Fish Pier Authority approves 30% salary reimbursement for waterfront coordinator

The Portland Fish Pier Authority voted to reimburse 30% of the waterfront coordinator's salary and benefits for fiscal 2026, a payment staff said would total $32,844.

Kayla, who presented the annual request, told directors the authority has made this request each year and laid out recent funding levels in a memo. "It is, $32,844," Kayla said when asked for the specific amount.

Meredith moved to approve the reimbursement and offered a rationale during debate, saying the waterfront coordinator role had "provided a ton of staff time and, really excellent value" under previous managers and that the current coordinator had demonstrated similar benefits. Chris seconded the motion.

Board members discussed potential conflicts of interest; Matt asked whether he should recuse and ultimately abstained from the vote. The roll call recorded one abstention and the remaining members voted to approve; the chair declared the motion carried.

Why it matters: directors said the coordinator provides operational support that helps the authority and the exchange run effectively. Members asked staff to include year-over-year revenue and expense comparisons in next year's annual report so the board can better track long-term fiscal trends.

Next steps: staff will record the reimbursement in the FY26 budget and include the requested year-over-year comparisons in next year's annual review. The board did not request further action beyond the vote.