PRESENT: Chairman Friedman, Councilor King, Councilor Perkins, Councilor Olson, Councilor Parker, Town Manager J. Hayes, Deputy Clerk K. Morin, Fire Chief G. Martin, Public Works Director B. Stoyell, Members of the Public.
ITEM 1. The April 9, 2012 Veazie Town Council meeting was called to order at 7:00PM.
ITEM 2. Roll Call
Councilor Olson, Councilor King, Chairman Friedman, Councilor Perkins and Councilor Parker were all present.
ITEM 3. Pledge of Allegiance
ITEM 4. Consideration of the Agenda
Councilor Parker wished to have a discussion on policy and procedures for awards and recognitions. This was added as item 9a.
ITEM 5. Approval of the March 26, 2012 Council Meeting Minutes
Motion By: Councilor Perkins –to approve the March 26, 2012 meeting minutes as written. Seconded: Councilor King, Voted 5-0 in favor.
ITEM 6. Awards, Petitions and Public Comments
The Town Council recognized Kaylin Larkin for finishing second in the Penobscot County Spelling Bee.
The Town Council recognized the Veazie Community School Robotics Team for finishing fourth and being the top middle school team in a competition. The team also won the KISS Award for the design of their project.
The Town Council recognized Patricia Rice for being named Minority Small Business Champion of the Year.
ITEM 7. Public Comments
There were no comments from the public.
ITEM 8. Appointments to the RSU Withdrawal Committee
There was discussion on how to appoint individuals to the RSU Withdrawal Committee. Concerns were expressed on the control of money and how it is spent by the committee and whether the Council had any control over it.
Member of the public Robert Rice stated that he believed there were other towns going through this process and asked whether the Town had consulted any of these towns to see what they are doing.
It was decided to see what other towns were going through the process and consult them. It was also decided to advertise the ‘member of the public’ position and have individuals fill out a citizen involvement application. The Council will meet with the applicants before the next Council meeting.
ITEM 9. Authorize the Town Manager or His Designee to Sign an Agreement for the Fire Department’s Life Pack
Motion By: Councilor Parker—to authorize Manager Hayes to sign an agreement for the Fire Department’s Life Pack. Seconded: Councilor Olson, Voted 5-0 in favor.
ITEM 9a. Policy/Procedure for Awarding and Recognizing
Councilor Parker outlined that he felt that awards and recognitions should be kept town oriented like kids or volunteers in Town. He felt recognizing people for things they’ve done in their careers was crossing the line for recognizing people for accomplishing things for the Town. He suggested that if someone has accomplished something they could bring it up at a meeting and vote on it.
Councilor Olson stated that she didn’t think it needs to be necessarily something to do with the Town but stated she was okay with voting on it.
Councilor Perkins stated that he felt they should leave it at the discretion of the Town Manager, he does a good job.
ITEM 10. Meeting with Assessor Ben Birch
Assessor Ben Birch outlined that he mailed out nine RFPs for a revaluation and received three back. He also phoned the six that didn’t reply and they simply could not fit in our time table. Assessor Birch stated that he and Manager Hayes were recommending acceptance of RJD’s bid for $76,000. Assessor Birch stated that their installment plan involved payments in two separate budget years.
Chairman Friedman, Councilor Perkins, Councilor Olson and Councilor King all expressed their desire to move forward with the revaluation.
Councilor Parker outlined that he would like to wait six months and get through the budget cycle and see what the Town has for money.
Member of the public Joan Perkins outlined that taxes affect everyone in this Town and it is important to move forward so that there are fair and consistent taxes.
Councilor Olson agreed that the Town could wait six months but there is never an ideal time to spend this money. She outlined that it is important to make sure that taxes are fair.
Member of the public Rob Tomilson inquired whether the revaluation covered commercial and industrial properties as well. He also wondered if it included the power plant as well. Assessor Birch outlined that all properties will be covered, however, the power plant’s assessment is outlined in the TIF agreement.
Motion By: Councilor Perkins—that the Town of Veazie orders the Town Manager to engage in employing RJD to do a revaluation of the Town of Veazie. Seconded: Councilor Olson, Voted 4-1 in favor. Councilor Parker was opposed.
ITEM 11. Manager’s Report
Manager Hayes went over his manager’s report with the Council.
ITEM 12. Comments from the Public
There were no comments from the public.
ITEM 13. Requests for Information and Town Council Comments
There were no requests for information or Town Council comments.
ITEM 14. Review and sign off Town Warrant 21, 21A and Payroll 21
ITEM 15. Executive Session
There was no executive session.
ITEM 16. Adjournment
Motion by: Councilor King—to adjourn the April 9, 2012 Town Council Meeting. Seconded: Councilor Parker. There was no further discussion. Voted 5-0 in favor. Meeting adjourned 7:56pm.
A true record, Attest:
Karen Morin
Deputy Clerk
Town of Veazie
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