FARMINGTON – Voters gave $5,000 to the Abused Women’s Advocacy Project, once again turned down changes to the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance, narrowly allowed up to two town employees to serve on the budget committee, and unanimously approved a grant and loan for a sewer project and a quit claim deed to establish property lines so a building can be constructed at a special town meeting tonight.
Before any of this action could take place, selectmen, at their regular meeting held before the town meeting, unanimously voted to rescind a policy that banned political activity from town-owned property.
At their last meeting, selectmen voted 3-2 to ban all political activity on property owned by the town in a response to complaints about a woman attempting to gather petition signatures at an Old Crow Band concert in Meetinghouse Park.
In a letter, MMA attorney Richard P. Flewelling wrote that after reviewing the policy and federal case law regarding protected speech on public property, “I strongly recommend that the selectmen’s policy be rescinded as soon as possible.”
“I blew it big time with this issue,” Davis told the board before their vote. “I over reacted to a complaint. It was an error and I apologize. I apologize for embarrassing the board. I wish I hadn’t rushed the policy and had taken more time with it,” Davis said.
Selectman Chair Stephan Bunker, who voted in favor of the ban said it, “doesn’t just rest with the town manager. It was a vote of the full board with unintended consequences.”
Selectman Dennis Pike who also voted for the ban said he, “hoped in the future the park would be recognized as sacred ground” where “consideration and respect will reign.”
To read more on this story and view comments, go to click here
A good crowd of 150 or more residents turned out for the special town meeting with the first item asking to fund AWAP for $5,000. The issue of funding the organization that helps victims of abuse was brought back to voters via a citizens’ petition after it was turned down at annual town meeting in March.
At the time, those voicing their opposition to the funding said AWAP had a disproportionate amount of money going toward administrative costs when compared to the number of Farmington residents it served. Others noted the lack of an AWAP representative attending the meeting was interpreted as there simply wasn’t interest in the town’s funding.
Selectman Nancy Porter (pictured above) stood first to say she objected to AWAP’s funding request approach. She called several Franklin County towns and found a number hadn’t received a funding request from the agency and said it wasn’t fair that Farmington should carry the financial burden for the county.
“I don’t think Farmington has the only abused women,” she said, adding that maybe the funding should come from the county level. Many residents asked questions about what the agency does, who it serves, the services provided and its funding sources.
Kathryn WilliamsPalmer, executive director of AWAP (pictured above), said the agency works around the clock serving the tri-county area. Funding comes from many sources including grants, MaineCare, fundraising events, United Way agencies, the Department of Health and Human Services and area towns.
A budget total of $1.2 million includes the 21 staff members who provide services, an executive director; offices and outreach centers in Lewiston, Rumford, Norway, Farmington; basic needs, counseling and education programs for victims in transition from abusive relationships, court appearances and more.
She admitted the town requests are uneven and hoped to correct that. On a question from Selectman Jon Bubier that sought to specify salary ranges because he viewed the agency’s labor costs as “top heavy,” WilliamsPalmer said she didn’t provide the itemized list of salaries due to privacy concerns. Pressed by Bubier who said the information on how money was spent was important to the discussion.
WilliamsPalmer said salaries for advocates was between $25,000 to $39,000 and her position ranged from $55,000 to $70,000. In answer to a question, she said 106 people were served in Farmington last year and 207 hours of service given. Advocates went with victims to court in 54 cases.
After 40 minutes of questions, answers and opinions, a call for the vote was answered with a majority approval to fund AWAP. The money will need to come out of the current budget.
Tom Eastler, (pictured at left) a member of the planning board, stood to recommend not adopting the amendments to Shoreland Zoning Ordinance. The proposed changes to the ordinance were taken from the state’s model. The measure was voted down at town meeting in March with Eastler asking then that it not be accepted until all the ramifications of the changes can be studied.
The amendments to the ordinance were brought back again tonight for another attempt at getting a passing grade.
Eastler urged voters to turn it down again because the revisions to the ordinance suggested at town meeting weren’t made.
The state’s suggested amendments are aimed at slowing shoreland overuse on lakes, particularly near populated areas, but it doesn’t take into account the shoreland of say, the Sandy River, which is where these amendments would impact locally.
Among the changes to the state’s proposed amendments Eastler listed that are needed: On a 30,000 square-foot lot, only one private campsite is allowed; only one RV is allowed per campsite and individual campsites cannot exceed 10 people. He said the language such as “repeated camping” needs to be quantified, “it’s not clear,” Eastler said, “we shouldn’t approve this.” Voters unanimously agreed.
By a narrow vote of 26-24, up to two town employees can serve on the budget committee provided they abstain from voting on the budget of the department for which they are employed.
Voters also approved a grant and loan to fund pump upgrades and sewer main replacement and a quit claim deed to establish property lines to include a retaining wall on the property and a right-of-way so a building can be constructed on Front Street where a garage now stands.
The folks who support AWAP may have won this battle, but I suspect they may have lost the war. Only time will tell…