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China Select Board forwards multiple budget items to Budget Committee, trims Public Works capital request and approves 3.5% COLA
Summary
On March 10 the Select Board forwarded several departmental budgets to the Budget Committee, reduced a Public Works capital line from $250,000 to $175,000, and approved a 3.5% cost-of-living adjustment for staff (minute notation: approved 3-1(EB)-1(BC)).
The China Select Board on March 10 reviewed multiple 2025–2026 budget line items and forwarded most to the Budget Committee, adjusted a Public Works capital request and approved a 3.5% cost-of-living increase for town employees.
Key budget actions recorded in the minutes include forwarding Administration (motion by Wayne Chadwick; 4-1), Boards & Committees (motion by Thomas Rumpf; 5-0), Public Safety at $467,066 (motion by Edwin Bailey; 5-0), Transfer Station (motion by Blane Casey; 4-1), and Community Support Organizations at $64,000 (motion by Edwin Bailey; 5-0). The board debated the Public Works line: an initial motion to send $1,894,200 to the Budget Committee failed 0-5, the board then reduced a $250,000 capital line (line 28) to $175,000 (motion by Blane Casey; 5-0), and subsequently approved forwarding a $1,819,200 Public Works figure (motion by Thomas Rumpf; 4-1).
The minutes record a motion by Chair Wayne Chadwick (seconded by Jeannie Marquis) to adopt a 3.5% cost-of-living adjustment; the minutes annotate the vote as “approved 3-1(EB)-1(BC).” The record identifies Edwin Bailey as a dissenting vote (the notation name “EB”) and includes a separate parenthetical notation for Blane Casey; the minutes do not expand that shorthand into a conventional yes/no/abstain tally.
Other recorded actions: Payroll Warrant #38 for $48,291.58 was approved (motion by Edwin Bailey; 5-0), Payables Warrant #39 for $545,212.63 was accepted (motion by Blane Casey; recorded 4-0-1 with Thomas Rumpf noted separately), the Town authorized the 2025–2026 dispatch contract to be signed by the Town Manager (motion by Wayne Chadwick; 5-0), and the board voted to put a 2018 International Truck 16 out to bid with a minimum of $15,000 (motion by Thomas Rumpf; 5-0). The board adjourned at 7:36 p.m.
The board did not finalize appropriations at the March 10 meeting; most items were forwarded to the Budget Committee for further review.
