Residents press Newport council for clearer salary allocations as city, sewer and water budgets are debated

During the March 3 public informational meeting, several residents questioned the completeness of the budget materials posted online and asked for explicit salary-allocation detail for positions funded across the general fund and the water/sewer budgets.

Resident Anne told the council she could not find the meaning of 'asterisks' in the posted budget that in prior years identified what portion of certain employees' pay was charged to water or sewer. She told the meeting: "I can't find any place in the... that's on the website that says what the asterisk mean." Council members acknowledged the explanatory note was omitted from the copy provided but said printed copies in the clerk's office match the online document and that they can share detailed allocations on request.

Council staff and a member identified as Chris stated that, after final adjustments, 12.5% of the combined clerk/treasurer salaries have been allocated to sewer (no allocation to water) and 10% of the combined administrative positions were allocated across water and sewer; the director of public works' allocation was described as 33.33% to reflect work across departments. Jay Walsh, a Newport resident, said presenting the two budgets separately "misrepresents both the budget and the water and sewer budget" and urged the council to adopt a practice of discussing them together when approving the municipal budget.

The council said printed copies are available in the clerk’s office and online; they offered to reiterate the allocation breakdown to any resident who requests it. No formal vote to change how budgets are presented occurred at the session; the issues were recorded as public comment ahead of the March 3 ballot.

Next steps: residents and councilors may follow up with the clerk’s office for the specific salary-allocation breakdowns before the ballot.