photo: vsdistrict.com
At their Jan. 14 meeting, Vassalboro Sanitary District trustees began moving toward some of the goals suggested by board chairman Lauchlin Titus at earlier meetings.
They and Maine Rural Water Association Executive Director Kirsten Hebert agreed that the association will take over VSD financial and administrative functions that Rebecca Goodrich has been doing. Goodrich has repeatedly told trustees she would like to resign.
Donald Robbins, former owner of the East Vassalboro Water Company, said a similar transition for his company a few years ago went very smoothly. New VSD trustee (and newly-appointed board clerk) Laura Jones, whose house the water company serves, agreed: she remembers the change-over only because her bill payments began going to a new address.
Hebert said the transition will take at least a month; board member Dan Mayotte suggested two months.
Jones has set up an expanded Vassalboro Sanitary District website, available at vsdistrict.com.
District finances dominated much of the meeting. In addition to operating expenses, VSD is paying off large loans incurred when the Vassalboro sewer system was connected via Winslow to Waterville’s treatment plant, a project finished late in 2020.
The result is that sewer bills for the approximately 200 users are high, sometimes higher than their property tax bills. Some are in arrears; some have had liens placed on their homes.
Trustees have discussed problems with Hebert, representatives from RCAP (Rural Community Assistance Partnership) Solutions and auditor Ron Smith, of Buxton-based RHR Smith and Company. Smith is auditor for the VSD and for the Town of Vassalboro.
During the Jan. 14 meeting, trustees reviewed Goodrich’s recent expenditure list, asking about a few unfamiliar items. They again reviewed available resources.
Titus recommends solar power to save money on VSD’s electric bills, based on his own experience. He had talked with a bank that would entertain an application for a loan for a solar installation.
Nick Young, sales and design manager with Belfast-based Logix, proposed a solar power project at the KWD headquarters in North Vassalboro, for an estimated cost of $106,900. It would be built in the south-facing field south of the headquarters building.
If trustees want to develop a solar project and get a tax credit, they need to act promptly, because the tax credit program has a July 4, 2026, expiration date, Titus said. Young explained that to qualify for the tax credit, a solar project must be under way by the July 4 deadline; it need not be completed until 2027.
Mayotte was doubtful about going deeper into debt. Specific issues he raised included neighbors’ reactions (“They’re all dead” was Titus’s reply: the North Vassalboro cemetery is the closest neighbor to the field); the accuracy of projected savings; local regulations, if any; and insurance on solar panels.
On Mayotte’s motion, board members authorized Titus to continue discussions about a bank loan.
Returning to the topic of the $5,000 donation received last year to help VSD customers pay their bills (see the Jan. 1 issue of The Town Line, p. 2), Titus reported that the anonymous donor has abandoned conditions on his or her gift, saying “Put it in the general fund.”
Board members agreed Titus, Jones and Goodrich would become a subcommittee to distribute any gifts received, with preference given to residents whose properties have been liened to collect overdue bills.
Board members discussed two potential requests for municipal funds to help pay VSD’s annual debt service, which runs around $130,000. Smith had advised asking for town money for more than half of it, Titus said.
One request would be for $40,000 from Vassalboro’s TIF (Tax Increment Financing) account. TIF funds are disbursed by the select board.
The second would be a warrant article asking voters at Vassalboro’s June town meeting to approve adding to every tax bill a specific line asking for $25 for an economic development fund that would be a gift to the VSD.
Titus explained that the separate line in the tax bill would mean that each taxpayer would contribute the same amount, regardless of the size of the bill. Hebert said she had heard of such a procedure in other municipalities.
Titus said Vassalboro sends out 2,748 tax bills. A $25 item on each bill would raise $68,700. First, he explained, the selectmen would need to put an article on the town meeting warrant; then, voters would have to approve it. He has talked with a few residents who would not object to giving VSD customers $25.
If select board members and voters grant both requests, much of the debt service would be taken care of for 2026. Both requests would likely become annual, Titus said, since the need will not go away for years.
Board members approved the idea.
Jones and, from the audience, Jennifer Reed, who coordinates the unofficial community meetings where residents discuss VSD problems, talked about the value of lower sewer rates in restoring Main Street businesses. They pointed out that the North Vassalboro and East Vassalboro general stores and the only Main Street restaurant have all closed.
The VSD board still needs one more member. Jones said according to the charter, he or she must be a VSD customer.
Current members have been appointed by the select board to fill vacancies. In June, Vassalboro voters need to elect five board members (the present members can, but needn’t, run for election).
Board members scheduled a public training session for potential board members before the next trustees’ meeting. The purpose would be to explain to anyone interested what the VSD is and does and what trustees do and how they do it.
The next VSD trustees’ meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 12, in the town office meeting room.
by Mary Grow
The Town of Oakland is launching the Oakland Façade and Downtown Improvement Grant Program (OFDIG) to support a more vibrant, welcoming, and economically resilient downtown. The program will provide funding to local business and property owners for exterior building improvements that enhance Oakland’s commercial corridors and strengthen downtown appeal.
