VASSALBORO: All town voters can vote for sanitary district trustees

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro select board members settled two issues that have been on their meeting agendas since November 2024.

They agreed that all town voters, not just those who live in the area the Vassalboro Sanitary District serves, can vote for VSD trustees. And they approved a handicapped parking space at Hair Builders on Oak Grove Road, in North Vassalboro.

Initially, select board members and Town Manager Aaron Miller believed state law let only people served by a sanitary district elect its board of trustees. However, in the last few weeks two attorneys, the VSD’s and the town’s, have said all voters may weigh in.

In a related matter, select board members appointed Donna E. Daviau a member of the VSD board. Like Ericka Roy, appointed in October 2024, she will serve until the next election. Both are eligible to run for election for a full term in June.

Board members also had an attorney’s opinion that they could create the handicapped parking space requested by Hair Builders, and that since it was in an area where parking is allowed, they do not need to hold a public hearing. The handicapped space was approved 2 – 1, with board chairman Frederick “Rick” Denico, Jr., and Michael Poulin in favor and Chris French opposed.

The space will be in an area where overnight parking is prohibited, from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Miller and board members plan to provide signs that identify the handicapped space and prohibit using it, and adjoining areas, overnight.

Also on the Jan. 23 agenda were continued discussion of town personnel policy and recreation committee bylaws; another discussion of transfer station fees and revenue; and a topic Poulin proposed, expanding uses for Vassalboro’s TIF (Tax Increment Financing) money.

Board members almost finished reviewing the personnel policy. They have been debating options for giving time off for holidays, complicated because some holidays fall on days when not all staff would be working (like the day after Thanksgiving, a Friday when the town office is closed) and some (like Independence Day and Christmas) are tied to a date, not a day of the week.

Denico described other towns’ policies that Miller had collected as “all over the map,” with no consistency.

A draft personnel policy will be reviewed at the next board meeting.

Miller and Recreation Director Karen Stankis had developed draft revised recreation committee bylaws. Stankis plans to seek committee members’ input; she said the next committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 10.

The question of transfer station fees was again postponed after a brief discussion. It has two components: as part of the total Vassalboro transfer station budget, and in relation to nearby towns. Station manager Adam Daoust started the discussion, concerned that Vassalboro’s comparatively low disposal fees for some items lead to out-of-towners trying to bring them in.

Poulin had compiled pages of information on other central Maine towns’ TIF plans. Board members discussed the amendment process, which includes a public hearing, tentatively scheduled for their Feb. 20 meeting, and getting approvals from the state Department of Economic and Community Development and from town voters.

Board members will hold their annual workshop meeting on the draft 2025-26 budget at 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 4. Their next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, Feb. 6, preceded (according to the calendar on the town website, vassalboro.net) by a 5:30 p.m. workshop.