Newport selectboard schedules retreat for June 8 planning session

Newport’s selectboard set aside a June 8 retreat at 3 p.m. in the Board of Selectmen’s Room at 15 Sunapee Street, with Zoom access listed for residents who wanted to follow remotely. The town posted the notice June 3 at the town office, the Sullivan County Commissioners office and Richards Free Library, signaling a meeting meant for broader planning rather than routine votes.

The retreat fell outside the board’s normal schedule. Newport’s Selectboard generally meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Monday of each month in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room at 15 Sunapee Street, and the town calendar also listed a regular meeting for June 15, one week after the retreat. That timing made the June 8 session a separate working checkpoint before the next formal round of town business.

Newport describes itself as a town of about 6,500 residents, incorporated in 1761 and governed by Town Meeting, an elected five-member Selectboard and an appointed town manager. It also serves as the county seat of Sullivan County, which gives selectboard planning sessions added weight beyond one agenda item or one department. In a town that sits at the center of county government, the way the board frames its priorities can affect how decisions move through later public meetings.

The notice itself did not spell out a detailed agenda, but the retreat came as Newport was already moving through its 2026 budget-review process. The town manager’s proposed budget schedule included presentations for public safety, recreation, library, general government, planning and zoning administration, public works, warrant articles, enterprise funds and budget wrap-up. That makes the retreat an important point for the board to align on spending priorities before those topics return in formal sessions.

Public works is likely to remain a major pressure point in those discussions. Newport Public Works says it handles snow and ice removal, stormwater drainage, water supply and distribution, sewage collection, vehicle fleet maintenance, roads and public property, and engineering services, all of which carry budget and staffing implications for a small municipality. At the May 18 meeting, Rachel Dilger was re-elected chair and Jeffrey Kessler vice chair, while Town Manager Kyle Harris, Finance Director Ronna Archambault, Public Works Director Chris Pelletier, Police Chief Alex Lee, Fire Chief Steve Yannuzzi, Recreation Director PJ Lovely Jr. and Grants and Economic Development Coordinator Olivia Conway were present. The retreat gave that leadership team a chance to line up priorities before Newport moved into its next regular meeting cycle.