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

Attending – Selectmen Chairperson Cole, Selectmen Patch and Selectmen Frizzell

• Meeting Opened 6:35pm
• Heath Road Project – Project delayed until environmental impact is completed
• Tree Cutting – Residents questioned the tree cutting in West Lebanon and the coincidence that Chairperson Cole had a tree cut as well by the same contractor on the same day.  Concerns were the commingling of Town and private work. Chairman Cole had obtained a separate bill for the tree work but there was contention over the details of the entire project and work performed.
• Commercial Hauler Using Transfer Station – Residents asked status of policy that was to go into effect according to a letter stating it would be done June 1st. Selectmen said they were working on it and would have later in the month. The Selectmen stated that businesses could go into to use facility, then they said they could not. Mr. Patch stated regardless of what is done that Mr. Hartford the Commercial Hauler could use it. It is obvious that the usage of the facility is being and has been selectively applied. As example Sky Dive New England is permitted to use it and they are a business and campground but Flat Rock and other campgrounds are not.  Selectmen Cole stated he sees businesses in there. The residents primary concern is control of where the waste comes from and they felt that all businesses should take their waste directly to the Waste Management and bypass the Lebanon Transfer Station all together.
• Meeting adjourned – lasted appx 39 minutes

Of course there was more…

You may see the entire Lebanon Video Library Here http://www.veoh.com/group/selectmeetings

Watch 06-15-10 Lebanon Maine Selectmen Meeting in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

I didn’t know there was a cost of $40 to make a road  onto your property.  With that said, I know of   quite of few of “skid roads” on different properties.  I am wondering if they paid the cost to have these made?

Is the town making money or loosing it?

I called the CEO one day in reference to someone building on their property.  I wanted to know if they had a permit and why wasn’t it conspicuously displayed, as the rule states it needs to be.  I was told that, yes, this person had a permit and the permit number that was given to me was the exact date I called only a year earlier.  Then I proceeded to remind him that the permit should be displayed and NEVER got a response back.  It seems to me there is alot of favoritism here in town, where as some need permits and some don’t.

Lately, there has been  digging not too far off of Center Road.  Don’t you need a permit for that?  I think there was sand and gravel hauled out of there,  any permit?  There was also a foundation poored, any permit?  There seems to be some sort of dwelling being built there, any permit?  Is it possible that some people can  do it WITHOUT while  others ARE REQUIRED TOO?

We have been talking about change all year, and it seems as though people are now upset because of things that have been said.  If you don’t say them and try to change them, these things WILL CONTINUE, and who suffers for that?

WE DO!!!!!!! Please think about things.  Is this the right way?

Jason A. Cole
Lebanon Selectman

I wanted to just remind you that this Tuesday, which is June 8th, is a very important day in Lebanon. It is the day that we vote on all the town referendums, including three for the rescue.

The first one is the new ambulance, which we desperately need. The key to this referendum is that we already have the donations and revenue to pay the bill, we just need your permission to expend the donations and revenue. Again, we already have the donations and ambulance revenue to pay for the ambulance and it will not cost any taxpayer money for this referendum question. This will help us tremendously as we continue to get more and more calls, we are already almost 150% busier then where we were just last year. This new ambulance will bring in more revenue into the town and help keep the rescue department self-funded. There have been several times, including today, that we have had to call in area ambulances for multiple calls in Lebanon. We have already had 5 calls in 8 hours and Frisbie has helped us. But there are several times when Frisbie or Sanford are tied up and we wait a long time for an ambulance, including one where a kid needed to go to the hospital and after multiple towns were not available, the state trooper took him. Why risk public safety when it’s not going to cost the taxpayer’s money and we have the money designated for it. Seconds save lives, just ask the family of the toddler who nearly drowned, but made a full recovery thanks to the quick work of our volunteers and bystanders. This ambulance will save lives. Last time it was beat by a handful of votes, PLEASE take the time and help us save lives.

The second referendum question allows the rescue department to expend the donations, user fees and ambulance revenue it brings in. Basically, if we have a really bad year where we use a lot more of oxygen or medications and the insurance company pays us to replace those items, this would allow us to ask the selectmen to expend that money the insurance company reimbursed us for to buy those same supplies. We could not expend even a penny more than we brought in. This item has no taxpayer expense either and helps us get needed medical equipment paid for by the insurance reimbursements. An example is right now we have run out of money for fuel, medical supplies and oxygen because of the serious increase in calls. The insurance company gives us the money for these services, but we have to wait till the next fiscal year to expend the money. We have a broken backboard, actually a few, that the insurance company money can be used to replace, but we cannot expend it until the next fiscal year after asking permission to replace the broken backboard. This question would allow us to use the money we get from donations or insurance to replace much needed medical supplies. There is no taxpayer cost, it is simply asking to expend money that we may get for the supplies and donations.

The third and final rescue question is a rescue ordinance, which is needed to allow the selectmen to set the annual Medicare rates for ambulance transports. We are required to hold a public hearing and then the selectmen set the rates at what Medicare allows us to charge. This is critical for us to pass, or we potentially could lose a lot of money in reimbursement and no longer be self-funded. I can email you the ordinance, this is critical for us to continue to be self funded and collect insurance from some major carriers.

All three rescue articles have no taxpayer costs and have actually helped the rescue be self funded since fiscal year 2006. We hope everyone comes out to vote on Tuesday, June 8, at the Lebanon Elementary School, 6 a.m.-8 p.m. You can also vote ahead of time by absentee ballot by going to the town hall or calling 207-457-6082. This equipment have saved a lot of lives, all at no cost to the taxpayers. We have the donations and revenue and just need permission to expend it. Thank you for your continued support.

On behalf of the nearly 50 volunteers with the Lebanon Rescue Department, which is one of the busiest all volunteer departments in the state, we thank you for your support. By taking 10 minutes to vote, you can help us save lives. Our volunteers give over 15,000 manpower hours a year to the community, let’s give them the equipment they desperately need and all at no taxpayer cost.

Please call me if you have any questions at all. (207) 608-5614

Sincerely,

Samantha J. Cole

Lebanon Rescue Chief

Chief Samantha J. Cole
Lebanon Rescue Department
Rescue Chief’s Office
323 Depot Road
Lebanon, Maine 04027

(207) 608-5614 Cell Phone
(207) 339-9488 Central Station
Emergency Dial 9-1-1
www.lebanonrescue.com

I arrived at the Town Hall at 6:25pm to see a hand written notice on the door stating there would be a Selectmen Workshop Wednesday morning at 9:30am. There was a similar notice in the posting area outside. There was also No notice of cancellation for the non-scheduled meeting and no official people around.

I returned home and went to the Facebook and saw a posting at 7pm stating a Special Selectmen Meeting was to be held on Wednesday morning at 9:30am. I ask you is 14 1/2 hours of notice via a post on a Social networking website reasonable notice for a meeting? Shouldn’t all official meetings be posted on the Town Website with a minimum of 24 hours ( in extreme emergency situations).

The Right-To-Know law says something like reasonable public notice which leaves things a bit open to interpretation. I don’t believe the expectation of the Law is that Town Residents are expected to drive by the Town Hall daily to see if a meeting is posted on the door or outside cabinet. I don’t understand why a meeting can’t be properly called with reasonable proper public notice.

If the original meeting was missed in error o.k. re-schedule for later in the week at night, post it on the website and shoot it to the papers. Give residents a reasonable couple days notice. Why does something so simple seem to be so hard? This is not an emergency..If it does have time pressure why not do it at the last meeting?

On the Town Hall door the meeting is posted as a Workshop, but on Facebook it says Special Selectmen Meeting… It would seem to me election of a New Chairperson is an official meeting and should be posted that way, not as a Workshop, it is all misleading. Combine the misleading with the short notice and it all just seems wrong.

I think the recent initiatives by the Town to use Facebook and alternate media channels is great…However, there is also an excellent email posting systems already employed by the town for notifying people directly of public notices just like this meeting, why not use them?

Not everyone uses Facebook even for those that do, 14 1/2 hours is simply not enough notice in my opinion and falls well short of the intent of the Law.

This year over 1,000 people visited during the 3 hour festival, which actually carried over as several people showed up at then end.The raffle had about 1,046 single person entries and not everyone who attended participated.

The day had lots of great events, including a skydiving demonstration by Skydive New England, Life Flight helicopter landing, a Jaws of Life and patient removal demonstration by the Lebanon Rescue and Fire Departments, a monster truck, a race car by a local driver, lots of great really neat antique vehicles,  heavy equipment displays, a petting farm, face painting, several area businesses on display, camping trailers, church groups, a fundraiser BBQ, and town departments including the Lebanon EMA, Lebanon FD, Lebanon Library and Lebanon Recreation.

The Lebanon Recreation held a benefit 5k walk/run earlier in the morning to raise money for a local cancer patient.

The event planning started in January and this year the Lebanon schools helped coordinate the event with the rescue.

The event marked the end of several community events throughout the week for National Emergency Medical Services week.

Please visit the rescue facebook site to see lots of great pictures.

The weather was perfect and it was a great community event. Thank you to all the rescue volunteers who planned and coordinated the festival and to the staff at the schools for their help. Thanks to all the people who came and made the event so great!

All Selectmen were in attendance

Meeting Started appx 6:35pm

• Minutes from previous meeting were accepted
• Selectmen Cole read a proclamation for National EMS week, thanking the volunteers for their service.
• The Mowing Bids received two weeks ago were all rejected. The reason was they were unsure what areas needed to be mowed.
• Laura Bragg asked if with the recent staffing changes the locks could be changed on several cabinets in the office to ensure security to records, stickers, and stamps. Selectmen said yes and would contact a locksmith.
• Laura Bragg also asked what was to happen next year where the general budget has been set at 32 hours for staff but they will working 40, wont they run out of money? Selectmen Cole explained there was some room to absorb the extra costs and it should be fine.
• Glen Stadig asked when the Town Report would be available? Selectmen Cole explained the report needed to be done by the vote and that they were on track to have it before then. It will also be available on the town website via PDF soon.
• Glen Stadig asked if vote tally from the Budget Committee would be made available to residents. It was promised at the vote it would provided to the Budget Committee and residents at the town meeting. This has not occurred. Selectmen Cole said he needs to update a couple of the votes that were missed and format the sheet. He was hoping it could make the mailer, but it sounded doubtful.
• Glen Stadig asked why a Town Manager was not at the Town Meeting last evening to explain to residents the role a Town Manager performs? At earlier inquiries Selectmen had indicated North Berwick and or Berwick managers would be attending. Selectmen Cole said the meeting lasted 4 hours as it was and that he had trouble connecting with managers at the other towns.
• Glen Stadig asked for clarification why the Mowing Bids were rejected? The request was put out only three weeks ago, what has changed so drastically in that amount of time? Selectmen Chairman Frizzell said the rejection was due in part to washouts and ditching that has been done, left many areas without much to mow. Selectmen Cole said Selectmen could not reach a consensus on how to determine what to mow and it might be revisited later.  Selectmen do not want to pay for a mile of road to be paved, when only half needs to be done.
• Chris Gilpatrick spoke on the Mowing and said being a contractor if mowing was to be done the lowest bidder should still have the option to accept (this was not Mr. Gilpatrick’s company). He also said to have it re-bid at this time would not be right since all the bidders who submitted know the others prices. Mr. Gilpatrick stated his concerns this was a means to steer work to the contractor who has done the mowing the last couple years.
• The Paving bid was awarded to F.R. Carroll.
• Meeting adjourned appx 7:03

All Selectmen were in attendance

• Meeting opened at 6:30pm
• Minutes approved from last meeting
• Articles and materials for the June 8 town vote were signed
• Selectmen changed policy last week to allow benefits for employees who work 25 or more hours. This change has been made to the policy but there was question exactly how the revision should be done.
• Roadside Mowing bids were opened – Boucher Construction 160 mile, Russell Howard 140 Mile, Frank & Roxanne Bumford 145 Mile, Jr’s Trucking and Landscaping 145 mile, Gilpatrick Property Services 148 Mile, C&R Trucking 158 mile. – The project will be awarded during the 5/18/10 selectmen meeting. Selectmen Cole clarified the cost per mile was for both sides of the road for 1 mile.
• Public Participation was had while waiting for 7pm
• Laura Bragg asked that a notice be sent to all employees in there checks about political influence. There is a section in the employee handbook that essentially states you can’t stump for yourself or others during working or use your position for the same. Selectmen thought this was a good idea and will be done.
• Glen Stadig asked if the vote roster from the Budget Committee vote would be published. Selectmen Cole said he was missing a couple and needed to watch the video of the meeting to complete.
• Chris Gilpatrick asked if Selectmen had responded to his written request for a key to the transfer station from last week. Selectmen had but not mailed the letter and handed it Mr. Gilpatrick directly.
• Mr. Torno Sr. asked Selectmen if they expect taxes will increase or decrease? Selectmen Cole explained that there had been reduction in state funding, an increase in school expense, and significant cuts in town budgets with the goal of holding the line. Selectmen Cole expects the tax rate to hold about the same.
• Paving Bids were opened – Dayton Sand & Gravel 70.75 ton, Brocks Industries 86.45 ton 120 hand, Libby Scott 67 ton 120 hand, Pike Industries 76.50 ton, RD Torno 61.45 ton 110 hand, FR Carroll 59 ton 100 hand. The project will be awarded at the next Selectmen Meeting on 5/18/10.
• Mr. Torno spoke and asked if Selectmen take into account the distance the hot top is trucked and the temperature of it when laid? He also stated that in the past FR Carroll had charged for a water truck that was on site that was supposed to be part of the contract? Selectmen said they would look into it an make a decision to be announced in a couple weeks. Mr. Torno was upset and explained his disdain for Selectmen Frizzell for not awarding the bid to the lowest bidder (him) in the past and claimed it was because Mr. Frizzell personally didn’t like him, a claim Mr. Frizzell denied stating he really didn’t know Mr. Torno.
• The Heath Road Culvert Project was awarded to Brown Industrial Group for $59,433 the next closest bid was about $83,000
• Of Course there was more….
• Meeting was adjourned appx 7:15pm…lasting appx 39 minutes

You may see the entire Lebanon Video Library Here http://www.veoh.com/group/selectmeetings

Watch 05-04-10 Lebanon Maine Selectmen Meeting in News |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com