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Sewer Authority Midcoast celebrates finance turnaround, public calls for clearer project budgets
Summary
The board highlighted a fifth consecutive Government Finance Officers Association award and improved audit timeliness; a public speaker and members urged a website section showing current and on‑hold projects with budgets and a $10,000 proposed cap for miscellaneous general‑fund spending.
Sewer Authority Midcoast opened its July 13 meeting by recognizing the finance team’s turnaround: staff reported the fifth consecutive Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) award from the Government Finance Officers Association and noted the agency has cleared audit backlogs that existed in 2019.
An agency official walked the board through improvements in monthly reporting, the formation of a new finance team in 2020, and reductions in audit lag (from hundreds of days to a much shorter window). Several board members and members of the public praised staff for improved records and timely financial statements.
During public comment, Kevin Snichinski, co‑founder of community group CoSight Allies, said community members counted roughly 30 attendees at a recent discussion and asked for two changes to improve transparency: (1) a separate subcategory in the general‑fund budget for discretionary recurring items such as gift cards, flowers and refreshments with a proposed cap of $10,000 per year, and (2) a web page listing current and on‑hold projects with assigned budgets and explanations of how funds are shifted between projects. Staff said project details are available in monthly and quarterly reports and agreed to make project status more visible on the website.
What’s next: Staff agreed to make project detail pages more prominent and to continue meetings with community groups to discuss suggested improvements.
Direct quote: “We truly appreciate the time that you gave us,” Kevin Snichinski said, urging clearer public accounting of project budgets.
