. To watch it, open Live Stream (bottom left of the home page) and under Recent Events click on January and then on the meeting. The variable sound quality makes it difficult to follow some of the discussion.