HOLLIS – On Saturday, May 16, there will be a special Town Hall meeting in Wells for a vote on a proposed ordinance that will threaten jobs and drive business out of the area. The Town Hall meeting will be held at 9am at the Wells Elementary School.
Tom Brennan, the Senior Natural Resource Manager for Poland Spring in Maine, released the following statement regarding the upcoming vote:
“Poland Spring has been creating good jobs in Maine since 1845, even in tough economic times like these. We want to grow and invest in Wells, but some people are pushing a local ordinance that would threaten jobs in the area and drive businesses out of town.
Poland Spring provides good jobs for 800 people from 125 Maine communities. We employ 400 workers in York County alone. On average we pay our employees over $20 an hour with full benefits, including medical, dental, vision, paid sick days and holidays, 401(K) plans, and even profit sharing. All told, our Maine employees earn over $40 million dollars every year in payroll. We spend another $65 million dollars each year with other Maine businesses, helping create additional jobs.
In Wells and in every town where we operate, we support strong ordinances that regulate water resources within the community, ensure water resources are protected, and use science for determining acceptable levels of water withdrawals. Maine towns like Hollis, Kingfield, and Denmark have benefited from regulatory ordinances that both protect local water resources and allow businesses to operate, creating jobs and opportunities for local residents.
However, unconstitutional ordinances, like the one proposed in Wells, do not advance groundwater protection and threaten job creation and economic investment during challenging economic times.
We are strongly urging voters in Well to vote no on the proposed ordinance coming to a vote on Saturday, May 16th during the special Town Hall meeting.”
- Read a legal opinion prepared for the Town Manager of Wells that describes the legal risks and consequences of the proposed ordinance.
- Read the proposed ordinance in full.
