The Selectmen held a public workshop to explain some of their goals and to solicit ideas and input from residents on what they and we would like to see happen over the next year. This meeting will have a follow-up in a couple months where progress reports and more exchange can occur. One of the overall concepts stressed during the meeting was that improvement in communication needed to occur, both to the public, within departments and inside the town hall itself.
Meeting Highlights:
All Selectmen were in attendance
Here is a list of some of the items suggested by Selectmen and residents during the meeting. Selectmen will be looking in to these in the coming weeks.These are in no particular order of priority, simply a list.
Firetruck Fund to set a side say 50k or so each year towards purchase of a new firetruck.
Improvement of roads by spending much more and planning better. Perhaps implement and use a road review committee formed by volunteer residents as was done with success in the past. Look into cost analysis of outsourcing winter plowing versus homegrown approach.
Formulate a Town manager implementation plan. Meet with area Town Managers to gain insight, learn about contract needs, wording and salary requirements. Perhaps use a sub committee as part of the Selection process. Ideally get a person who will be with the Town for a while by properly matching skills and needs.
Grow the free Health Clinic services and also advertise them better
Institute a volunteer program for the new library and also other activities and programs in town.
Town Website improvements…notice updates, bid requests and awards, better usage by town departments instead of having all separate websites use a single site.
Quarterly Newsletter published and sent to residents with news, activities and information.
Office manager assigned with communicating vacation requests. internal correspondence and flagging correspondence to correct people.
Legal services usage and questions logged to save redundant information requests within the town hall.
Eco Maine coming in to do presentation opportunity of reducing cost on Transfer Station waste July 20. Enforcement of resident permits and elimination of commercial hauler using facility to reduce waste. Better utilization of current services by crushing co-mingles as suggested by Budget Committee.
Town Audit and other professional services placed out for bid. Doing so with insurances and phones has saved tons of money in the recent past.
Look into improving law enforcement in Town. Sheriff has suggested grant money may be available to offer a similar plan as last year providing Lebanon a full-time officer dedicated to our town only. Alternatively look into option of co-op or rental of officer from another neigboring town.
Publish a police log of sorts where information is available even if only total calls so that residents have an idea of the high volume of calls and if possible the type of call. Crime and drugs are a problem in town and residents need to be aware.
Better use of the planning board to review ALL projects in town. Currently a small amount of items get a formal review. Only subdivisions..this might be able to be changed with an ordinance.
Comprehensive Plan committee formed for purposes of preparing a Comprehensive Plan for the Town. This would be done by volunteers maybe a dozen or so. The plan was done a few years ago but required funding for the required maps. The funding did not get approved. Selectmen said we lose so much in the way of State Funds and Grants because we lack any formal plan. The old work could be used along with present state templates to prepare a plan quickly. This would all need public review and be voted to be adopted once completed. A Comprehensive Plan focuses on Zoning and develop areas and provides a growth plan or road map for the town.
Budget items presented in a standardized format and also available early in the process to the Budget Committee for proper review.
Record all the meetings, Selectmen, Planning Board etc via video and place online. Do this in a way that residents may access any of them on demand as other towns do. Also get cable provider to present them on TV so residents to stay informed.
Perform formal performance reviews of town staff. This has not been done routinely in the past and is necessary.
Crackdown on residents with out-of-state registrations. Many people register their vehicles out of state forgoing payment of Maine State Tax and Excise tax. That is money everyone else has to make up for.
Improve Selectmen and Board meeting notice postings, providing more notice of meetings along with agendas to residents. Also improve Bid request and bid results postings and their advance notice as well.
Restart the Department Meetings as they were done some time ago. This provides departmental updates and improves communication between the departments.
Of Course there was more…..
Meet adjourned 7:37pm – 1:06 min
Watch 06/29/10 Selectmen Goals Workshop in News | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
I think it is great the Selectmen held this workshop and had this dialogue with residents.
The real telling will be in the actions that take place over the coming weeks and months. As was explained by Selectmen, in the past much effort was done with the comprehensive plan only to have it get shelved. This should NOT happen, the plan should have been maintained until the maps needed were funded.
The biggest problem of getting volunteers for things is people don’t want to get together to work and help the town and have it all go for not. Selectmen will have to demonstrate a forward thinking plan that has some contingencies to get people to by in to anything.
A Goals Workshop is a BIG step for this board of Selectmen and I commend them. However this is the same board we have had and they have NOT been able to get budgets to the Budget Committee, provide simple timely policies and answers when questioned by residents, or put things like the CEO budget last year back before the people as promised and required by the Essential Services Referendum voted on by the people. So pardon me for not getting too excited just yet. As they say actions speak louder than words..for now I remain cautiously hopeful.
I have to laugh at alot of this. I know this is Jason’s big wish that ALL selectmen and citizens get along and have more transparency. That would be wonderful in a perfect world. You have to remember who and what you are dealing with. I truly do hope that things get turned around for the better and Jason made a good start with the workshop.
This is a big wish list and maybe little by little we can do it. There is more that I want to say butttttttttttttt………………..
The beginning of changes can happen in Lebanon if we strive together to succeed in the endeavor by joining various groups to help make it happen.
Years ago, in the early 1970′s, manyLebanon people formed a group and stopped a business from starting on Hebo Hybo Road. It was not an easy win, but it was a good win. We took no scalps.
Perserverance and our Yankee attitude kept the ball rolling. WE CAN do this again. Many people are needed to get it done. The beginning was last night.
Listen to the tape, please, really listen. Get involved. We can make a difference again in Lebanon.
We won’t have helicopters going over us this time. We won’t be standing guard 24/7 at the beginning of the road.
Let’s see how many people love the town they live in. We hear people saying, “It needs this, it needs that.” Let’s go for it. Time for us to get together and make our town what we want it to be. Sitting back won’t do it. We have to work for it.
Please listen to the meeting tape.
Hopefully there will be something written here concerning the different committees that will be forming.
Many read here. Get the word out. Facebook would be another great place to spread the word.
We can make Lebanon better with less problems.
Are you ready?