Three Vassalboro select board members only residents to see second budget draft

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by Mary Grow

The three select board members were the only Vassalboro residents present as they went through the second draft of the proposed 2025-26 municipal budget at a Feb. 12 workshop meeting.

Town Manager Aaron Miller said one resident had emailed him general comments on what the person thinks should – and should not – be in the town’s budget.

Board members spent almost two and a half hours with Miller’s draft budget, revised after their previous meeting Feb. 6 (see the Feb. 13 issue of The Town Line, p. 2).

Decisions were to continue the review at their next regular meeting, scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 20; to invite Public Works Director Brian Lajoie, Transfer Station Manager Adam Daoust and Recreation Director Karen Stankis to come to talk about parts of their budget requests; and to invite Vassalboro Budget Committee members.

Board members intend to have a preliminary recommended draft for the budget committee early in March, allowing time for that group’s review and joint discussion before the warrant for the June town meeting is put in final form.

Town meeting voters make final budget decisions.

Among topics re-discussed Feb. 12 was the need to replace Dunlap bridge on Mill Hill Road. Miller said a state official told him the $200,000 grant awarded last summer could be rescinded under the Trump administration.

Board members considered funding alternatives. Miller will check on costs of taking out a bond for the project.

Board member Chris French said repeatedly that his priority for 2025-26 is a new backhoe at the transfer station, a purchase he said would benefit the whole town. He is therefore willing to cut or postpone other expenditures.

Miller said Vassalboro has a chance to buy a backhoe, paying over three years with no interest.

The Vassalboro Historical Society’s budget request includes $10,000 for a part-time curator, whose job would include digitizing appropriate parts of the society’s collection; advising on accessions and discards; and supervising volunteers.

Board member Michael Poulin objected that the town, as owner of the former school that is the society’s headquarters, is responsible only for building maintenance, not for operations.

These and other topics will undoubtedly be discussed again on Feb. 20. That evening’s select board meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., with the budget discussion at the top of the agenda.

Other Feb. 20 topics include a conversation with Matt Streeter, of Maine Rivers; continued discussion of proposed amendments to Vassalboro’s TIF (Tax Increment Financing) program; transfer station fee changes; and whether voting should be conducted at the town office, Vassalboro Community School or some other place.

China select board discourages two residents asking for town expenditures

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by Mary Grow

At their Feb. 10 meeting, China select board members discouraged two residents recommending town expenditures.

Director of Public Services Shawn Reed, who made a second pitch for a new town truck, was rejected, on a split vote.

Board chairman Wayne Chadwick told Broadband Committee chairman Robert O’Connor and member Jamie Pitney he would oppose a broadband expansion proposal unless it met his criteria.

Reed repeated points he made two weeks earlier about the age of town plow trucks and the difficulty of keeping roads clear when a truck is out of service, as happens almost every storm (see the Jan. 30 issue of The Town Line, p. 3). He expects truck prices will continue to increase, perhaps in part because of the Trump administration’s tariffs on steel.

Asked about the $297,676 price he had two weeks ago from O’Connor Motors, in Augusta, Reed said he was not sure it was still good; nor could he guarantee that signing a purchase agreement would hold a price.

Reed and Chadwick discussed types of undercoating that might extend truck life. Frequent washings help, Reed said; one more bay on the town garage would provide an indoor space, so his crew would not have to work outdoors, wearing creepers to avoid falling as the washwater froze on the driveway.

After a 15-minute discussion, board members voted not to buy a new town truck in 2025. Only Edwin Bailey and Jeanne Marquis were in favor; Chadwick, Blane Casey and Thomas Rumpf voted no.

O’Connor had sent board members a proposed contract with Unitel, the Albion-based Direct Communications subsidiary with which China’s Broadband Committee has been working. The town committee’s goal is to expand and improve broadband service in China, starting with unserved and underserved areas.

The plan O’Connor explained involves China contributing $370,000 in already-approved TIF (Tax Increment Financing) funds toward expansion. Pitney said the estimated total cost is around $2 million.

The project has two parts: a new main line running from Albion through China to connect with Palermo, a member of the five-town group that also works with Unitel; plus expansion of service to un- and underserved parts of China.

This project depends on a successful grant application. O’Connor urged select board members to send a letter supporting the grant. Without grant funding, Pitney said, only the main line would be built.

Chadwick considers the main line a benefit to Unitel, not China, and if China pays, he wants to be sure China benefits. Unless he is guaranteed the project will include expanded service in China, he will vote against it, he said. Marquis voiced a similar concern.

No action was taken.

In other business, board members unanimously accepted the lowest of three bids to replace a heater in the town garage, $4,813.99 from M. A. Haskell Fuel Company, of Palermo.

Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood summarized changes in speed limits in the Weeks Mills Village area that were recently approved by the state Department of Transportation.

The manager reported the following items from town departments:

— A reminder that all proposed questions for the June 10 town business meeting need to be reviewed by select board members in March, to meet the April 11 deadline for a final meeting warrant. March select board meetings are scheduled for the evenings of Monday, March 10, and Monday, March 24.
— Notice that the transfer station is now accepting number 1 plastic for recycling.

Schedules of events for China Ice Days, Feb. 14 through Feb. 16, are on the China Four Seasons Club website and in the recently mailed Feb. 7 issue of China Connected. Hapgood and board members briefly considered potential effects of the snowstorm forecast for Sunday, Feb. 16.

All town services will be closed Monday, Feb. 17, for the Presidents’ Day holiday, Hapgood said.

Select board members did not discuss the draft 2025-26 budget at their Feb. 2 meeting, deciding 8 p.m. was time to adjourn. They plan to start their Feb. 24 meeting at 5:30 p.m., half an hour earlier than usual, to leave more time for budget review.

EVENTS: Palermo planning board postpones meeting

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The Palermo Planning Board meeting, schedule for Thursday, February 13, 2025, at the Palermo Town Office, at 6 pm., the purpose to conduct official review of plans for the proposed Pine Hill subdivision on Hostile Valley Road, Tax Map R11, Lot 27C, has been postponed.

Vassalboro planners approve new 7-lot subdivision on Seaward Mills Road

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Planning Board members unanimously approved a new seven-lot subdivision on Seaward Mills Road at their Feb. 4 meeting.

Surveyor Adam Ellis presented a final plan for the Hidden Acres subdivision, on land owned by Jeremy Allen. Board members had discussed preliminary plans at their Dec. 3, 2024, and Jan. 7, 2025, meetings (see the Jan. 16 issue of The Town Line, p. 3).

They found the application complete, with one exception: Vassalboro’s subdivision ordinance requires an E911 address for each proposed house in the subdivision.

Impossible, codes officer Eric Currie said. He cannot assign an E911 address until the driveway and house have been precisely located by GPS (Global Positioning System).

Board members waived the requirement.

Reviewing the subdivision plan against a long list of ordinance criteria, they found it meets requirements, with two minor changes that Ellis made on the spot and added to the town’s and the county Registry of Deeds’ copies of the plan.

Allen said he intends to build the dead-end interior road, probably in phases, sell the lots and be done. Things like road maintenance, a road association or a homeowners’ association will be up to the new landowners.

The next Vassalboro Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 4, in the town office meeting room.

Vassalboro select board reviews manager’s budget draft

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro select board members held their first review of Town Manager Aaron Miller’s draft 2025-26 town budget at a Feb. 4 workshop meeting. They went through the document category by category and frequently line by line.

This part of the budget includes neither the 2025-26 school budget, which will be larger than the town budget, nor the 2025-26 Kennebec County tax.

Board members started with an increase of about $270,000 over the current year’s budget. By the end of the more-than-two-hour meeting, they had about a $560,000 increase.

All numbers are preliminary; many will change as the budget process continues. After select board members reach consensus, budget committee members will make their recommendations; if the two boards differ, they will try to reach agreement before voters make final decisions in June.

Miller reminded those watching the Feb. 4 discussion that all taxpayers, as well as town employees and volunteer board and committee members, are welcome to attend discussions. The meeting schedule is posted on the town website, Vassalboro.net.

One of the largest expenditures is replacing the deteriorating Dunlap bridge on Mill Hill Road. Select board members have three different plans with three different price tags. Last summer they received a $200,000 federal grant that requires town matching funds.

Miller said the public works budget might decrease slightly, although it is incomplete and subject to change. It includes the second payment on the new skidsteer and other equipment expenses. Miller said Public Works Director Brian Lajoie recommends buying a new, smaller truck for plowing narrow and dead-end roads, at a cost of around $71,000.

The paving budget might increase, depending on the price of materials and how much paving is done. Miller said Lajoie’s preliminary plans for 2025 would repave or pave Crowell Hill Road (1.9 miles, last done in 2010-11), Priest Hill Road (2.2 miles, last done in 2015), Carll Lane, Dow Road and Town Farm Road.

One question is whether the town will save money by paving unpaved roads; extra costs of maintaining them might be high enough so that paving would quickly pay for itself in savings. Miller plans further discussion with Lajoie.

Miller is recommending a 2.9 percent cost of living increase, plus 2 percent merit raises, for town employees. He expects increases in several lines in the town office budget, including insurance, legal fees and perhaps postage.

Election expenses, however, should go down about $1,000, with no 2025 presidential election, Miller said.

Delta Ambulance service’s fee increase, from $25 to $35 per resident, will raise that budget line. Miller said volunteer firefighters also request an increase.

Some of the smaller budget items look as though they will remain the same as this year. Miller mentioned cemetery maintenance; select board member Chris French asked whether a tree maintenance plan discussed last fall might require an increase.

Miller replied that planning tree maintenance five years ahead is difficult, given cost changes. Board chairman Frederick “Rick” Denico, Jr., observed that removing dying trees is probably less expensive than repairing tree-damaged gravestones.

The manager foresees an increase in assessing costs, as the assessor’s salary goes from $33,500 to $35,000. He recommends adding $40,000 to the reserve fund for a future town-wide revaluation.

Board members intended to continue budget review at their regular meeting Feb. 6, but canceled it due to snow.

The next budget workshop was originally scheduled for Feb. 13, but Miller later changed it to Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 5:30 p.m. Beforehand, he promised to “sharpen my pencil” and review smaller items in the Feb. 4 draft.

China planners OK flood hazard development permit for landing

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by Mary Grow

At their Jan. 28 meeting, China Planning Board members approved a flood hazard development permit for the town’s planned rebuilding of Town Landing Road, in South China Village.

When board members approved a conditional use permit for earth-moving at their Jan. 14 meeting, approval was conditioned on getting a flood hazard development permit. The board has not granted one for so long that Codes Officer Nicholas French needed to create an application form.

He did, and presented a completed application at the Jan. 28 meeting. It asked approval “to pave/stabilize the [Town Landing] road, armor the end with concrete planks and crushed stone, install a drainage ditch, check dams, + a vegetative buffer.” The size was given as 25-feet-by-550-feet; the cost was estimated at $125,000.

Board members quickly found the project met flood hazard requirements (most deal with structures in flood zones and were irrelevant) and approved the permit. French will create an approval form for them to sign at their next meeting.

In an email after the meeting, French said the Town of China now has all needed permits for the road rebuilding project.

Discussion of the second item on the Jan. 28 agenda, timber harvesting regulations, led to a broader discussion of ordinance amendments.

Board Chairman Toni Wall and French explained that in November 2024, China voters approved an ordinance amendment that transferred authority to regulate timber harvesting (in shoreland, resource protection and stream protection districts) from town officials to the Maine Forest Service. Forest Service officials have asked for additional deletions of references to town authority, from lists of responsibilities to definitions.

Ordinance amendments need voter approval. Newly-appointed (and former) board member Milton Dudley asked about presenting other changes at the same time.

At various times in 2024, board members discussed updates and additions to several parts of the town’s Land Development Code. They lacked time to develop wording.

French said any changes proposed for the June 10 town budget meeting need to be drafted by the end of February, so voters can comment at a public hearing before the final version goes on the meeting warrant early in April.

The next town wide vote after June 10 will be in November 2025.

French’s report to the board included announcing that he has been selected as the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce municipal employee of the year, with seven nominations. An awards banquet will be held in April. Board and audience members congratulated him.

The next regular China Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11.

China select board hears manager’s initial budget draft

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by Mary Grow

All six China Budget Committee members and four of the five Select Board members watched Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood’s Feb. 3 on-screen presentation of the initial draft 2025-26 town budget. Each went home with a binder containing an inch of paper detailing past, present and proposed finances.

The introductory page shows Hapgood’s proposed budget, totaling $4,996,148. This figure is $191,752 higher than the current year’s budget.

Major recommended increases include more than $70,000 for public works; more than $60,000 for public services; and more than $54,000 for emergency services. The manager proposes decreases from the current year in five accounts; the largest is $18,500 from the transfer station, mainly achieved by moving a part-time employee to the public works payroll.

This person will continue to work in both departments as needed, Hapgood said.

Her presentation summarized some of the budget highlights. New expenditures she proposes include adding a part-time Community Program Director, at an anticipated cost of $11,000; and creating a new reserve fund for replacement scales at the transfer station, starting with $12,000.

The manager is recommending a 3.5 percent cost of living pay increase for town employees. The figure matches the CPI (Consumer Price Index) increase for northern New England, she said.

After review by the budget committee and select board and approval by the latter, the budget will be presented to voters at the June 10 annual town budget meeting. The 2025-26 fiscal year begins July 1.

Hapgood pointed out that not all the almost $5 million will come from property taxes; excise taxes and state revenue sharing are important contributors. And, she said, new homes and new businesses have increased the tax base.

A major concern that surfaced repeatedly in Hapgood’s presentation is emergency services. How will 911 calls be answered in the future? she wondered.

Delta Ambulance is one aspect. The Waterville-based service essential to transport sick or injured residents is charging towns it serves $25 per resident this year and will increase the fee to $35 in 2025-26. This year China was billed $110,200; next year’s bill will be $154,280.

Hapgood proposes paying for 10 hours a week coverage by Kennebec County deputy sheriffs, instead of the current eight hours, increasing that budget line from $36,000 this year to $44,200 next.

And she worried about the decline in volunteers for China’s three fire departments and China Rescue. Members are aging out, and not enough younger members are replacing them, she said.

Hapgood urged select board and budget committee members to review the information in their budget books and send her any questions, preferably well before the Feb. 10 select board meeting.

China select board OKs kayak, paddleboat rental station

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by Mary Grow

The three main issues at the Jan. 27 China select board meeting were town trucks; a proposed kayak and paddleboard rental station; and recreation programs. Board members postponed decision on a new truck for two weeks and, on a split vote, authorized the rental station.

Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood and Director of Public Services Shawn Reed described expensive problems with some of China’s older plow trucks. Two are 10 years old; Reed recommends replacing one this year.

Reed reminded select board members he proposed buying a new truck a year ago. They did not include the purchase in the 2024-25 budget; but they recommended, and voters approved, a $200,000 increase in the public works equipment reserve, bringing it to about $305,000.

Since last spring, Reed said, the price of the Western Star he recommends has increased by $13,000, to close to $300,000 with plow gear. When he suggested the delay had wasted $13,000 of taxpayers’ money, board chairman Wayne Chadwick replied that it also resulted in a newer truck that hadn’t started depreciating. But, Hapgood countered, during the year there had been repair expenses.

“As these trucks age, nothing with them is getting better, and the cost to replace them is going up,” Reed said. He favors a replacement schedule, so town officials won’t find they need several trucks all at once.

As a China taxpayer, he agreed with select board member Blane Casey that raising taxes isn’t desirable. But neither is having too few trucks to keep roads clear and residents safe, he said.

During the most recent storm, he said, one truck quit in the middle of Route 3; another had to be sent to haul it off the road.

After 20 minutes’ discussion, board members postponed a decision to their Feb. 10 meeting.

Sheriff alerts residents of power scams

Kennebec County Sheriff’s Deputy Ivano Steffanizzi shared the department’s message for county residents at the Jan. 27 China select board meeting: if someone shows up at your door offering to lower your electric bill, send him away: it’s a scam.

Official-looking imposters have been collecting electricity bill numbers and credit card numbers or other payment information on the pretext of representing Central Maine Power Company, Stefanizzi said.

He also urged residents to keep an eye on their elderly, live-alone neighbors in winter weather, if possible helping them feel less isolated.

Recreation Committee Chairman Martha Wentworth first presented the rental idea in January 2024. She recommended the town contract with a Michigan company named Rent.Fun.

In return for an upfront fee from the town, the company would provide four kayaks and four paddle boards, with paddles and lifejackets, in a secure cage. People could rent the equipment, using a phone app and a credit card.

Revenue would be split evenly between Rent.Fun and the town. The company would pay for repairs and maintenance, using local labor if the town requested, and for liability insurance.

In October 2024, Wentworth applied for TIF (Tax Increment Financing) money for the town’s share. She said the project was deemed ineligible.

This year, Wentworth said, the town’s fee had increased, from $29,000 to $35,000; she had talked with a Rent.Fun official and negotiated it down to $33,500. Rent.Fun had made other contract changes she thought undesirable, but the official agreed to honor China’s 2024 understanding.

Select board members talked another 40 minutes about all aspects of the plan before voting 3-1, with Edwin Bailey, Casey and Jeanne Marquis in favor, Chadwick opposed and Thomas Rumpf absent, to approve it. In addition to money appropriated last year, they authorized $14,000 from the recreation reserve and $5,000 from the select board’s contingency fund.

Chadwick said he believes the enterprise should be privately, not municipally, funded.

Hapgood said the exact location of the approximately eight-by-eight-foot structure near the China Lake boat launch by the causeway will be determined, considering convenience and safety, minimal interference with already-inadequate parking and winter plowing around it.

In addition to the China Recreation Committee that Wentworth heads, there is a China Recreation Sports Committee, headed by Mike Sullivan. Sullivan attended the Jan. 27 select board to ask for the select board’s support in what he described as a competitive situation with out-of-town interests.

Sullivan and Wentworth disagreed over aspects of the programs. Chadwick recommended investigation before the select board considered any action.

In other business, board members awarded the 2025 mowing bid to the low bidder, Littlefield Lawn Care, of China, for $26,500.

They unanimously authorized Hapgood to sign a 2025-26 State of Maine dispatch contract for emergency services dispatching, for $51,199.

Hapgood issued a reminder that nominations for Spirit of America awards are due by Feb. 1. The agenda says there is an on-line nomination form at https://chinamaine.org/images/PDFs/Spirit_of_America_Award_nomination_form.pdf.

Hapgood suggested people call the town office before submitting a nomination, to find out whether the person previously received the award.

The manager announced a budget workshop at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3, in the town office meeting room. She intends to present a draft 2025-26 budget.

The next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10.

Applications for 2025 TIF (Tax Increment Financing) funds are due by Feb. 28.

Vassalboro transfer station members focus on wetlands

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by Mary Grow

Much of the Jan. 23 discussion among Vassalboro Transfer Station Task Force members focused on wetlands.

Task Force members have talked for months about a rearrangement of the waste disposal facility on Lombard Dam Road. Their main goal is to increase safety by traffic changes. They would like to eliminate the need for residents to back up to the waste hoppers and simplify traffic flow.

Town officials intend to buy most of a foreclosed parcel immediately east of the transfer station to provide more space for a redesign. The land includes a right-of-way, wetlands and a small steam.

Town Manager Aaron Miller will try to find out if the right-of-way is still valid; the property it serves to the south apparently now has another access from the east. The extent of the wetlands, and the restrictions imposed, are under discussion with staff from the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Task Force chairman Chris French plans to notify DEP that town officials intend to avoid infringing on wetlands.

Task Force members agreed their next step should be to have engineer Jeff Senders, of Senders science, engineering & construction, of Camden, revise plans he prepared in May 2024.

They also talked about adding roofs over open waste containers and pads under waste piles (like compost), projects recommended by transfer station manager Adam Daoust. Miller plans to prepare requests for bids for various projects.

To give Senders time to revise his plan, the next Task Force meeting will not be until Thursday, March 5, at 5:15 p.m., before the select board meeting scheduled for that evening.

Vassalboro trails committee discusses maintenance work

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Vassalboro Trails (photo by Laura Jones)

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Trails Committee members discussed maintenance work for 2025 at a Jan. 21 meeting. At chair John Melrose’s suggestion, they agreed by consensus to ask town voters for a $1,250 budget allocation for 2025-26, the same amount as in the current year.

Melrose said this year’s funds are two-thirds spent, and the rest will be used before the fiscal year ends June 30. Town funds are supplemented by a great deal of volunteer work, assistance from the public works department and gifts.

The meeting agenda listed trails for which the committee is responsible: Town Forest/Red Brook, Seaward Mills, Davidson Preserve, Spectacle Pond, Sturgis Sanctuary, Willow Walk and Vassalboro Wildlife Habitat, plus snowmobile trails.

Individual committee members reported on several trails they had checked recently. They found only minor storm damage and generally good conditions.

Proposed projects include widening parts of some trails by cutting brush; dealing with wet areas in various ways, from adding gravel to building bridges; and adding signs, both trail signs and, if possible, signs identifying different tree species.

Committee members endorsed working with the Kennebec Land Trust to provide additional parking for the Seaward Mills trail. Melrose said public works director Brian Lajoie intends to have the town crew improve parking at the Sturgis Sanctuary later in the spring.

From the audience, resident Dave Richard offered assistance with trail work in general and especially if committee members were interested in allowing mountain biking on some trails.

Committee members did not set a new meeting date. They will schedule a trails work day this spring; Melrose suggested in May.

CORRECTION: The January 30, 2025, issue of The Town Line contained an article on the Vassalboro Trails Committee Meeting. It was mistakenly reported the current appropriation at $1,250 which was reported as stated. The current year is set at $1,100 and that’s what they will be requesting in the upcoming budget. It was a source error.