PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Prior to the beginning of the regular Selectmen's Meeting, the Town Administrator Lloyd Coombs led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of our country.

REVALUATION CONTRACT DISCUSSION: David Ledew, Maine Property Tax Division met with the Assessors and John Hocking, CLT as required by 36 M.R.S.A. Chapter 208 to discuss the use of grading schedules. Mr. Ledew recommended that CLT upgrade the schedules as the project was taking place to explain the rating assigned. Mr. Ledew also emphasized the importance of communications. He will provide two copies of the Maine State Assessing Manual to the town.

PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES: Motion by Dale, seconded by Rita, to accept the minutes of the meeting of August 16, 2004 as printed. The motion passed unanimously.

ROAD COMMISSIONER'S REPORT: Jack Shaw, Road Commissioner, reported that the paving of the designated town roads was progressing well. The Commissioner and the Administrator advised that there were no known problems with town roads.

FIRE CHIEF'S REPORT: Ken Desmond, Fire Chief, reported that surplus funds from a Homeland Security grant had been used to purchase an additional seven pagers. Ken also reported that the replacement Jaws of Life are on order and that it appears that grant money to support the purchase will be forthcoming. Ken said that he will be meeting with the Road Commissioner soon to initiate the installation of dry hydrants in Chapman's Pond and off the Murphy's Corner Road. Sue Whittaker reported that it took an inordinate amount of time recently for an ambulance from North East Mobile Health Service to arrive at a MacKenzie Lane address. It was determined that a significant part of the delay was attributable to the road paving project on U. S. Route 1 near Cook's Corner.

OLD BUSINESS:

a. Printer/Photocopier Acquisition: David advised that he had authorized the Front Office Staff to stay late on Friday, August 27, 2004, because of problems involving the installation of the replacement printer/photocopier. Lloyd advised that it was now working well. Motion by Phillip, seconded by Rita, to authorize the acquisition of a Sharp AR-M277 Imager Printer/Photocopier via a forty-eight month lease at $125.00 per month. The motion passed unanimously.

b. Codes Enforcement Officer Staffing Discussion: Phillip said that he had reservations about combining the Fire Chief, Codes Enforcement Officer, Building Inspector and Plumbing Inspector into one position. Dale said that he was concerned that all those functions would be vacant at once. Bill said that he would be available as the backup CEO during vacations, sickness, etc. David said that combining the positions would provide "more bang for the bucks". By consensus, the Selectmen agreed to putting the question to the voters at a Special Town Meeting on September 27, 2004. The Selectmen also agreed to hold an Executive Session following this meeting to discuss compensation for the proposed position.

NEW BUSINESS:

a. Repair of Landfill Monitoring Wells: Motion by Dale, seconded by Rita, to have Great Works Pump & Test Boring, Inc. repair two monitoring wells at the landfill at a price of $1,175.00. During discussions Phillip asked whether the specifications could be obtained so that the work might be done locally. As a result, Dale withdrew his motion and Rita her second. Lloyd will contact Pine Tree Engineering, Inc. to obtain the specifications.

b. Maine Municipal Association Convention Voting Delegate Credentials: Motion by Dale, seconded by Rita, to designate Todd as the Principle and Lloyd as the Alternate town representative at the annual business meeting of the Maine Municipal Association.The motion passed unanimously.

c. Federal Lands to Parks Stewardship Report: Lloyd advised that he had been contacted by the National Park Service relative to a periodic report of the town's stewardship of the Abadagasset Range Lights.The Selectmen noted that at the present time the town does not have a right of way to the property. They asked Lloyd to send an interim report to the National Park Service advising that the Selectmen were attempting to secure a right of way to the property and that we would report on their success in thirty days.

d. Workers Compensation Insurance: The Selectmen noted that the Town would be paying an 83% surcharge on its Workers Compensation Insurance next year due to the unfavorable experience the past three years. The Selectmen believe that most of that experience is chargeable to the School. The Selectmen asked Lloyd to contact MMA Risk Management Service to see if the School could be put on separate policy.

e. Selectmen's Comments: David suggested that an agenda item be added after the "Minutes" to allow the sharing of information among the other members of the Board and the public. The Selectmen concurred.

CODES ENFORCEMENT OFFICER'S REPORT: Bill Longley, Codes Enforcement Officer, advised that trees had been cut but no further work had been done on the Colfer's replacement septic system. The Health Officer, Jack Albis, concurred. Bill recommended that any future court action be put in the hands of Attorney Durward Parkinson. Bill said that a court appearance took place recently on the Spaulding suit. They were not represented. A new date has been set for October 2004. David noted that Dot Schmidt had filled one dumpster with junk and was in the process of filling another. The Selectmen decided to hold off on any court action because of the reported progress. Bill reported that he was compiling a group of photographs of the use of the Kenneth Vining property on the Dana Mill Road.

MMA TAX CAP MEETING: It was noted that the Maine Municipal Association is sponsoring an informational meeting on the Palasky Tax Cap Proposal at the Woolwich Central School on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 at 6:30 p.m.

COMPENSATION FOR THE PROPOSED COMBINED POSITION OF THE FIRE CHIEF, CODES ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, BUILDING INSPECTOR AND PLUMBING INSPECTOR: In accordance with Title 1 M.R.S.A. Chapter 13 §405.6.A., a motion was made by Dale at 7:15 p.m, seconded by Rita, to go into an Executive Session to discuss the compensation for the proposed combined position of the Fire Chief, Codes Enforcement Officer, Building Inspector and Plumbing Inspector. The motion passed unanimously. Motion by Todd at 7:57 p.m., seconded by Dale, to come out of the Executive Session. The motion passed unanimously. Motion by Dale, seconded by Rita, to recommend an annual salary for the combined position of $36,400.00 along with membership in the Maine State Retirement System at the September 27, 2004 Special Town Meeting. The motion passed on a 4-1 vote.

ADJOURNMENT: 8:02 p.m.

Lloyd Coombs

Approved: s/David A. King, Sr.

cc: Selectmen/Staff

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