All China budget committee members meet for first time

by Mary Grow

All seven members of China’s Budget Committee attended their first 2026 meeting, on Thursday evening, March 19, plunging into masses of paper covered with numbers and colorful spreadsheets and charts, mostly white papers but an occasional beige, green, blue or yellow sheet for variety.

After electing Kevin Maroon chairman, they reviewed the draft 2026-27 budget prepared by Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood and reviewed March 16 by select board members (see the March 19 issue of The Town Line, p. 8).

Several budget committee members had attended or watched online select board discussions and were familiar with some of the issues. Hapgood mentioned points they might have missed, including:

— Select board members decided to accept no salary, the same decision they have made in previous years.
— Town office staff member Kelly Grotton, whose duties include serving as assistant to the assessor, plans to retire soon – date undetermined. Select board members do not intend to seek a replacement; negotiations with the assessor about reassigning work have started. The overall municipal services budget is currently about $20,000 lower than the current year’s.
— Select board members’ budget includes $2,000 for the newly-created China Emergency Services Assessment Committee (CESAC), in case the committee needs it.
— Kennebec County officials plan to approve their final 2026-27 budget at an April 11 meeting. Hapgood expects the county budget, and the required contributions from county towns, will increase over the current year’s almost $810,000.
— Select board members plan to replace the public works department’s “little red pick-up truck” (Hapggood’s description) during the 2026-27 fiscal year, using money from capital .
— The China Historical Society, which requests $1,500 in town funds (for the first time) next year, is more active than it has been in several years.

Hapgood re-explained how the transfer station and public works department exchange staff as work demands or when one department finds itself short-staffed because people are out sick, on vacation or taking a training course. Budget committee member Richard Boudreau asked if someone kept track of the exchanges, as a potential basis for asking for another employee.

No, Hapgood replied, no one on staff has time to keep records.

“We’ve got a great transfer station. We want to keep it that way,” Boudreau said. Janet Preston added praise of the ever-changing decorations at the facility.

Budget committee members endorsed most of the select board’s recommendations.

They differed on funding for KVCAP (Kennebec Valley Community Action Program) bus service: they unanimously recommended the town contribute $1,000, double the town manager’s and select board’s recommendations.

KVCAP asked for $1,500. Select board members learned that town donations brought matching funds, and heard reports that China residents use the service; budget committee members heard more information on residents’ use.

Budget committee members did not change the $500 recommended for the China Food Pantry, but they expressed support for the organization. Tim Basham recommended the former Weeks Mills schoolhouse for the new headquarters food pantry officials are seeking.

After the detailed budget review, during which Hapgood answered committee members’ questions, Maroon called for votes on the selectmen’s recommendations on several major items. Budget committee members supported them.

Budget committee recommendations went to the select board’s March 23 meeting.

The budget committee is scheduled to meet again at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 26, in the town office meeting room. Members hope by then to be able to review the draft warrant for the June 9 annual town meeting.