CHINA: Discussions on local fireworks ordinance, town office addition continue

by Mary Grow

China select board members spent a long Aug. 1 meeting going over a long agenda, with board member Janet Preston presiding in the absence of Chairman Ronald Breton.

Ongoing issues included the proposed local fireworks ordinance; broadband expansion; the planned town office addition; using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to help residents pay fuel bills; and town office hours.

Select board members disposed of the fireworks ordinance relatively quickly. They voted 3-1, with Jeanne Marquis dissenting, to drop the idea and stay with state law.

Sheldon Goodine

Select board members and Sheldon Goodine, chairman of the Municipal Building Committee, talked at length about the need for more storage space at the town office. As board member Wayne Chadwick pointed out, the original suggestion of a small room for storing permanent records has expanded into a sketch plan for a larger room with work space.

Goodine said the new proposal is based on his interviews with town office staff, who told him what they see as space needs.

The initial cost estimate, very rough, was less than $200,000. Goodine offered an equally uncertain estimate of $300,000 for the larger building. The price assumes the building does not include a second-story meeting room that was discussed at an earlier select board meeting, and that Goodine thinks is not a good idea.

Wayne Chadwick

Chadwick suggested minimizing the need to store paper by digitizing more records. Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood said she will explore possibilities. Her initial reaction was negative, because, she said, digitizing would cost money and staff time, and some state departments require paper records.

A building committee meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11, for additional consideration of the smaller option.

Discussion of an ARPA-funded subsidy program for residents’ fuel bills led to Preston’s request to Hapgood develop draft guidelines. Topics should include whether to set income guidelines, and if so how low; residency requirements; minimizing red tape; defining required evidence to support information; and whether to pay residents directly, or fuel companies.

Hapgood offered several alternatives for shortening the hours the town office is open. The current 47.5 hours a week is one of the longest in Maine, she said.

Because of the long hours, staff members are not all there at the same time. Those trying to do office work are frequently also on counter duty and have to keep shifting from one task to another. Shorter open hours would make staff work more efficient by minimizing interruptions.

Hapgood’s information included analysis of busiest and least busy hours – for example, she said, Wednesday is almost always a slow day, and the first and last Saturday mornings are usually much busier than other Saturday mornings.

After discussing sundry alternatives, select board members voted 3-1, with Chad­­­wick dissenting, that effective Sept. 1, the China town office will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; and from 8 to 11 a.m. the first and last Saturday of each month. It will be closed Wednesdays.

In new business, Kennebec County Sheriff Ken Mason, accompanied by County Commissioner Patsy Crockett, explained why he unexpectedly raised the charge to China for “special details” (covering special events) from $65 per officer per hour to $85. There were two reasons, Mason said, that were not anticipated at the beginning of the year: increased fuel prices, and a “well-deserved and overdue” raise for deputies.

(A Kennebec Journal article said the raise is 9 percent.)

Mason said the goal is to break even on special details, so that county taxpayers will not pay for individual towns’ service. Select board members expressed appreciation for the county’s law enforcement services.

Hapgood urged select board members to support more codes enforcement in town, specifically looking into past ordinance violations that have fallen through the cracks as China has had five codes enforcement officers in 14 years.

She said resident Dwaine Drummond is already working on back issues as a consultant. On her recommendation, select board members approved carrying forward unspent money from the fiscal year that ended June 30 to pay Drummond for part-time work.

They also appointed him assistant codes enforcement officer.

Hapgood, who is currently China’s codes officer in addition to her other duties, commended town office staff member Tammy Bailey for her help with codes enforcement paperwork.

Jeanne Marquis

Other appointments were assistant codes officer Nicholas French as building official and local health officer and select board member Jeanne Marquis as China’s representative to the Kennebec Regional Development Agency (KRDA), operator of the FirstPark business park, in Oakland. Blane Casey volunteered to be Marquis’s alternate and was scheduled to be appointed at the board’s special Aug. 8 meeting.

In other business, Hapgood reported two bids for the police cruiser China no longer needs. Board members unanimously accepted the higher, $30,001 from the Town of Wiscasset.

The town schedule includes:

• Nomination papers for local elective office are now available at the town office. Signed papers must be returned by Friday, Sept. 9. This year China voters will choose three select board members (Breton’s, Casey’s and Preston’s terms end); three planning board members (those whose terms end are Toni Wall in District 2; Scott Rollins in District 4; and James Wilkens, elected from the town at large); and four budget committee members (the District 2 seat, currently vacant, should be filled; those whose terms end are secretary Trishea Story; Timothy Basham, District 4; and Elizabeth Curtis, elected from the town at large); and one representative to the Regional School Unit #18 board (Dawn Castner’s term ends). For local elections, District 2 is northeastern China, District 4 southwestern China.
• After the Aug. 8 special meeting, select board members are scheduled to hold regular meetings at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 15 and Aug. 29, and possibly a special meeting Aug. 22.