NAHANT — Town Meeting members voted to amend the “Recreation-Sailing” portion of the fiscal year 2025 omnibus budget by adding $1,896 to the amount, taking the line item’s proposed total from $6,221 to $8,117 to fund the Nahant Sailing Program.
The vote to amend passed with 133 voting in favor and 9 opposed. Harbormaster and newly elected Selectman Robert Tibbo took to the podium Saturday to propose the change. A different section of the budget recommended a salary increase for the harbormaster and wharfinger, both of which are positions held by Tibbo. He proposed taking $1,448 from the harbormaster’s wage increase and $448 from the wharfinger’s wage increase to fund the program.
“I’m very grateful to our town administrator and the Finance Committee for improving an increase in both my harbormaster stipend and my wharfinger stipend,” Tibbo said. “However, I am uncomfortable receiving the increase this year, even though it was negotiated and approved well in advance of my election to selectman.”
Tibbo’s words garnered applause from attending residents. The sailing program was the sole line item of the FY25 budget that had to be revisited before a vote was taken. Advisory and Finance Committee member Peter Barba reviewed all 129 items that comprised the $18,715,301 operating budget. The vote to approve the budget as a whole passed with a total of 140 in favor against only 3 opposed.
Tibbo received 493 votes during the annual town election in April. He ran an unopposed campaign to fill the seat of Mark Cullinan, who recently retired after decades of serving his hometown on various boards and committees, including for 17 years as town administrator.
