LEBANON MAINE BOARD OF SELECTMEN'S MEETING VIDEO
MONDAY, 9/28/15
Prior to 4:00 pm, while Ms. Wilson was setting up the video recorder, there was dialogue between LMTS Sandy Adams and the Board.
At the first meeting of the Board post-election, the Board named Selectman Ben Thompson as the Chairman and delegated the taking of the Official Board Minutes to Selectman Royce Heath. In the months after that first meeting, it was apparent that Heath was struggling with preparing the minutes as no Official Minutes have been turned in for any meeting from June 11 - August 6, 2015.
During the August 6 Board of Selectmen's Meeting, Ms. Adams had offered to record the Board's minutes until such time as Mr. Heath could get caught up. The Board had requested that Ms. Adams keep the minutes until Labor Day, which she has faithfully done. Past Labor Day, Selectman Heath stated that he was not going to take the minutes, and so Ms. Adams has continued to take them, as the Board has been very busy with Assessing work. However, now that the Assessing is over and the tax bills are out, Ms. Adams requested that Selectman Heath resume his duties of taking the Official Minutes of the Board Meeting.
At this time, Selectman Thompson made a motion that Selectman Heath resume the taking of the Official Minutes, Selectman Nadeau seconded the motion, and then Selectman Heath stated that he REFUSED to take the minutes for the Board and that the Board had designated Ms. Adams to record the minutes so his responsibility was absolved.
Road Commissioner Torno entered the meeting and the discussion regarding the Board Minutes was tabled for later discussion.
I mention this as it becomes the topic of discussion in Part 1 of tonight's meeting video.
Part 1 of the Monday evening 9/28/15 Selectmen's Meeting video shows the actual beginning of the 4:00 pm meeting as Lebanon Road Commissioner Tom Torno addresses the Board with the purchase order for his first order of sand/salt mix for the season.
Selectman Thompson brings Torno's attention to a resident working in their driveway. Thompson asks if Torno is aware of this, and the answer is that there has been no paperwork received for a driveway widening project turned in to him. Mr. Torno suggests that the plans may not be to actually widen the driveway, but both men state they will keep their eye on the property.
Resident Gary Getchell calls the Road Commissioner's attention to a very large pine tree that is beginning to rot near an intersection in town. Torno says that he will go take a look at it this coming week.
Road Commissioner Torno exits the meeting.
LMTS Deborah Wilson speaks to the Board regarding the Official Minutes for the Board of Selectmen's Meetings. Wilson recaps the earlier conversation, regarding Ms. Adams not continuing to record the minutes for the Board.
Since Selectman Heath reacted so negatively prior to the video recorder being turned on, Selectman Thompson does not publicly repeat his earlier motion.
SEE PART 1 of the Lebanon Maine Board of the Monday, 9/28/15 Selectmen's Meeting Video HERE:
The second part of the Monday evening meeting video begins with Selectman Ben Thompson reading the agenda for the night's meeting. Although the new Town of Lebanon Website is "live" there are a few bugs with the system the site is not working quite right, leaving no published agenda for the evening.
Selectmen's Assistant Sue Collins arrives to speak with the Board on several abatement requests in town.
Ms. Collins also speaks to the Board regarding some discussions she's been having with Maine Municipal Association with what appears to be questions on changing the town's insurance carrier, however no one ever makes it clear what exactly they are speaking about. LMTS Wilson asks Selectman Thompson if the Board is considering changing the town's insurance carrier, and Thompson says they are "putting some feelers out".
Town Clerk Mandy Grenier enters the meeting along with Deputy Clerk Christine Torno, who handed in her resignation with a 2 week notice on Thursday, September 24, 2015 during the Selectmen's Meeting. Ms. Torno addresses the Board regarding the need to appoint someone as BMV Agent, Rapid Renewal Agent, Point and Pay Administrator, and CVR (Certified Voter Registrar) for the Town, and suggests that these titles be added to the many already being held by the Town Clerk, Mandy Grenier. There is some discussion, after which, Ms. Torno graciously offers to come in to the Office on Monday afternoons in order to facilitate a smooth transition to her absence.
Once Christine Torno leaves the office, the Town Clerk states that she would like the Board to allow her to post the Deputy Clerk's position immediately, publishing the opening throughout the month of October, and then reviewing applications with the Board on November 9th. Selectman Thompson states that he is not ready to post that position yet and that there needs to be some discussion as to the scope of the position and any changes prior to the job description being posted.
Grenier states that her newly hired worker, had asked for a week off in October (without pay) in her original interview, however, due to the resignation of Ms. Torno, and the upcoming election, the part time clerk has offered to forgo that week of vacation time in order to stay and help out, asking that the Board honor her request at a later time. Thompson agrees to this request.
Ms. Grenier states that she has scheduled a training day for Election Workers on October 27th, including set up of the town's new voting booths and the function and use of the new ADA compliant and accessible booth.
Ms. Grenier continues, asking that the Board sign a purchase order in the amount needed to make the new part time office help a Notary Public, considering she is losing a Notary when Ms. Torno leaves the office. The Town Clerk also asks the board to sign a purchase order for office supplies, she mentions that although the town traditionally uses Staples for their supplies, her purchase order is for Walmart, as in comparing costs, she finds that using Walmart saves the town "hundreds of dollars".
LMTS Wilson asks Ms. Grenier if she had made any more advances in moving the town's polling place. It had been discussed during an earlier meeting in September that the current polling place at the Lebanon Elementary School was not in ADA compliance and there were a few reasons why holding elections at the Elementary School was unlawful.
Ms. Grenier answers that she has walked both the Lebanon Elementary School and Hanson School properties with the Principal and that after much discussion, it has been decided to remove the center post in the front door of the LES during polling times, thus making the doorway accessible and therefore ADA compliant. However, voters will notice a change at this year's elections as they will now be asked to enter the gymnasium through the side door, just off the parking area, and exit through the front door of the school. There is discussion regarding the need for a ramp to use those doorways, and Selectman Heath states that the ramps must also have a hand railing. Grenier states that she has been in discussion with Code Enforcement and with MSAD60 regarding the need for a ramp, and is continuing to follow through with that.
In the continuing search for Budget Committee members, Ms. Grenier states that she has contacted all residents who received write-in votes in the last election, but that she has not found anyone yet willing to sit on that Board.
Discussion begins on the finalizing of wording for the Festivals and Events Ordinance which has been drafted by the Town Clerk and Code Enforcement Officer.
See the Second Part of the Lebanon Maine
Board of Selectmen's Meeting of 9/28/15 HERE:
In the third part of the Monday evening video, Town Clerk Mandy Grenier continues discussion on the Festivals and Events Ordinance which will be voted on at the November 3, 2015 Election. Code Enforcement Officer Mike Beallieu enters the meeting as the co-drafter of the ordinance.
Selectman Ben Thompson questions whether the ordinance will pertain to all Festivals and Events, including the town's "Lebanon Festival" which Thompson's wife Chairs.
The discussion continues stating that the "Lebanon Festival", as the Town's yearly celebration, would be exempt from paying a permitting fee, and would have access to the Town's Transfer Station, however the remainder of the requirements listed in the ordinance, especially those requirements for water, portable toilets, available parking, and noise levels would still apply.
Selectman Nadeau questions whether organizations like Boy Scouts or Historical Society would be held to the parameters of the permit and all agree that everyone other than the Lebanon Festival would be required to obtain a permit and follow the requirements listed in the ordinance, which includes the hiring of outside dumpsters for trash removal rather than a fee at the Lebanon Transfer Station.
LMTS suggests that language be included to exempt the town's many charity and civic organization, but the Board, Town Clerk and Code Enforcement Officer disagree, saying that to exempt some would "cause problems".
**at this point a pause in commentary to say that in review of the video, LMTS found the conversation gets a little confusing as the dialogue switches back and forth several times with regards to parking spaces and porta potty requirements. I phoned the Town Clerk for clarification and the requirements would be....... 1 parking space required for every 4 people expected to attend and 2 parking attendants required for every 250 people expected to attend..........2 porta potties would be required for the first 250 people expected to attend with 1 being an ADA accessible porta potty, and then 1 additional porta potty for every additional 150 people expected in attendance....***
The Town Clerk continues questioning whether the Board wants this ordinance proposal to contain language which would remove the outdated Mass Gathering permitting structure, passed by voters back in the 1980s, however the Board requests that Grenier takes the ordinance to the voters the way it is and once passed, then work to remove the Mass Gathering ordinance.
The time is noted as shortly after 5 pm and Selectman Thompson asks the Board if they would approve overtime pay for the Clerk in order to be able to continue with the referendum review. All three Board members agree.
SEE PART THREE of the
Lebanon Maine Board of Selectmen's Meeting Video from 9/28/15 HERE:
Part 4 of the Lebanon Selectmen's Meeting Video from 9/28/15 shows Lebanon resident Ms. Cheryl Griffin as she addresses the Board regarding their tax assessment on her home.
Ms. Griffin contends that her home has been assessed as a mobile home for the 15 years that she has owned it, and that there is evidence it was assessed as such for many years prior to her purchase. This year's assessment showed a change from the "Mobile Home" category to being assessed as a "Small Ranch", resulting in a $50,000 increase in assessed value. In further conversation, Ms. Griffin describes her home as a stick built home, however, it is only build on a dirt crawl space, being held up by SonoTubes.
Selectman Thompson advises Ms. Griffin to file for a tax abatement and provides her with the proper paperwork. It is arranged for the Board members to view the Griffin property at 8:00 am on Tuesday, September 29.
Ms. Griffin says that there is a second complaint, saying that the town placed a culvert on her property which was never completed. She states that she had tried repeatedly to contact former Road Commissioner Larry Torno regarding the resulting property damage from water that was being directed by the culvert and rendering part of her property unusable wetlands. She also states that she has continued to try and contact current Road Commissioner Tom Torno regarding this problem.
**Following up on the request by Ms. Griffin, LMTS contacted Selectman Thompson on 9/29/15 and asked if the assessment had been changed back to that of a mobile home. Mr. Thompson answered the assessment had been changed, however not back to "mobile home" status, but rather to that of "other", and that the assessment had been put back to the original value. The claim of the unfinished culvert was viewed by the Board and that Road Commissioner Tom Torno had joined them. The culvert was said to be a replacement of a culvert that had been there for years prior, and that the claim of rerouting the water was unfounded. Thompson claimed that the water was following the "natural flow of water" and that no action would be taken by the town at this time.**
SEE PART 4 of the Lebanon Maine Board of Selectmen's Meeting from Monday, 9/28/15 HERE:
In the fifth part of the Board of Selectmen's Meeting video, Town Clerk Mandy Grenier begins to read over the proposed referendum questions for the November 3 Town of Lebanon ballot. Lebanon Maine Planning Board Chairman Gary Getchell is present at the meeting to discuss the proposed referendum questions that have been put forth by the Planning Board.
Proposed Referendum 1 comes from the Lebanon Planning board and discusses the Shoreland Zoning map. The Board agrees to place this Referendum on the November 3 ballot.
Proposed Referendum 2 is also proposed by the Lebanon Planning Board, and asks the voters to define the word "road" as it pertains to " 250 of road frontage" requirements when determining buildable lots in the town. Selectman Thompson objects to the wording of this proposed ballot question, stating that there is not enough detail in the question as to how the amendment to the "building lot" code would be worded, stating that he is not willing to give the Planning Board carte blanche to write the amendment after the fact. Getchell, however, states that the proposed ballot question was worded by the Town's Attorney. Getchell continues on by stating that the town's building ordinances are a mess and that basically there are a bunch of ordinances but no one seems to have done the work needed to insure ensure that they all work together, and that the town's lack of a comprehensive plan often leaves the Planning Board with nothing to fall back on. Getchell states his frustration with the fact that the Planning Board would like to write a complete and all inclusive ordinance for Lebanon, but that they are continually told that the voters would find it "too much" and that they are cautioned not to attempt to do it all at once. However Getchell and Town Clerk Grenier both agree that just the beginning of being able to clarify what is considered a "road" and what is not, would be helpful both to the Planning Board and to Code Enforcement Officer Beaullieu. A lengthy discussion continues on topics of "back lots", "flag lots", "right of way", "subdivision", and to be honest, even sitting there things were quite confusing. In the end, it was never stated whether or not this proposed Referendum would find its way onto the November ballot.
Proposed Referendum 3, is the final proposal by the Planning Board and addresses the fee which is included in the Shoreland Zoning ordinance. Getchell states that they had not meant for that to be placed on the ballot and that it was "supposed to be pulled", however Ms. Grenier states that this follows along with the ordinance changes that she is proposing, opting to pull the fees out of all of the town's ordinances, placing them all on a single "Fee Schedule" which can be updated and changed by the Board of Selectmen yearly to keep the fees competitive with the costs.
SEE PART 5 of the 9/28/15 Lebanon Maine
Board of Selectmen's Meeting Video HERE:
The sixth section of Selectmen's Meeting video shows the ending of discussion with the Board and Town Clerk regarding Planning Board proposals for referendums with the discussion that the Proposed Referendum 3 will be saved and worked on a bit further, and will possibly be placed on the May 2016 Town Ballot. Mr. Getchell leaves the meeting.
Town Clerk Mandy Grenier continues presenting proposed Referendum questions stating that numbers 4-10 are simple wording changes to already existing ordinances. Grenier is proposing that all of the fees accompanying said ordinances be removed from the actual ordinance and provided for on a town "Fee Schedule" where fees for each ordinance would be provided for by the Board of Selectmen in order to defray the cost of services from all taxpayers and place the responsibility on the shoulders of the individuals using the services.
Proposed Referendum 11 is the Festivals and Events Permitting ordinance which was discussed earlier in the evening.
Proposed Referendum 12 is being drafted by Lebanon Code Enforcement Officer Mike Beaullieu and requests that the voters allow him to set an Electrical Permitting structure for the town. Selectman Nadeau does not see the need for permitting for installation of electrical wiring and Selectman Heath changes the subject several times, going back to proposals that have already been heard.
Proposed Referendums 4-10 are revisited with the Board voting to place all proposals on the November ballot.
Proposed Referendum 11 is also revisited with the Board voting to place on the ballot, Thompson and Heath for, Nadeau against.
Grenier steers the conversation back to Proposed Referendum 12, the permit structure of Electrical Wiring. Selectman Heath states he is against placing this on the ballot, believing that this would prevent someone from replacing a simple light switch in their home. Selectman Thompson reminds Heath that this meeting is not to argue over whether or not this should become an ordinance, and that the Board's only decision is whether or not to place the question in front of the voters on the November ballot. LMTS Wilson has an exchange with Selectman Heath questioning why he would be against allowing the town's voters to decide on this issue, and Heath answers back that he "did not ask for her statement," with Wilson answering that she didn't ask for his permission to make a statement. A vote is taken with Selectmen Thompson stating it should be decided by the voters, however both Heath and Nadeau vote that the proposal should not be placed on the ballot. The two former Transfer Station employees overrule Thompson and the question will not be allowed to go to the voters.
Proposed Referendum 13 speaks to simple changes in the building codes ordinance, asking that interior non-load bearing walls have studs that are placed 16 inches on center rather than the current requirement of 24 inches on center. All agree to pass this on to the ballot.
Proposed Referendum 14 requests that Building Permits issued by the Code Enforcement Officer expire after 1 year, unless an extension is requested prior to that time. This will be seen by the voters in November.
And the final proposal, Proposed Referendum 15 seeks to amend the Lebanon Mass Gathering permit to require a 30 day advance filing of the application, thus allowing for inspection and public hearing on upcoming large capacity events. This will also be found on November's ballot.
The Town Clerk finishes her business and leaves the meeting.
LMTS questions Selectman Nadeau as to his reluctance to put the Electrical Wiring Permit referendum before Lebanon voters, questioning whether or not he has a nephew that is an electrician, and he agrees, that he does have a nephew and reminds Wilson that she had objections earlier in the year to hiring Nadeau's nephew to maintain the town's emergency generators without first putting the position up for open bid.
Thompson moves on, with several paperwork issues, including the request for an abatement for an Upper Cross Road property. The Board did grant an abatement for this property less than a week ago, and due to that change, the property owner is seeking additional years of abatements. The Board votes to deny that abatement, 3 in favor, 0 opposed.
The Board enters an Executive Session to citing "Personnel Issues".
SEE PART 6 of the September 28, 2015 Lebanon Maine
Board of Selectmen's Meeting Video HERE:
In Part 7, the final segment of Selectmen's Meeting Video from the September 28th, 2015 meeting, the Board returns after a short period in Executive Session.
A motion is made by Selectman Ben Thompson worded as follows.....
"Motion to cover employee through 10/20/15 at normal rate and coverage, to pro-rate for 2 hours on 10/22 and make employee responsible for 8 hours 10/22 and 10 hours on 10/23"
Nadeau seconds Thompson's motion and all three Board members vote to approve the motion. 0 opposed.
Thompson makes an additional motion to the Board to "Appoint Mandy Grenier as the town's RMV Agent, Point & Pay Administrator and CVR (Registrar of Voters).
Selectman Nadeau seconds the motion and All three Board members vote to approve.
Selectman Nadeau motions to adjourn the meeting, with Heath seconding.
SEE the 7th and Final part of the 9/28/15
Lebanon Board of Selectmen's Meeting Video HERE:
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