By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

HARRISON — Pamela Campbell feels the time is right to create a Budget Committee consisting of concerned citizens as part of this year’s budget process.

Matt Frank agrees citizen participation will go a long way to restoring trust in local government. However, the Harrison Select Board chairman suggests the formation of a “hybrid” committee that includes the five Select Board members along with three citizens. All budget meetings are open to the public. Interested citizens would need to fill out an application, and submit it to the board for approval/selection.

“People from the public are welcome to ask questions and make suggestions, so we get their input. This is the people’s budget,” Frank said.

On a night when Frank announced the resignation of Town Manager Cass Newell, the board chairman felt the hybrid approach might be the best option under the circumstances.

Frank said last year’s budget process was a “complete failure” and is encouraged by the amount of citizen interest to work with the Select Board to develop a budget.

However, the resignation news tossed a wrench into the budget process.

Prior to the start of last Thursday’s meeting, the Select Board voted to enter executive session for a personnel matter. Newell left the meeting room with the board members. A short time later, Select Board members returned to the meeting room. Newell did not. Frank announced the resignation, and the board unanimously accepted the resignation “with regret.”

“I, for one, am very sorry about this because in my mind she’s done a lot over the last three years,” Frank said. “We all have lost an important person. She is still a resident of Harrison and we’ll see her around. My hope is that we’ll all be nice to her.”

The News reached out to Newell for comment regarding her decision, but had not received a statement by press time. The decision to step down comes a few weeks after an explosive December meeting which again Newell aired concerns about continued acts of harassment by some citizens. Meanwhile, a petition had been circulated seeking Newell’s removal due to “no confidence” by the citizenry regarding her job performance.

Frank said the Select Board planned to contact the town’s attorney and Maine Municipal Association regarding next steps, including seeking an interim town manager to serve while officials search for Newell’s replacement.

“That may take a fair amount of time because there are a lot of towns that don’t have town manager at this time,” Frank said.

Under terms of her contract, Newell will remain as manager until Feb. 4.

“We’re hoping that the interim manager will be here so the two of them can talk to each other and we’ll have as smooth a transition as possible,” Frank added.

Best budget approach

Frank said it’s been seven to eight years since Harrison used a Budget Committee. When asked why the town dumped the Budget Committee, Frank thought officials felt it was “inefficient.”

Select Board member Deb Kane researched which area towns use Budget Committees and found Bethel, Naples and Raymond use them.

Select Board member Nate Sessions felt bringing more people into the process could improve transparency. “I don’t see how it could hurt us in the process…I think that it would be very productive and help us regain trust.” He supported Frank’s hybrid idea, and wants to see a change in budget review this year.

A former Budget Committee member, Select Board member Colleen Densmore believes a committee is “invaluable to the town.”

“It’s important that we have residents involved in it at a level that there’s some understanding and support from beyond the board,” she said.

Noting that with no town manager on board, Densmore is not in favor of two separate budget processes, feeling it will be difficult to get budget work done on time, especially if there is redundancy.

Scott Ramsdell, representing the Harrison Citizens Organization, called for a citizens’ finance/budget committee that would “work with the Select Board in tandem to develop budget proposals.”

HCO member Pamela Campbell opposed the hybrid format, pointing out that Budget Committees in other towns do not include Select Board representation. Sometimes, a town manager is added as a support person.

Finance Officer Maureen McAllister urged officials to check town policies and bylaws regarding Budget Committee composition before making a decision. McAllister, who serves on the Casco Budget Committee, said that group consists of the Select Board and five citizens. In some cases, Budget Committee members are elected.

McAllister felt the HCO request, considering all that has unfolded, is “a very hard ask for this year.”

Citizen Bob Monteiro, who was a former Superintendent of Schools in Massachusetts, encouraged officials to reach out to department heads now and inform them to have their budgets ready for review as soon as possible to aid in the budget process, regardless which direction — hybrid or citizen-based — the Select Board decides to go in.

“If you want to put one selectman on it, that’s fine. Don’t put five,” Monteiro suggested.

Densmore again reminded the public that when the budget goes before taxpayers in June, it is the “selectmen’s budget, it’s not the town manager’s budget, it is the budget of the town that is created and worked extensively on by the people you elected to do that.”

She added, “At some point, I certainly believe that a Budget Committee that is structured appropriately is a value to task. We are not in a position at this point to do duplicate…You’re having a very big ask with a lot of unknowns in a very short period of time…There is nothing hidden to start with…We share (information) all the time.”

Monteiro responded, “I think you underestimate the ability of some of the people in this room who would serve on that budget/finance committee. I think there’s plenty of people in this room that have experience in this type of municipal budget and planning and could do a good job.”

Former selectman John Strickland brought a historical perspective saying the town used Budget Committees for years (check town reports). “They worked together…I sat up there and the Budget Committee came to us and said this is what we’re looking at. This is what we recommend. We then made up our mind whether we would back it or not. It’s that simple,” Strickland said.

HCO member Mike Garvey added that citizen involvement will hopefully prevent a repeat of last year’s town meeting when some articles were reduced.

“None of us want what happened last year. I appreciate the fact that the public wants to participate and I’m very happy about that. At the same time, we (the Select Board) have a responsibility,” Frank noted.

To address which direction to follow, Frank noted that a Select Board meeting will be held tonight, Jan. 16 at 6 p.m.