[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6144399,"mediaKeyId","5534277-3f8705f6d8345c9d47570221dce73b1f","parentId",5534277,"title","City auditors find improved records as council votes to consolidate small accounts; finance task force warns of timing-driven shortfalls","audioSeconds",1002,"startMs",1803000,"endMs",2805000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5534277-3f8705f6d8345c9d47570221dce73b1f&start=1803&end=2805","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5534277-3f8705f6d8345c9d47570221dce73b1f/thumbnail_1803000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6144399/Newport-City/Orleans-County/Vermont/City-auditors-find-improved-records-as-council-votes-to-consolidate-small-accounts-finance-task-force-warns-of-timing-driven-shortfalls","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6144399-e0893516c0fa91ade6a114a565b69b6b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199457&Signature=nxdSABpmAaPUDD0wRik84w0Bvl16s9kkeNDn1jO4FD0S--zfA8yMUfK9m80hncdN1RMCmnTf9mSQXx-hzcLp02S0IH8IftUaPZEGiBT0XpXsCIWIF8b49mo1~F-osCe7hQJUOOz8HTBwVaBcteRCqvi0i~D3bPliwvcUyXQnBIPg9NiXvh~1ecyi~YzsqMMC1~I4CxifEWYoqChEOCXfMb4D~2gGaJZaCu5VBuGW7supyLWfEfHyN84Rqufa81ylKBOEzLiQtRqXLQqB2Z1RPYGhJ95d46xfCq4kDA9oc-2w1ndBhBewURIpoixyEFTtDXT2Z5ts7SazhTwHwG2t7Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Newport, VT","date","2025-08-05T00:00:00Z","article","Consultant Chip Stearns and City Treasurer Jim Johnson told the Newport City Council on Aug. 4 that the city’s audit is moving toward a September draft and recommended closing a group of small, seldom-used cash accounts to simplify accounting.
The recommendation led the council to authorize Treasurer Jim Johnson to consolidate several accounts into the general fund checking account; the motion excluded a restricted Stone Garden savings account that holds proceeds from federal grant-related asset sales.
Stearns, who reviewed detailed balance-sheet reports included in the public packet, told the council the auditors had reported the city “may be carrying a surplus instead of a deficit” for fiscal 2025 based on council activity but that the city remains short of cash. He said the audit team had worked with staff on grant documentation and that “it is my belief that all of the follow-up that they had sought from the city has been provided to them.”
Stearns walked the council through a Friday snapshot of the balance sheet and budget status, emphasizing that numbers change daily. He said the ledger showed $1,388,004.35 owed to the general fund by other funds (a “due from other funds” figure) and that the city had drawn an additional $200,000 on its line of credit in the two business days since the spreadsheet was prepared. Stearns added that the tax-anticipation note amount and other short-term borrowings were being actively managed.
On cash-management steps, council approved a motion to close and consolidate named small accounts (excluding the Stone Garden account) for a prior-to-closing total of $45,001.43. Stearns also explained an immaterial $17 residual balance in an old project fund that auditors recommended clearing; the council authorized an accounting transfer to move that $17 into the general fund as miscellaneous income.
Stearns and Treasurer Johnson told the council the single-audit threshold — audits required when federal expenditures exceed $750,000 in a year — was not met for fiscal 2025, a result Stearns called “helpful both in cost and in the scrutiny” that a single audit would impose.
Stearns cautioned that several operating funds routinely run negative cash positions at the start of the fiscal year because major revenue (property taxes, quarterly utilities billings) arrives later in the year. He told the council that, on the general fund, “our primary source of revenue, which is taxation, won’t be seen until two months from now or more,” and that the current-year fund balance was “almost a quarter million dollars” negative in the snapshot shown.
On enterprise funds, Stearns highlighted that the sewer and water funds carry significant receivables — Friday’s snapshot showed about $974,995.93 in sewer receivables — and that a water-treatment obligation (the “arsenic payment”) produced a large early-year cash demand. He described that one of the city’s near-term financing steps is to convert a bridge line of credit to a long-term bond through the Vermont Bond Bank; the council has an article pending that would renew bonding authority to replace a short-term line.
Council members and Chip agreed to continue the financial deep dive. The council directed staff and the new financial reporting task force to produce department-level transaction reports and to reconcile historical spreadsheet budgeting practices against the city’s accounting system; Chip said the goal is to avoid relying on external spreadsheets and to use the city’s accounting system as the authoritative record.
What comes next: the council and staff will use preliminary audit information and the task force’s departmental reviews over the next several weeks to prepare for budget adjustments and to support any voter articles or bond actions on the August 12 ballot and subsequent financing steps.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Newport City Council Meeting | 8/4/25","oneSentenceSummary","Consultant Chip Stearns and City Treasurer Jim Johnson told the Newport City Council on Aug. 4 that the city’s audit is moving toward a September draft and recommended closing a group of small, seldom-used cash accounts to simplify accounting.","taxTitle","Newport City, Orleans County, Vermont","taxId",73619,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6144380,"Water and sewer funds face timing-driven shortfalls; council told arsenic remediation is funded while rates and meter rollout will be reviewed",1173,2619000,3792000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5534277-3f8705f6d8345c9d47570221dce73b1f&start=2619&end=3792","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5534277-3f8705f6d8345c9d47570221dce73b1f/thumbnail_2619000.jpg","/articles/6144380/Newport-City/Orleans-County/Vermont/Water-and-sewer-funds-face-timing-driven-shortfalls-council-told-arsenic-remediation-is-funded-while-rates-and-meter-rollout-will-be-reviewed","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6144380-6d5f41ff7ffaf744a7708019290cc342/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199457&Signature=X21mrWFc7nP7ke65oRXSfr0P0g9rm5dMJAOyzmMPxlwuUQquSEeKWK~DRBw6cp640KolKe4rjJdSrzzkOIDoq0NO42flgP764FynRZH7neVplZNOWUn~pCAK1JhVwOs8Y6Iu63AvCy8JvRyQZJpnsEhdKwGqZuQLXf4RN8hm7CzDES5qUdhdr834YUxBBAGXXlgk5xh7YGqgIJa9kKdKFR3f~Gl6Fc8japA4i-cV3ie6frf9U4JnbsMsSAGej0~KfGHQB6F2pHYnlacVfSJIV50KkTn5mS7kJoyUXXr~4NKVX5Nx0e9dxEZSTcODjRdx0rwLpAVFioQg90MZ3Dw3oA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Newport City Council heard Aug. 4 that the city’s water and sewer enterprise funds are showing early-year shortfalls driven by timing, construction draws and scheduled debt payments related to recent water-quality and infrastructure work.
Consultant Chip Stearns said the June–July snapshot showed the water fund with construction-related draws and a large near-term debt payment tied to arsenic-remediation work. He explained that the city had borrowed to address the naturally occurring arsenic issue and that annual payments — for example, a roughly $166,000 obligation mentioned in the meeting — are part of the debt schedule. Stearns said this is “only a timing issue” and that the planned conversion of a short-term line of credit to a long-term bond through the Vermont Bond Bank is intended to smooth payments over decades.
Jennifer Hopkins, appearing by Zoom as a Water & Sewer Commission member, told the council the commission expects both water and sewer funds to “fall short of making themselves whole this year” under current rates, though she said the commission would review the numbers and that rates can be adjusted quarterly. She said exact shortfall amounts were not yet calculated.
John (Water & Sewer) reported the commission is finalizing language for door-hanger notices and bill inserts to notify customers about the upcoming meter installations; the outreach will include a phone number, an email address and a QR code to give residents multiple ways to respond. The meter-installation rollout is scheduled to begin in the coming weeks, with a notice strategy that includes non-digital options for less tech-savvy customers.
Stearns stressed that water and sewer revenue is seasonal and quarterly billing causes revenue timing mismatches with ongoing expenses. He told the council the budget-to-actual comparisons show the water and sewer budgets as entered in the accounting system do not yet align with the spreadsheet-based budgeting previously used, a reconciliation task that staff and the finance task force will pursue.
The council and the Water & Sewer Commission said they will evaluate rate adjustments, with any third-quarter rate changes required to be put in place in October to take effect for the November 1 billing cycle. The commission and council signaled that short-term rate increases are a likely tool to eliminate projected fund deficits.","Consultant Chip Stearns and Water & Sewer Commission members told the council the water fund shows an early fiscal-year deficit because of an arsenic-treatment payment and construction draws; commissioners plan to evaluate rate adjustments and the council heard that a water‑meter installation rollout will begin this fall.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6144384,"Council to re-advertise planning commission vacancy after contentious nomination and recusal concerns",326,5812000,6138000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5534277-3f8705f6d8345c9d47570221dce73b1f&start=5812&end=6138","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5534277-3f8705f6d8345c9d47570221dce73b1f/thumbnail_5812000.jpg","/articles/6144384/Newport-City/Orleans-County/Vermont/Council-to-re-advertise-planning-commission-vacancy-after-contentious-nomination-and-recusal-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6144384-51978c9dce68d3561dc99dae3e319f97/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199457&Signature=DjrIopXlSpyhZgOyI5ozarE1X-qmacPRImumtxSnOgJm48jKis-t0rzXe-kAF1kUGl55evC05IqKSEYa5rVsst3yQ6yxeUydDgbeH6sB513qcz8qEnbPvWey5OCLwdnMR2aA6WcZLRyOnF8XwQm5oOTnUCw5nw9koLeFGIJ04XJTkpChjlc9xM8yMPEnNsFbyLFPIuW8fKTtxNQUPERG5pNPwKZeBuV-t3PMszmy5AtFUfgsyyaE2fpdpTQfTT-g868~Qre20mk9KtB6urUPhYTKF77MqiRh0O9bj79tpE~U6RBFmz~Sto8AMavT2J-523YRB9CdeJxSeQbysQ-OxA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Newport City Council on Aug. 4 voted to re-advertise a vacant planning commission position and asked the planning commission to submit a slate of names for council consideration after a closed-session discussion.
Council members indicated they had received extensive public input both for and against a specific nominee and that there were concerns about potential conflicts or personal relationships that might require council members to recuse themselves. One council member stated on the record that they would “abstain and not participate in the executive session and [not] vote afterwards.”
Council President Kevin Charbonneau said the city had received input regarding the nomination and that a re-advertisement would allow for new leadership and additional candidates. After returning to open session, the council approved a motion to re-advertise the vacant planning commission slot and asked the planning commission to bring forward a slate of names for consideration. The motion passed with three votes in favor and one abstention.
The council’s action means that the vacancy will be publicly re-advertised and that the planning commission will be asked to vet and recommend candidates before the council acts on any appointment. Council members described the step as intended to open opportunities for additional applicants and to mitigate concerns about conflicts of interest in appointing a former official.","Following an executive session and expressions of conflict concerns, the council voted to re-advertise a vacant planning commission seat and asked the planning commission to present a slate of candidates for council consideration. One council member abstained from the executive-session vote.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6144389,"Council ratifies settlement in Capella case after executive session",182,1597000,1779000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5534277-3f8705f6d8345c9d47570221dce73b1f&start=1597&end=1779","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5534277-3f8705f6d8345c9d47570221dce73b1f/thumbnail_1597000.jpg","/articles/6144389/Newport-City/Orleans-County/Vermont/Council-ratifies-settlement-in-Capella-case-after-executive-session","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6144389-415e290620c39b651d47bd9aa7d388f3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199457&Signature=BRLDCelM5RFiaNYEL9V9-1Z4uJq56FBEsnZpMBRCFR44DcoQdfehgvrDbeZAER~KiOAlA~Hr7JTIIRLfd2DcYsD~vUhZS1ngohTQPIY0p21grBOY3ejvRMgzMgCnqPBLebbm9ydEJfJDdQeSnn08ZS1IUXP3uA2yAoBsFizuY3kQKKTc7ELf09oSNbC7gZkF-9eHvbjZgKfSXwBV8UrSVAX1onpoqGyMfp5DxFCTShdCmygaEWZCObXT6rdEQRVDZKoNFg84gLOY~PbiHgAW7rHLwVOqrMXxiP0ywVcTAD23k6av-JALlK2j5opJAUUoKaq~mKI8oEwnFpLn1kTsZw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Newport City Council voted Aug. 4 to approve a settlement agreement in the lawsuit identified during the meeting as Capella v. City of Newport.
The council entered executive session as permitted under the open-meeting law to discuss the proposed settlement, and after returning to open session Mayor/President Kevin Charbonneau said no action was taken during the closed session and invited a motion. A council member moved to approve “this settlement agreement, on the case of Capella versus the city of Newport as we discussed this evening of August 4.” The council approved the motion by a voice vote; the president said the agreement will become a public document once executed.
Attorney Kevin Kite (who attended part of the meeting) and municipal counsel John Klesh were present during the agenda sequence; the council discussed the procedural finding needed to enter executive session and followed the attorney's recommended two-step motions covering the privilege finding and the executive-session entry.
The council’s public remarks said the settlement paperwork must be completed and executed before it becomes a public document. No financial terms were stated in open session.","After an executive session, the Newport City Council voted to approve a settlement in a lawsuit referenced during the meeting (referred to in the meeting as Capella v. City of Newport). Council voted to ratify the agreement in open session; the settlement will be finalized and then released as a public document.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6144394,"Council opens review of personnel policy after staff raise overtime, grievance and leave concerns",204,522000,726000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5534277-3f8705f6d8345c9d47570221dce73b1f&start=522&end=726","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5534277-3f8705f6d8345c9d47570221dce73b1f/thumbnail_522000.jpg","/articles/6144394/Newport-City/Orleans-County/Vermont/Council-opens-review-of-personnel-policy-after-staff-raise-overtime-grievance-and-leave-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6144394-f1cadaf4f8fb5ec2988cfce5e6ffc3a4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199457&Signature=Ux4wrGxG5d5qozjEy5CK~NVpUEZuWPXSbE2Mxi751~jFreCaxY1~W7PEA~Y~VZnLFF5W5kP2eCAaA7QR6pm~v~-6sXzzOiE75vFao1sdADJL7MaXGlUIQ2rVQKTuSB7jeA837dTwU25gGo-QbaYjTP~5nTbqH3~t~k0pI1qHlRVE7dYxN-nspcVVd-vW9jrpLOswGyZQyWJpbgH98pRzcYmL1HjxIPc1xV6Po40qCrWlTH6nzG0MWv1OIcgQRd6lxofn8YjnSvMcdKzHr4P8PVuPyCBlOPbcWzP7ILpzdfhdrW8eymlumFuozBMtHbOZJ80313LiKQf45KGMXoUpFA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff and several council members on Aug. 4 told the Newport City Council they want more work and public discussion before the council adopts or finalizes changes to the city's personnel policy.
Council President Kevin Charbonneau opened the agenda item by describing a multi-stage review process the council had authorized earlier and noting council members had invited both written and verbal input from staff and the public. Charbonneau said staff were welcome to testify in the open meeting because the discussion was a policy review, not a personnel evaluation.
Several employees spoke. Frank Cheney, identified in the meeting as a city staff member, asked the council to consider changing vacation and personal-day language and said current accruals “are not very, giving” and that “some personal days instead of 36 days might be worthwhile.”
Police Chief Travis Bingham said he and department foremen are concerned about how overtime is handled for nonunion employees and contrasted that with the progressive disciplinary and grievance processes in union contracts. “Why isn't it like that for non‑union personnel?… To me, it should be the same way as that,” he said.
Another staff speaker raised the lack of a grievance process for nonunion employees and said, “We have no course to grieve anything.” City clerk and treasurer Jim Johnson also described how nonunion overtime is treated differently in practice from union overtime in situations like holidays or compressed work schedules.
The council then went into attorney-client executive session with municipal counsel John Klesh to discuss legal questions and privileges related to the policy review. After returning to open session, Charbonneau summarized the council’s direction: no final action, assignment of focused follow-up questions to individual council members and a promise to avoid informal two-member working groups that could raise open-meeting-law concerns.
Charbonneau said the council’s follow-up inquiries will include how overtime is handled, VLCT (Vermont League of Cities and Towns) best-practice guidance, grievance and discipline procedures, and how the 2014, 2023 and Feb. 2024 personnel-policy drafts differ from current practice. He told the public the council plans at least one, and possibly multiple, public sessions to discuss substantive policy topics.
No policy change was adopted; the council instead directed members to collect information and return with public‑facing sessions so that staff and residents can comment before the council considers formal action.","City staff urged the council to revisit changes made to personnel policy in 2024, flagging overtime, grievance rights and vacation/sick-leave provisions. Council moved to investigate, assign questions to members, and hold public sessions before any final action.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

City auditors find improved records as council votes to consolidate small accounts; finance task force warns of timing-driven shortfalls

Water and sewer funds face timing-driven shortfalls; council told arsenic remediation is funded while rates and meter rollout will be reviewed

Council to re-advertise planning commission vacancy after contentious nomination and recusal concerns

Council ratifies settlement in Capella case after executive session

Council opens review of personnel policy after staff raise overtime, grievance and leave concerns