BOARD OF SELECTMEN

Meeting Minutes - March 15, 2017

PRESENT: Doug Ludewig – Chair, Timothy McDonald – Vice Chair,and Darlene Sanborn, Dianna Boisvert and Sandra Schiller - Members.

ABSENT: None.

ALSO PRESENT: Curtis Lunt - Town Manager, Kevin Mulherin – Police Chief,David Shaw – CEO, Scott Wing – Recreation Department, Sue Neal, President - ALIA, Tamara Whitmore, Executive Director - Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed, Donna Shaw, and Doreen Christ – Recording Secretary.

  1. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance. This meeting was called to orderat 6:00 pm by Doug Ludewig –

Chair, along with the Pledge of Allegiance.

  1. Minutes of March 1, 2017. Thefollowingmotions were made.

MOTION: by Darlene Sanborn, to accept the Board of Selectmen meetingminutes for March 1, 2017, as written.

VOTED: There was no second on this motion, therefore, it dies.

MOTION: by Sandra Schiller, seconded by Doug Ludewig to amend the meeting minutes to include Sandra Schiller’s wording into Item No. 5. Dog Article (Repeal).

VOTED: 2-2 (Again, this motion died, due to not having a quorum.)

MOTION: by Timothy McDonald, seconded by Sandra Schiller stating that she opposed the Warrant Article because she felt the Ordinance was satisfactory.

VOTED: 4-0 (Passed).

  1. Department Head Reports. Kevin Mulherin – Police Chiefsaid that this Sunday, March 19, 2017, there is a

Community Dinner (Italian Supper) sponsored by the Police Dept. He distributed to board members the reminder notice. There will be chicken, vegetables, roasted peppers, to name a few of the items. Also, he distributed a brochure of the event being sponsored by the Apple Valley Bakery. This will take place Saturday, April 8, 2017, from 8:00-9:30 am. This is to join the neighbors and police officers for coffee and donuts. This for the Town citizens to get to know their officers. Chief Mulherin said their Dept. Meeting went well. There are four (4) trainings. He mentioned that he will not be doing all the on-calls. They will be altered one (1) week at a time for taking calls from 2:00-6:30 pm. Chief Mulherin reported that he attended the Special Olympics Conference last Thursday. The Torch Run is scheduled for the first Thursday in June 2017.

David Shaw – CEO made reference to his report for last month. He issued two (2) building permits in February. This is typical for this time of year, however, the values and fees are higher than last year. There is another new home going up. The permit application just came in today.

Dan Roy – Fire Chief said he has a crazy work schedule with fire investigations. He will be back in Vermont tomorrow. On Route 135, there was a structure fire. It was called in at 9:24 pm, during the height of the blizzard. The occupant got out okay. His wife and children were at camp. It was a stubborn fire. It took five (5) hours to get it under control. There was extensive interior damage. Most of the interior is gone.

Dianna Boisvert – Board Member arrived at 6:17 pm.

The owners had insurance. There were 23 local firefighters and about 45 firefighters altogether who responded in the blizzard conditions. Chief Roy stated that he appreciates all that the Monmouth Public Works Dept. did for the storm. They went above and beyond for a safe passage. He reports that there have been countless structure fires. They have already had four (4) within three (3) months. This month his dept. is focusing on officer evaluations. Medical evaluations are also being done. There are 28 that are qualified. Dan Roy said that there is a new water heater at the Central Fire Station. He donated his personal, nice, 40-gallon water heater. Dan Niles installed this water heater for free. This is a nice upgrade to the station. His is also pricing out a new gas range for the station. He is working with the auxiliary for that. Training includes “Initial Ground Operations Training” (tomorrow and Friday) and “Traffic Control Training”. A week after the Police Department’s Dinner, the Fire Dept. will have their Annual Supper (Ham Dinner) on Sunday, March 26, 2017.

Curtis Lunt – Town Manager asked the board members if they had anyone in mind for the Dedication of the Annual Report. The consensus was for Rod Bubier, who has been with the Town as an employee for 26 years.

Included in the board member packets was a listing of elected seats that are open for nominations, which are, as follows: Board of Selectmen – 3-Year Term (2 seats), Board of Selectmen – 1-Year Term (1 seat), RSU#2 Board of Directors – 3-Year Term (1 seat), Cumston Hall Trustee – 3-Year Term (1 seat), Cumston Library Trustee – 3-Year Term (1 seat), and Sanitary District – 3-Year Term (3 seats). Also, included in the board member packets was the Resignation Letter effective June 30, 2017 from Darlene Sanborn. Her term is a 2-Year Term. On March 21, 2017, the nomination papers will be made available at the Town Office. They need to be submitted and returned to the Clerk by April 27, 2017. Also, as a reminder, April 3, 2017 is the deadline to submit any petitions for the Town Warrant. Timothy McDonald said that included on that listing is the need for another Economic Development Committee (EDC) member. The Town will need to advertise for a replacement for the current member who has moved out of Town.

  1. Public Comment. Timothy Thomas, a Town resident, requested that a speed bump be placed in North

Monmouth on North Main Street. Curtis Lunt will check with Bruce Balfour on a temporary speed bump and get back to Timothy Thomas at 933-5409 or 446-2392 (Cell).

Darlene Sanborn mentioned that Phil Witherall will be turning 90 years old on March 21, 2017. She commented that it would be nice if board members could send him a birthday card. He has done a lot for this Town and everyone knows Phil. His mailing address is 82 Welch Avenue, Monmouth, Maine04259.

Timothy McDonald also stated that Dianna Brooks – the current Boston Cane recipient will be turning 104 years old in May 2017.

  1. Warrant Article – Electronic Sign. Shall the Town vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $14,000 for a

3’ x 5’, double-faced electronic message center and Town Office sign at 859 Main Street? The money will come from the Town to appropriate the sum of $14,000 from undesignated funds. This Warrant Article will be brought back with the Warrant.

  1. Set Public Hearing Date for Proposed CEA. CEA stands for Credit Enhancement Agreement. This is

an Agreement between the Town and the Main Street Property Management LLC relating to the “First Amended and Restated Main Street Municipal Development and Omnibus Tax Increment Financing District”. This property is Chalky’s. The Town’s Attorney has drafted the language. Main Street Property Management LLC is the new name. Board members agreed to schedule the Public Hearing for March 29, 2017. Curtis Lunt said that this will be a “win – win” for everybody. The purpose of this hearing is to receive public comments, prior to a Board of Selectmen vote, on a proposal by the Main Street Property Management LLC to receive a property tax reimbursement of 50 percent of property taxes paid on increased assessed value on its property through the term of the First Amended and Restated Main Street Municipal Development and Omnibus Tax Increment Financing District. The following motion was made.

MOTION: by Darlene Sanborn, seconded by Dianna Boisvert to schedule a Public Hearing for the next regularly scheduled Board of Selectmen meeting to be held on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 for the Proposed Credit Enhancement Agreement (CEA).

VOTED: 4-1 (Passed).(Timothy McDonald – Abstained).

  1. Event Funding Application (Beach Party). Dan Roy – Fire Chief stated that there will be a parade

Downtown this year to kick off the event for the 225 Year Anniversary of the Town’s Celebration. There will be floats and judging. The floats will be in front of the Carriage House. The downtown will be closed off. The Museum will be giving tours. There will be more food vendors. It will be the same setup as last year, just more organized. There will be a live band, instead of a DJ. The live band is by Tori Jackson. This will be for the Fireworks. There will also be more children activities. There will be another meeting to solicit funding for this activity. There will be a challenge coming with prices handed out, such as mugs with logos, t-shirts, etc. The 225 Year Anniversary of the Town’s Celebration is called, “Monmouth Quasquibi Centennial”and is the 2nd Annual Beach Party. Included in board member packets was the Town of Monmouth Events Application Form Request for Funds for this item. The following motion was made.

MOTION: by Darlene Sanborn, seconded by Sandra Schiller to approve $1,000 funds from the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) budget.

VOTED: 4-1 (Passed). (Timothy McDonald – Abstained).

Timothy McDonald reminded Dan Roy that there is a 30-day deadline to request road closure.

  1. Abatement Application. This abatement request is for Jeffrey & Clarice Hinckley – Map 36, Lot 58. This

abatement is for real estate. Their abatement request is for a reduction of $20,000 in real estate valuation. Assessing at the lake is done by zone. After review by Donna Hays – Assessor’s Agent of their value in relationship to similar properties, she felt that the assessment is equitable and that no abatement is warranted, therefore she is recommending denial of this request. The following motion was made.

MOTION: by Darlene Sanborn, seconded by Sandra Schiller to deny the abatement requested by Jeffrey & Clarice Hinckley – Map 36, Lot 58 and to accept Donna Hay’s – Assessor’s Agent recommendation, based on her letter dated March 7, 2017.

VOTED: 5-0 (Passed).

  1. Warrant #19 Payroll and Payables. Curtis Lunt read a listingof items over $1,000. The following

motion was made.

MOTION:by Darlene Sanborn, seconded by Sandra Schiller to move to pay Warrant #19 - Payroll – $34,024

and Payables–441,412.

VOTED:5-0 (Passed).

There was a ten- (10-) minute break from 6:57 pm to 7:07 pm before the 2017 Budget Review.

Before the Budget Review, Sue Neal – President of ALIA and TamaraWhitmore – Executive Director of the Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed gave a presentation for requested funding of prevention and control efforts in battling invasive Variable Leaf Milfoil in Monmouth water ways. This is not for state-owned property. They have been working closely with Kent Ackley to put a gate in. The gate will be open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. They want to educate people about milfoil. The removal of milfoil is a top priority by the boat ramp. They do not want it transported to other lakes in the area. $1,250 is requested from the Town of Monmouth. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) does no longer consider this a “rapid response”. The DEP does not have the manpower to cover any of the infestation in AnnabessacookLake. Last year, Tamara Whitmore was able to secure a grant from the DEP to help pay for the additional hours of courtesy boat inspections. The portion not covered by the CBI Grant was covered by both the Towns of Winthrop and Monmouth. She will again apply for another CBI Grant from the DEP and is asking for the continued support of Winthrop and Monmouth. This year’s request is for $1,250 from the Town of Monmouth and $1,250 from the Town of Winthrop to help cover the cost of courtesy boat inspections, plant surveys, plant control, and other costs that may be involved in the ongoing struggle to find and remove the invasive milfoil.

Tamara Whitmore distributed to board members a brochure from Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed. Also included, was the letter listing this year’s requests. They are asking for the same amount of money. What is new is bolded in yellow - $1,000 to the Friends of the Cobbossee Watershed to support the removal of invasive Variable Leaf Water Milfoil from AnnabessacookLake and this year’s request is a $1,000 increase over the request in 2016, due to the responsibility of milfoil removal in Annabessacook changing from state to local control. This funding will be matched by WinthropTown funding (pending request), DEP state funding, and FOCW donor funding. This is an on-going management system now, not rapid response. They are working with a smaller boat, diver on tank, and service system. It takes ten (10) days throughout the summer to get the system running. The request is for $5,000 from the state, $1,000 from Winthrop, and $1,000 from Monmouth. This amount is currently listed under “Unclassified” in the proposed budget. Darlene Sanborn commented that the lakes are what Monmouth is known for.

  1. 2017 Budget Review.

-Recreation Dept. Scott Wing presented this budget item. There is no request in Telephone (Line Item

0259). They are using track phones and this is taken out of the supply line. NorthMonmouthBeach (Line Item 0520) dropped significantly. This line item pays for lifeguards only, mowing, and small items. Sanitary Facilities Rental (Line Item 0254) could be adjusted if the building of the new facilities occurs. If not, there is some money in the budget ($250.00 for this year’s request). Wages (Line Item 0116) includes the minimum wage increase and the 2% COLA. This line item is the biggest change in the budget. Last year there was a big expense for the 4th of July celebration. The kids stayed and did clean-up work afterwards and were paid. There were also three (3) lifeguards on for that night beyond the normal hours.

-Administration. Curtis Lunt presented this budget item. There were a couple of changes. There were two

(2) employees with step raises and the 2% COLA increase. Line Item 0217, Equipment Rental was decreased. Line Item 0603, Equipment was increased from $3,600 to $16,500. This increase is due toreplacement of the 20-year old software with Trio. The server is to be replaced.

-Assessing. This year’s total request is due to the reduction in the re-valuation.

-Debt Retirement. This is the last year for the payment for Cumston Hall. 20 years’ worth of payments are

done.

-Debt Service. Line Item 6736 is the Fire Truck Lease. This item is locked in for 14 years.

-Elected Officials. This year’s request remains the same.

-Employee Benefits. Group Health Insurance (Line Item 0511) is up by seven percent (7%).

-Police Retirement. Line Item 0522, MSRS was increased by $1,500.

-General Assistance. The budget item is flat. This includes some rental assistance. There is a 50 percent

reimbursment on everything the Town of Monmouth does.

-Risk Management. This year’s request remains the same. $5 million is placed on Cumston Hall. This

year’s Worker’s Compensation (Line Item 0802) is stable. There are no new claims.

-Special Projects. There are a list of agencies. The Town gets reimbursed for the cemetery. RCAM is for

heating. It was requested to reduce the amount for the Red Cross to $500 and to give Lifeflight $500.

-Town Clerk/Town Meeting. This year’s request remains the same as last year.

-Treasurer. This year’s request remains the same as last year.

-Unclassified. This budget item includes Milfoil Inspection (Line Item 0528) for $3,600, however, it was

suggested to change the requested amount to $4,650.

-Revenues. There is a slight increase of $6,000. The major revenue account is Excise Taxes (Line Item

R0080) from $685,000 to $700,000.

Before going into Executive Session, it was agreed by all board members to schedule a Public Hearing of the Budget along

withthe Public Hearing for the CEA, both at the next regularly scheduled Board of Selectmen meeting which is Wednesday, March 29, 2017.

  1. Executive Session – RLF Application.

The following motion was made to go into Executive Session – RLF Application.

MOTION: by Timothy McDonald, seconded by Darlene Sanborn to move to go into Executive Session – RLF Application at 8:17 pm.

VOTED: 5-0 (Passed).

And

MOTION: by Timothy McDonald, seconded by Darlene Sanborn to move to go out of Executive Session – RLF Application at 8:23 pm.

VOTED: 5-0 (Passed).

  1. Adjourn. The following motion was made to adjourn the meeting.

MOTION: by Timothy McDonald, seconded by Darlene Sanborn to move to adjourn the meeting at 8:23 pm.

VOTED: 5-0 (Passed).

Respectfully submitted,

Doreen M. Christ

Recording Secretary – Town of Monmouth