Select Board elects officers, sets special town meeting date, and approves appointments and permits

At its May 26 meeting the Southampton Select Board elected officers, approved a package of appointments and administrative items, and scheduled the town’s special meeting calendar.

Officer elections: the board accepted a nomination and voted to elect John as chair; Chris was elected vice chair; Doug Hammel was named warrant clerk (to start immediately for signing warrants), Ellen will continue as clerk, and a backup warrant clerk arrangement was confirmed to take effect as needed.

Special town meeting and budget items: the board set the special town meeting for June 20 at North School at 10:00 a.m., with the warrant closing on June 2. The board and capital/finance committees discussed using $300,000 from the recently approved override for borrowing authorizations; proposed borrowing items include an ambulance and a dump truck, with procurement timelines of about 1.5–3 years. The board scheduled a special FinCom/Capital meeting for June 1 at 6:00 p.m. to finalize the warrant and end‑of‑year transfers.

Appointments and administrative approvals: the board approved multiple reappointments to local boards and commissions (Agricultural Commission, Cultural Council, Historical Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Housing Authority appointment until the next election). Andrea LeClair was approved from interim director to library director at $34.91 per hour; trustees praised her experience and noted roughly $30,000 in grant funding she has brought to town. The board also declared two Council on Aging fitness items surplus, approved three vacation carryover requests, and granted two one‑day beer‑and‑wine park permits for Conant Park events in mid‑June.

Warrants and ethics: the board read several warrants for the record. One member abstained on a warrant (W26‑45) and another disclosed contractual work with the Board of Health and said he had filed paperwork with the Ethics Commission and would recuse as needed.

Votes at a glance: appointments and administrative motions were moved and approved during the meeting; minutes and final legal language (where missing) will be completed by town counsel or staff.