NEWS
(from the January 2012 Maine Townsman)From Around the State and City Hall NEW ON THE WEB
Bethel: Selectmen in December accepted the report of a special ad-hoc committee which concluded that creating a municipal entity to distribute natural gas to businesses was not feasible. The committee was most concerned about the financial investment the venture would require from the town and the impact on town finances should such an effort fail.
Gardiner: Months of hard work paid off big for city staff in December, when they learned the city won a $100,000 community planning grant from the Orton Family Foundation Heart & Soul program. Foundation members and advisers visited the city in November and talked to business owners, community leaders and municipal staff. The grant will be used to develop a vision for the city that will guide future policymakers.
Harpswell: The town is growing older and island demographics influenced numerous policy decisions in 2011. The new Census numbers show the median age of residents at 52.9 years, compared to 45.2 years in 2000. Residents aged 20 to 59 dropped over the past 10 years by 19 percent, while people over the age of 60 grew by 25 percent. At the same time, overall population decreased by 10 percent. The population trend affected decisions about closing an elementary school and prompted officials to consider privatizing emergency medical services, both because of increased 911 calls and a lack of volunteers.
Milo: The state transportation department will spend $1.14 million to repair nearly two miles of road, which runs through the downtown village, where three main state roads intersect.
Owls Head: Special town meeting voters in December agreed to spend as much as $50,000 to defend a lawsuit that aims to overturn the town’s easement on a road that leads to the ocean. Both selectmen and residents want to fight the suit in order to set a precedent for future legal action by homeowners who want to block public access to the waterfront.
Scarborough: The city has accepted the low bidder, Comstar Ambulance Billing of Rowley, Mass., to handle ambulance bills rather than city staff. The company will receive 4 percent of payments received. Comstar also will study Scarborough ambulance rates, which are lower than the cost of service, in an effort to increase insurance payments and lower the cost to taxpayers.
South Portland: City councilors were presented a petition with 131 signatures in December asking the council to voluntarily stop taking free health care insurance. At least two councilors, including Mayor Patti Smith, want the issue to be decided by voters. One resident threatened to sue the city if the insurance coverage, which cost $55,000 in 2011 to cover four councilors, is not suspended. Proponents of the benefit argue it is allowed by law, while others said councilors who don’t take the insurance are essentially getting paid less than the others. Some residents expressed anger that a public service such as street lighting is being cut while councilors get insurance coverage.
Topsham: As is the case in many Maine cities and towns, Topsham officials are bracing for a potential further decline in revenue for the 2013 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2012. Revenue dropped from $3.9 million in 2010 to $3.6 million in the current fiscal year. Officials cited cuts in state revenue sharing funds and slow growth in excise tax funds as ongoing problem areas.
Tremont: The town is working with delinquent property owners to arrange payment plans to avoid their homes being taken for back taxes. Under a proposal endorsed by selectmen in December, delinquent taxpayers will be given until spring to bring their tax accounts current.
Windham: Public works crews are using magnesium chloride to replace the more corrosive calcium chloride on winter roads this season. In addition to causing less damage to vehicles, the town switched for financial reasons: The magnesium de-icer costs three cents less per gallon. Windham uses 12,000 gallons of the liquid annually.
Here are some highlights of what’s been added at www.memun.org since the last edition of the Maine Townsman.
• Finance Survey. The Local Government Finance Survey recently went in the mail, but it can be saved on your computer by following the directions on the MMA home page. After filling in the three sheets, please save and email the file to Kate Dufour of MMA’s State & Federal Relations staff, kdufour@memun.org.
• Celebrating Service. MMA, as part of its 75th Anniversary, recognized officials last year for their tireless years of public service. Kathy Littlefield, First Selectwoman in Waldo, was the subject of the final profile article and oral history. Her audio interview was posted on the website in December.
• Erosion Control. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection will offer a course on Basic and Advanced Erosion Control at the Kittery Town Hall on Feb. 22. The course is for contractors, landscapers, site evaluators and federal, state and municipal officials.
• LD 1. The latest LD 1 worksheet – for 2012 – is now available. The two-page document shows how to calculate your municipality’s property tax levy limit.