The Southport Budget Committee is anxious to begin work with a mid-January meeting scheduled and an earlier deadline approaching this year. Committee member Celeste Brown requested selectmen provide municipal and school financial information ahead of the committee’s Jan. 17 meeting. The committee is down two members including Rob Hopkins who resigned as chairman and a member. Currently, the committee has nine members and one associate. 

Brown requested information during selectmen’s Dec. 22 meeting. She provided a letter seeking information normally requested by the board chairman. Brown reported Municipal Office Administrator Ashlea Tibbetts sent her an email with dates for budget committee meetings and “hopes” to provide financial reports by Jan. 6. 

Brown also requested a copy of Southport Central School’s recently completed audit. Her request included municipal officials’ providing of information given to the committee in past years, which included a list of teachers along with which grade they taught, salaries and benefits. Brown requested the committee receive Southport school budget summaries for Fiscal Year 21 for approved budget funds spent along with year end budgets for FY 22 and FY 23. She also requested the trial balance from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 with year end, certified public accountants’ adjustments. 

In her letter, Brown wrote: “I have not discussed this request with any other budget committee members at this time. Please let me know if I or we can be of any assistance to you, Principal Lisa (Clarke) or the superintendent’s office.” 

Selectmen discussed how the budget committee vacancies would be filled. Chairman Gerry Gamage explained the two vacant slots wouldn’t be filled until town meeting, along with current members’ terms expiring in 2021 and 2022.

“We extended the terms of three members whose terms expired (in 2021) because there was no in-person town meeting. Already expired terms (2021) will be elected from the floor for a two-year term and terms expiring (next month) will be elected from the floor for a full three-year term,” he said. 

Selectmen accepted the only bid received to print their 2021 town report. Lincoln County Publishing in Newcastle bid $3,614 for 500 reports with 176 pages each and a black and white cover photo. 

The town received a $4,000 budget request from The Community Center in Boothbay Harbor. Selectmen will place the request on the 2022 town meeting warrant. Selectmen also announced the Alternative Organizational Structure 98 budget meeting will be Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. in the Boothbay Region Elementary School gymnasium.