China select board completes review of draft budget

by Mary Grow

China select board members finished review of the draft budget Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood prepared for them at a special meeting Monday evening, March 16.

Their first step was to reaffirm decisions made at their March 9 meeting and forward them to the budget committee for its members to review.

Then they reviewed the remainder of Hapgood’s draft, which included proposed expenditures for social services, community support organizations and the contingency fund (the back-up in case of unexpected demands).

To find the budget numbers select board members have been reviewing, go to the town website, chinamaine.org; click on departments; click on administration; click on budget, the final topic on the administration page. Updates will be added as time permits.

Board members again discussed the transfer station budget, with Director of Public Services Shawn Reed re-explaining how the transfer station and the public works department exchange personnel as needed and still are sometimes short-staffed. Select board members approved forwarding to the budget committee a recommendation of almost $680,000 for the transfer station.

Board members recommended several reductions and revisions in the recreation budget, and discussed using TIF (Tax Increment Financing) funds to cover part of it. On member Thomas Rumpf’s recommendation, they doubled funding for building maintenance at the town ballfields, from $1,000 to $2,000.

Turning to outside agencies, they discussed donations to KVCAP (Kennebec Valley Community Action Program) and the American Red Cross. Reed praised the former as helpful to many China residents; select board member Rumpf described the Red Cross serving this area as disorganized and wasteful, based on his experience as a board member.

Select board members approved recommending $500 for each agency, the Red Cross on a 3-2 vote with Ed Bailey, Blane Casey and Natasha Littlefield in favor and board chair Brent Chesley and Rumpf opposed.

The recommended 2026-27 budget for community support agencies, which Hapgood read for audience members, totals $62,500, including $4,500 for each of China’s two libraries. The largest recommended amounts are for China’s three volunteer fire departments.

The China Budget Committee is scheduled to meet to review select board recommendations at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, in the town office meeting room. The select board has a regular meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, March 23, also in the town office meeting room.