Westport beaches are expected to open for the season Saturday, June 14, but lifeguards will work reduced hours through the end of the month as the beach commission looks to close a $12,000 funding gap.

But even with that, commission members still need financial help from the town so they won’t have to close Cherry & Webb prior to the start of the next fiscal year on Sunday, July 1.

Starting a week from Saturday, a full complement of six guards will work full time on the weekends, while working two hours less per day during the week — chairman Sean Leach suggested reduced hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Running on reduced weekday hours will save the commission about $300 per day. But the savings won’t cover the entire shortfall in the beach enterprise fund, and Leach will ask permission from the select board and finance committee to approve a transfer from some other town budget that has unspent funds as the end of the fiscal year approaches, to cover the remainder of the deficit.

“If we open up and say ‘Let it roll,’ hoping the finance committee approves ... if they don’t approve it we’re in big trouble.”

The shortfall only covers expenses during the current fiscal year, which runs through the end of the month. And Leach said that no matter what happens, personnel expenses will be covered once the new fiscal year begins in July.

“July 1 we start a blank slate and we don’t have any issues.”

The shortfall is due in part to pay raises and incentives paid to new guards last summer, and just over $1,200 in overtime costs that weren’t budgeted.

While the enterprise fund has the full amount needed to cover the shortfall, commission members can’t touch it without Town Meeting approval. That leaves the town as the only possible funding source, he said.

It is not yet known when Leach will appeal to the select board. But he said he’ll speak to fincom members at the committee’s next meeting on Tuesday, June 17.