Southwest Harbor Select Board Weighs Request for Dedicated Appeals Board Secretary
Board approves Sewer Work and Cruiser Purchase, no action on moratorium
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SOUTHWEST HARBOR—The Southwest Harbor Select Board took no action on a request by Appeals Board Chair John Izenour asking the select board members for a recording secretary for appeals board meetings as well as dedicated funds that would allow the board to consult with the town attorneys as needed.
He said the board has requested these things before.
“This is really just putting this out there. I know other boards have requested staffing for a recording secretary,” Izenour said.
Currently, the board secretary has to be a member who is a voting member and has to be paying attention to recording the meeting rather than focusing on deliberations and finding of facts.
“It would be incredibly helpful to have somebody who's trained up to do it and do it right, just because we do see inconsistencies across boards and in terms of how it is done,” Izenour said.
Select board member Dan Norwood asked Town Manager Karen Reddersen if there was a budget this year. “First question, Karen, do we have budget for 2025/26 for recording secretaries?”
“We have $200 in the board of appeals line,” Reddersen said.
Appeals board minutes are more legal-focused than most other boards. In a recent appeals board case, the board needed counsel to help them navigate, something that often occurs in neighboring towns like Bar Harbor. The town has approximately $30,000 in the legal line for budget.
“Now all that said, we’ve had years with no appeals. We’re not in that phase right now,” Izenour said.
Select board member Natasha Johnson agreed that it was imperative that they do have good minutes and so that voting members can really pay attention and vote on the issues at hand.
“I totally think this is valid,” Johnson said.
The problem with having current staff being recording secretaries for appeals and planning board meetings is that the staff is already overworked by the daily work.
“Our little town is getting bigger,” Town Clerk Jennifer LaHaye said.
Reddersen will investigate the possibility of a volunteer with a stipend to act as recording secretary.
APPOINTMENTS
Janice Reed was unanimously appointed as the Southwest Harbor Housing Authority tenant commissioner.
WATER AND SEWER INFRASTRUCTURE RESERVE
The board approved spending $50,000 to clean portions of the town’s sewer mains and to monitor the mains’ condition to see where there might be high levels of infiltration.
The town’s new sewer plant is expected to be ready and online in 2026.
There will be a $25,000 reimbursement after the original $50,000 is spent. The money comes via a matching grant revolving fund from the State of Maine.
“Now that we have the new wastewater plant coming,” Aaron Zurek, interim district manager for water and sewer said, they are trying to get the system up to par by cleaning.
Johnson asked about the criteria for choosing which lines to clean.
They’ll uncover 17 manholes in various areas of town to do the work.
POLICE CRUISER PURCHASE
The town will have a new police cruiser soon. After the select board’s approval of police Chief John Hall’s request, a new police cruiser will be heading to Southwest Harbor.
“All three quotes for the actual vehicle were $55,000 and change,” Police Chief John Hall said of the three base prices for three different cruisers.
The board approved the purchase of 2025 Chevy Tahoe police vehicle for $83,223.17 and authorized the town manager to sell the current 2016 Ford police vehicle.
BOARD NOT CONCERNED
The board members took no action, but quickly decided they weren’t concerned with James Vallette serving as Southwest Harbor’s Acadia Disposal District board member and also having his company, Material Research L3C support the Hancock County Solid Waste Project, which is under the Hancock County Planning Commission. His service on the district is an appointment through the select board.
The company will create a white paper about solid waste in Hancock County as well as ways for cooperative improvement, according to material submitted by Vallette.
“First, I want to thank Jim for giving us this information and for the work he does,” said Chair Noah Burby.
“I don't see this as a conflict of interest either,” Johnson said. “I'm excited that it's an area that he can work within to help our county. I think that it's awesome that we have professionals in our community that we can pull in their expertise.”
OTHER BUSINESS
The board also continued to tweak and discuss the town’s planning board ordinance and wireless telecommunications facilities ordinance.
A potential moratorium for intoxicating hemp-derived products or chemically derived THC products will be discussed in an executive session at an upcoming workshop.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
To listen to the recording of the meeting.
Volunteers Needed for the Following Positions:
Board of Appeals - 3-year term
Warrant Committee - 3-year term
Anyone interested in filling these positions is encouraged to attend upcoming meetings & complete a volunteer application.
Employment Opportunities with the town:
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