Water Commission Schedules Special Budget Session

Water · Meeting of September 22, 2026

Douglas Water and Sewer Commission scrambles to finalize a budget ahead of a Town Meeting deadline. Commissioner Colin Hare and Systems Manager Bob Sullivan clashed over unreconciled cuts, with the electricity line item running $20,197 over budget after finishing the year at $85,000 against a $75,000 budget. The board, with commissioner Phil Stensfield present and commissioner Kyle absent, approved three sets of minutes and held a fourth pending clarification, then scheduled an emergency budget meeting for September 29 to get numbers ready before the Fall Special Town Meeting warrant closes October 6.

Hare also proposed requiring board approval for any spending over $10,000, said "this whole thing has been very disorganized," and pressed Sullivan on a river-parcel land survey needed for the same November 16 warrant, asking, "So why is everything a fire drill?" No dollar figures were finalized for either the budget article or the survey.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,863 words

Source: the Water meeting of September 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.