By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — Interest in helping the town put together a municipal budget for next year appears to be minimal.
At last Tuesday’s elections, only one candidate came forth for five empty seats on the Board of Budget Review, leaving four empty spots on the nine-member panel.
According to Town Clerk Cathy O’Leary, the board will select individuals to fill those spots when it gathers Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. for its organizational meeting. All four individuals selected will be named to one-year terms on the board.
As of Friday morning, O’Leary said two individuals have come forth and expressed interest in serving on the panel. Any Houlton resident who is interested in filling one of the one-year seats must submit their name to the town office to be presented to the group at the Nov. 18 meeting.
The board currently consists of Carl Lord Jr., Jerry Berthelette, Tony Delucca, Dorothy Donahue and newly elected member, Phil Bernaiche.
A total of five meetings are scheduled for the group to review the town’s finances. Those meetings are scheduled for Nov. 18, Dec. 2, Dec. 4, Dec. 11 and Dec. 16. Each session typically runs about two hours.
The group works with the town manager in reviewing all municipal departments, meeting with department heads, and offering suggestions on individual line accounts to build the municipal budget. The Town Council then takes the budget and may make further changes, either cutting more or adding items back in.
To submit your name to be a member of the Board of Budget Review, contact the town office at 532-7111.
