| Joanne Cole |
At their August 16 meeting, the select board set the mil rate for FY22 taxes, discussed items relating to the Upper Village, and considered ordinances in theory and practice.
FY22 tax rate set. Acting as assessors, the members of the select board Monday night set the 2022 mill rate at $13.80 per thousand in valuation, an increase of 15 cents over the current $13.65. Under the new rate, the tax on a $300,000 residence will increase by $45, to $4,140.
Mike O’Donnell of O’Donnell Associates, assessors’ agent for the town, attended and answered board members’ questions about the two rate scenarios he and town manager Christine Landes had developed for the board to consider: $13.80 and $13.85. The rates produce different amounts of overlay, the fiscal cushion towns may collect on top of amounts needed for the budget – a policy judgment for the board. The $13.80 mill rate would yield $40,330 and the $13.85 rate $71,273 in overlay.
In general, towns are permitted to raise only enough money to cover their approved town, county, and school budgets. But because it’s unrealistic to expect that every last dime will be collected or on time, municipalities may raise up to an additional 5 percent, called the overlay.
As O’Donnell explained, towns vary widely in their policies about the overlay, some pushing near the 5 percent max for an ample cushion, others going low to keep taxes down. He called New Gloucester’s general approach “rather low but prudent overlays,” although uncertainty about Covid’s possible impact on state and local revenues had led a recent board to a higher-than-usual overlay, exceeding $200,000. O’Donnell’s proposed numbers for FY22 returned to the range typically carried In New Gloucester, well below the 5 percent allowable max, which would be $440,000, he said.
The board voted 4-1 (Donovan) to set the new rate at the lower $13.80 per thousand figure. During discussion member Tammy Donovan had spoken of needing to put “some cushion on the tax” since members of the community say they want to see more services for their tax dollars.
Updates from board members and department heads. Highlights from the updates:
• Tammy Donovan, board liaison to MSAD 15, shared that schools will open 100 percent in person with masks required. Guidance and policies will be revisited weekly, adjusted as needed. 86.8 percent of staff have been vaccinated to date; a mandate is not currently in place or anticipated. Also, the district will return $89,000 to New Gloucester as a result of higher-than-expected state funding.
• Fire Rescue chief Jon Kiernan reported that the department already has had 38 calls this month, following a busy July and full training calendar with Gray. Members will now be required to be vaccinated, Kiernan said, and 90 percent of the force has been vaccinated.
• Library director Lee Shaw described popular and successful summer programs, a celebration to honor Sue Hawkins, the arrival of laptops for patrons’ use, and teen programming to come.
• Finance director Lori-Anne Wilson reported that revenues are “very strong,” with a best-ever monthly revenue-sharing payment from Augusta of $70,000 in town coffers and expenses “right on track.” The town’s application to the Maine Municipal Bond Bank to fund the Stevens Brook dam and culvert project has been submitted. The bond bank’s rates and terms beat competitors’, Wilson said. $2000 in interest will be owed along with $90,000 in principal repayment annually for the five-year bond.
• Deputy clerk Sharlene Myers reported that “registrations are unbelievable” at Town Hall, new cars, used cars…. “We’re going like crazy,” Myers said, but it’s “good for the revenue.”
• New code enforcement officer Rick Haas introduced himself and described his activities so far as a mix of training, working with trades and on building permits, responding to residents’ questions, boundary disputes, and problematic properties. Haas said that much of what’s on his desk “can be fixed by talking it out.”
Upper Village matters. The Upper Village was a focus of several items. The board will hear a presentation from former manager and planner Paul First and manager Christine Landes on September 20 about the Upper Village plan and options for the town’s property there. Later, member Steve Hathorne suggested approaching the Libra Foundation in order to give Pineland a first option to buy. The board might revisit the idea at the September 20 meeting.
The board declined to pursue an offer from resident Nick Planson to rent the former salt and sand shed for boat storage for the upcoming winter. Board members were concerned about not offering others a crack at it or tying up the property and perhaps jeopardizing longer-term plans. In short, no rental at this time: 5-0.
After discussion, the board decided to ask manager Landes to prepare a request for proposals to demolish the former public works building in the Upper Village. Vice chair Paul Larrivee urged the action, describing the deteriorating structure as a safety risk. “We need to act,” he said, particularly since voters have approved the demolition and funded it. If demolition costs come in below the $50,000 approved, member Steve Hathorne hoped any balance could be used to make the old salt and sand shed also “go away.” A check of the applicable warrant article by recorder Sharlene Myers put the kibosh on that idea: the funds are for public works building demo only. The vote to have manager Landes prepare an RFP was 4-1 (Hathorne).
Later, Hathorne drew the board’s attention to items left behind the old public works building, including propane tanks, a truck bed, old tires, and 55-gallon drums. “It’s ugly,” Hathorne said. The problem was news to Landes, who said she would investigate and see that any valuable items are salvaged and the site cleaned up.
Board goals and priorities. Manager Landes had condensed and compiled the individual lists of detailed goals and priorities that board members had shared at an August 4 workshop. Landes’s overarching categories were technology, infrastructure, public outreach, fiscal, and miscellaneous. The board voted to accept as a working document Landes’s distillation along with members’ full lists. Review them all in the meeting agenda packet.
Mass gathering ordinance. The board took no action on a proposal to develop a mass gathering ordinance, preferring instead to explore other, less restrictive ways to make Fire Rescue aware of large events. Citing safety concerns, Peter Bragdon had suggested that the public safety committee draft an ordinance for the board’s consideration. Tammy Donovan was concerned that weddings, the Eagles, activities at Pineland, and other events could be affected, depending on where the line was drawn. Dustin Ward supported safety but said he didn’t want to limit the public’s right to gather, citing to last year’s nationwide protests. Donovan, board liaison to the public safety committee, offered to discuss the topic with the committee, Chief Kiernan, and Public Works director Ted Shane.
Ordinance Review Committee. The board declined to pursue a suggestion from manager Landes to form an ordinance review committee. As Landes explained, many municipalities have such committees, which take direction from the board and review and propose ordinance changes for the board’s consideration and perhaps eventual adoption by town meeting. “None of us have time to sit and write ordinances all day long,” Landes said as rationale. Board members thought the responsibility should be theirs or the charter commission’s. They took no action.
Fire Rescue ordinance. As if to illustrate Landes’s point about no one having time to write ordinances, the board’s next item concerned the town’s fire rescue ordinance, which dates from 2003. A replacement ordinance was voted down in 2019 at a sparsely attended special town meeting, and no drafts have been developed since. Members acknowledged that the existing ordinance doesn’t reflect the actual current structures or procedures of the department. They asked Landes to work with Chief Kiernan on a draft, ideally leading to something for voters to consider at town meeting next year.
The board will return to ordinances, the Upper Village, and more at their next regular meeting on September 20.
To view video of the August 16 select board meeting, click here. For the agenda packet and other documents, click here.
