TOWN OF EAST MILLINOCKET
SELECTMEN'S MEETING MINUTES

MONDAY JANUARY 23, 2012

4:00 P.M.
 

PRESENT.  Selectmen-Chairman Clint Linscott, James Jamo, Gary MacLeod, Mark Marston, Mark Scally, Administrative Assistant Shirley Tapley, Town Office Staff Cherri Deveau, Erica Ingalls, Bev MacLeod, Fire/Rescue Supervisor Les Brown, Jim Federico, Louis Perreault, Kelly Willigar, Kim Marston, Alfred Theriault, Recreation Director Frank Clukey, The Lincoln News Shelley Farrington.  Meeting is recorded. 

1. EXECUTIVE SESSION.  Motion made and seconded to meet in executive session pursuant to 1 MRSA SEC 405 (6) (A) with the Town Office Staff to discuss job duties.  Carried 5-0.     IN:   4:00 P.M.     OUT:   4:29 P.M.

Action.  Motion made by James Jamo to hire Erica Ingalls full time with benefits as Town Clerk/Tax Collector/Registrar of Voters and Ambulance Billing Clerk with 24 hours per week dedicated to the Town Clerk/Tax Collector/Registrar position and 16 hours per week dedicated to the Ambulance Billing. This position will be reviewed in 3 months and at the probationary period of 6 months. The salary for this full time position is paid from ambulance department revenue and the vacation time benefit paid from the Administration budget. This motion was seconded by Mark Scally to be effective January 24, 2012. Motion carried 4-1. Clint Linscott opposed.  Notes: this position will be reviewed in 3 months and again at the normal probationary time period of 6 months.  The benefit of health insurance coverage is available but the employee is covered elsewhere so has declined the coverage at this time.  The wage for these positions remains at $12.91 per hour. The Selectmen stated they will allow the employee pro-rated benefits until the end of this fiscal year as follows: one week paid vacation, 1 1/2 days for floater time and paid holidays. Sick time will follow the personnel policy. 

The Town Office Staff asked the Selectmen to consider an auto attendant/voicemail feature for the phone system stating the system would assist the staff with time management and help with the employee workloads since the phone call would ring directly to the person being called. This phone feature has been quoted at $1,600.  Motion made by Clint Linscott seconded by James Jamo to approve the installation of auto attendant/voicemail feature to the town office phones at a cost of $1,600 to be paid from the Municipal Building renovation account.  Motion failed 3-2. 

2.  2012/2013 RECREATION BUDGET.  Recreation Director Frank Clukey presented the 2012/2013 Recreation budget. The Selectmen felt a budget for propane should be added in the amount of $200 under the Senior Citizen account. It was noted the swimming pool budget reflects an increase to allow the pool to be open 9 weeks. Last year the pool was open 7 weeks.   Motion made and seconded to approve the 2012/2013 Recreation Budget in the amount of $ 69,999.  Carried 4-1. Mark Scally opposed.

LAST YEARS BUDGET          $65,749

THIS YEARS BUDGET            $69,999

$ INCREASE (DECREASE)        $4,250

% INCREASE (DECREASE)            6.5%

Frank Clukey stated he will present the Recreation Contract Service budget next week due to the contract is up for renewal and there are some changes relating the health insurance benefits.

3.   EXECUTIVE SESSION.  Motion made and seconded to meet in Executive Session pursuant to 1 M.R.S.A. SEC 405 (6) (A) with Recreation Director Frank Clukey for the annual Department Head evaluation.  Carried 5-0.  IN: 4:58 P.M.             OUT: 5:07 P.M. 

      Decision.  The evaluation form will be placed in the employee's personnel file. 

4.  WARRANTS.  Motion made and seconded to approve and sign the warrants through January 23, 2012 for payment. Carried 5-0. 

5.  SELECTMEN'S MEETING MINUTES.  Motion made and seconded to approve the Selectmen's Meeting Minutes of January 16, 2012 as written.       Carried 5-0. 

6.  AMBULANCE ADJUSTMENTS.  Motion made and seconded to approve and sign the Ambulance Adjustments in the amount of $1, 861.12 and the Ambulance Uncollectible in the amount of $6,964.55.  Carried 5-0. 

7.  MOVIE LICENSING INFORMATION. Chairman Linscott responded to the request of last weeks meeting for an explanation of the invoices for Summerfest. The first $1,265.00 (invoice is actually for $1,250) was an invoice from Terry Mclaughlin for electrical work to install a 200 amp entrance at the park and all the associated wiring that goes with that work. Linscott said there appeared to be miscommunication regarding moving the Gazebo and the cost associated with moving it since that was done at the same time as the electrical work.. Linscott said the funds for the amp entrance were correctly coded and the minutes are available which show the request from Kelly Willigar for the 200 amp entrance and that this work would be paid from the Summerfest account.  Linscott explained another invoice for $250 for the four outlets that were needed at the Opal Myrick Park and said that this invoice was actually paid from the public works department since there may have been some sort of swap for use of McLaughlin�s backhoe by the Public Works department.  Linscott stated the sign that fell over at the Cemetery with an invoice for $187.00 looked like it had been paid for by Summerfest but that it had not. The accounting shows the comment line as Summerfest/Cemetery but in actuality there were bills to Summerfest and to the Cemetery department as well as to another department that got coded separately but that space does not allow detail showing each amount for each department on the printed report. Kim Marston said she was ok with this and that this has now been explained and that they are fine with the explanation but said that she wished it has been explained and cleared up earlier.  Linscott said he thought it had been resolved earlier but that it is very clear now and that issue is now resolved. 

Kim Marston said that the movie licensing is needed if they want to continue with showing movies as fundraisers for Summerfest and that they are willing to take the fee of $545.00 for the license from the Summerfest account. K. Marston said they are asking that the Board of Selectmen approve this license for the Summerfest Organization only. Motion made and seconded to approve the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation license application to be used exclusively by the Summerfest Committee to show movies in the Municipal Building at the cost of $545.00 to be paid from the Summerfest account.   Carried 5-0. 

8.  REPORT OF THE COMMITTEES.  Mark Marston stated the Katahdin Forest Scenic Byway Committee will be holding a meeting at Pelletier's Restaurant in Millinocket on February 3, 2012 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Note: The date for the meeting was corrected by Mark Marston after the meeting from Feb. 3rd  to Feb 2, 2012. 

S. Tapley reminded the Selectmen of the Joint Board Kare Meeting on Tuesday January 24, 2012 at 6:00 pm at East Millinocket Municipal Building Banquet Room. 

9.  CITIZEN'S COMMENTS.  Mark Marston reported that a citizen has stated that the snowplows are going to fast in town. M. Marston said the dumpster trash issue is still ongoing.  Linscott asked that Mike Noble check the status of the dumpsters and asked if just skimming off the top is adequate and if there a way to have the landlord clean the dumpster completely out. 

Kim Marston stated that since Kelly is allowed to lock up for Zumba that if she had a key to the front door this would eliminate the need to pay someone to unlock and lock up after the movie fundraisers. Kim said that she and Kelly also do the clean up after the fundraisers. The Selectmen approved the request to allow Kelly Willigar to have a key to the municipal building front door and thanked them for this service. 

10.  OTHER.  S. Tapley stated that there will be a Public Hearing in Augusta on Wednesday February 1, 2012 at 9:00 AM, Room 216, Cross Building for LD1683 "An Act to Provide Funding to Operated the Dolby Landfill in the Town of East Millinocket".  Selectmen that wish to testify in support of the bill should have the statement and copies available prior to speaking to the committee.  

S. Tapley said she has a draft letter ready for review by the Board of Selectmen to send to Representative Herb Clark and Senator Doug Thomas requesting they hold a meeting with the Governor regarding the Sudden and Severe funding since these funds have not been disbursed.  

S. Tapley said she contacted Attorney Rob Crawford to relay to Cate Street that there are time restrictions for the process of a TIF to be in place for April 1, 2012. 

C. Linscott said Beth Whitehouse of Partnership for a Healthy Maine has requested the town establish the Opal Myrick Park as a tobacco free area.  Since this is no longer a school area it is an area that should be addressed.  The Selectmen asked that S. Tapley look into this and perhaps have a non smoking policy in place for the Park. 

Linscott said Whitehouse asked he discuss with the Selectmen a liquor sales license certification program.  Linscott said that this program provides training to stores/businesses that sell liquor to identify things like underage drinkers or when to stop serving alcohol to people.  There is a fee for this five year license and the town does not want to make this a burden to area businesses but would invite Beth Whitehouse to a meeting to explain the program. 

Linscott stated the school meeting held last Thursday went well.  The ministerial fund account was discussed. Linscott said he did not feel there was any negativity at the meeting and said he felt the meeting was to express options and to protect our schools.  Linscott said he does not want to lose the town schools and that it would be an economic blow if the schools were closed. Linscott said he felt it was not doom and gloom for this year. Mark Marston said he felt it was a good informational meeting of what may happen in the next three years to the schools. Marston said the capital improvements for the roof/structure, the boiler and air filtration system are very expensive.  Marston said declining enrollments and looking at tuitioning students to Lincoln schools were discussed. Marston stated that the decisions made last year by the Selectmen and the School Board regarding budgets and closing schools were difficult choices but that the Selectmen did not sell the town down the river.  The Selectmen made the best fiscal decisions they could with the mill situation. 

Mark Scally asked for clarification for the statement that the Selectmen sold who down the river.  Linscott answered the question saying he thought it was because the Selectmen signed a 10 year commitment for a fixed rate for the mill but also said that the town�s assessor agent had said this is a sign of the times. Gary MacLeod wanted to clarify what the Selectmen did this past year. MacLeod said statements made by Clint Linscott and others at the school meeting angered him. Macleod said he had drafted a letter of resignation after the school meeting but decided to speak of this matter at this meeting.  MacLeod explained the prior Board of Selectmen signed on to a tax agreement of $700,000 for the mill and that was the deal or it was nothing at all. The mill was going to be disassembled and there would be no valuation to the property at all. Besides that there were two tax year abatements filed to the tune of $4,000,000 and that attorneys had said that they had a case. Macleod said that at the school meeting Linscott said he did not understand last years budget and MacLeod said that he did not believe that statement and that the tone used by Linscott seemed to imply that the five people who made the decisions last year were stupid. Linscott said he stated he has not figured the budgets out yet and that he did not cut the Selectmen but that there are unbudgeted lines.  Linscott said that the police department has already overdrawn the overtime salary line. Scally said that line was overdrawn because there was a loss of reserve officers that could not have been predicted.  Linscott said he thought the Selectmen did have the worst job in town last year. Scally said the Selectmen were hoping against hope that things would work out.  Linscott said he had warned the Selectmen that reserve officers would be leaving and that it could not been anticipated but that these are his worries. Linscott said he did not have an agenda when he ran for Selectman but that he wants to understand the budget going forward.  Scally said the point is that the Selectmen can make this work and that the necessary cuts were made with only minor adjustments and inconveniences to the services in town. Scally said the past Board did not sell the town down the river and that is evident by the fact that the mil rate this year is practically the same.  

11.  EXECUTIVE SESSION.  Motion made and seconded to meet in executive session pursuant to 1 MRSA SEC 405 (6) (A) with Anthony Civiello regarding employee duties. Carried 5-0.  Note: Anthony Civiello was invited to attend the session but was not attendance.         IN: 5:56 P.M.     OUT: 6:06 P.M.

Decision.  Motion made by Mark Scally and seconded by Gary MacLeod to terminate Anthony Civiello as an employee of the Town of East Millinocket effective January 24, 2012 due to Anthony Civiello is unable to fulfill the duties of the position as Wastewater Operator/Mechanic for the Wastewater dept.  Selectmen agree to pay Anthony Civiello the 4 weeks of his vacation time that remain for this fiscal year in a lump sum and noted that the employees health insurance benefit will expire as of February 1, 2012.  Carried 5-0. 

12. ADJOURNMENT.  6:12 P.M.