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WRITE-IN CANDIDATES
The Lisbon Reporter is not supporting any candidate but has
learned that the following candidates’ names do not appear on the ballot. The Lisbon Reporter sole purpose is to keep
Lisbon citizens informed.
TOWN COUNCILOR-AT LARGE
ROGER JOSEPH COTE
TOWN COUNCILOR – DISTRICT 1
Larry Allen Fillmore
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Amy M. Dudar
WATER COMMISSION
Stanley Arthur Doughty Jr
***It is important to fill in the oval next to the
write-in candidates name or your vote will not count***
I believe it is time to bring Roger Cote back as
Councilor-At-Large. I am not taking
anything away from the other two candidates Gregg Garrison or Eric
Metivier. I also am not trying to tell
anyone how to vote. I am expressing my
own opinion about this election.
Roger Cote served on the Town Council for three years and
during this time frame he always put the desires of the people before his own
feelings. Mr. Cote spoke out against the
council several times and was definitely
not a puppet. This council has
repeatedly ignored the wishes of the people.
I believe Mr. Cote will continue to work hard to get the people what
they want.
Right now, the council ignores the people and never answered
any of my questions during
council meetings. My research has uncovered
continued misappropriations of our tax dollars.
In my opinion, Roger Cote will put a stop to this abuse of our tax
dollars which caused our tax increase this year.
Mr. Cote worked with Mr. Mark Lunt in the past without any
problems. I think Mr. Cote will be able
to work with whichever current candidate wins District #2. Also, without Councilor Bowie manipulating
the council there will be an opportunity for positive change in this community.
For the above cited reasons, I will be writing-in Mr. Roger Joseph
Cote’s name as Council-At-Large
on November 6th.
Larry Fillmore
Concerned Citizen
First
letter to the residences of Lisbon:
I,
William Bauer, find it necessary to approach the town’s residents with some
simple clear-cut facts about The Lisbon Water Department and the attempt of the
town to take over this department. I
have served you the people of Lisbon, in the capacity of Water Commissioner,
for over 35 years with your best interest at heart, without a self-serving or
political purpose in mind. For your
trust in me, I say Thank You!!
I
am going to try to give the residents some facts through a series of
presentations in this forum so that you may make a knowledgeable vote on Nov
6. The sole purpose of the Lisbon Water
Department is to be able to put all of our efforts into protecting your water
and keeping you completely informed of any and all changes that might effort
your water quality or efficiency. We are
capable of making mistakes and are far from being perfect. We do however; attempt to make corrections
and/or improvements in a timely and effective manor. Case in point Mr. Adams and the Board are
currently working on a new water tank and the replacement of the water line on
Frost Hill Ave.
I am all for
operating as efficiently as possible and would vote for this takeover if
I thought it would lower the water rates and save money, I believe it will
not and could possibly increase the rates.
The facts are that out of 150 public and private water companies in the
State of Maine there are 130 with higher water rates than Lisbon. This information is available on the PUC web
page although it has not been updated since last year.
On
Tuesday, August 28 the Town Council held a workshop. This was not a workshop with open dialogue
between all parties concerned. Mr.
Wells and myself had to ask to speak.
The Council then took a straw vote to have a nonbinding question on the
ballot Nov 6th to have the town take over the Lisbon Water
Department. This causes several
questions and concerns for me. This
vote, if approved, will be the first step in turning all control over to the
town. The question will be placed on the
ballot as a result of Councilor Bickford’s un-official survey. The big push on his survey is trying to save
money through combining of services.
Some of the councilors did say at the workshop that they were not sure
if any money could be saved by the takeover of the Lisbon Water
Department. I made the suggestion that a
small committee made up of 2 councilors, 2 members of the water board, and 3
residents, get together to solve some of the differences that appear to be
problem areas. I will add that as of
October 1, 2012 more than a month later I have not received any contact about
talking about any issues.
If
the town vote is yes there are several steps that need to be taken. The council will need to vote to have a State
representatives, Councilor Crafts, or Senator Mason sponsor a bill to amend the
Charter of the Lisbon Water Department to be run by the Town Council. The Water Charter dates back to 1909. There were some charter changes made in the
mid ”50s” I will talk about those changes prior to the
November 6 vote, as they are very important.
Every
Town Manger since my Dad’s tenure has attempted to take over the Water
Department. This scares me on many
levels. One of which is the fact that it
seems to be based on a political agenda and a personal vendetta rather than an
honest attempt to improve the service to the residents. I also believe that it is a way to pass
additional municipal cost on to water customers. I left the workshop that the Town called to
discuss the takeover of the Water Department with feelings of dismay and
confusion.
Questions:
call me at home 353-2780 or cell 576-2438 office 353-3020 or better yet come to
a water board meeting. I will discuss
other issues in my next letter.
William
A. Bauer, Chairman
My Second letter to the
residences of Lisbon:
In Councilor Bickford’s
unofficial survey he made it sound that if the Council takes over the Lisbon
Water Department the council would be able to lower the fire protection charges. This is far from true; the Maine Public
Utilities must approve the rates. When a
water utility seeks a rate increase, the utility will have an audit for
financial information along with reasoning on why additional rates are
needed. The findings are presented to
the Maine Public Utilities Commission and the P.U.C. will approve or disapprove
the rates for a water utility. The P.U.C.
has established a formula for how utilities gain their revenue. Without getting too complex a third should
come from residential, a third fire protection, and a third from
industrial/commercial. Lisbon’s 2011
revenues came from the following:
residential, $478,850, fire protection, $290,857, commercial $57,067,
other $97,862 for a total revenue of $924,634.
Information taken
from the 2011 independent audit and reported to the Maine Public Utilities.
It is important that
Lisbon residents realize that the Board of Water Commissioners does not set the
water rates. It is the job of the Water
Commissioners to determine the projects and then try to fund those projects
with current revenue or ask for a rate increase. The residents and the Maine Public Utilities
Commission must approve projects and funding.
There can be a citizen petition to have the increase held up for a more
through investigation.
The Lisbon Water
Department collected $290,857 in fire for protection services. This money comes from all of us who pay taxes
to the Town of Lisbon.
SO WHAT DOES THIS MONEY PAY FOR?
- Maintenance to 37 miles of pipe large enough to provide water to our fire equipment
- 234 fire hydrants that need to be plowed, painted, flushed and kept in working order.
- High capacity pumps to push the water into the system
- Storage tanks with a total of 1,500,000 gallons of water. Cost to paint a tank $200,000.
- The board is seeking permission to add a third tank with an estimated cost of $1,400,000
- Electrical charges of $2,500.00 per month
I would like to address the proposal of closing
the water department building located at 630 Lisbon Street and relocating those
functions to the town office.
The operational
costs must be paid for this building such as phone service, heat, electricity,
and maintenance. It is my belief that
building would be turned over to public works.
This building is essential towards the operational activities of your
water department service. There are 5
reasons why this building cannot be simply closed:
1. There is a valve that blends water from Ann
Street well with water from Lisbon.
2. There are computer and telemetering controls
that determine pumps on and off, water levels in the tanks and provides indication
of a water break and various pumping activities. In the event of a need for more water the
system will activate and increase the pumping capacity.
3. Storage for daily water department equipment
trucks and backhoe
4. Bathroom facilities for the water
personnel. A few years back the water
department was asked by public works not to use the facilities at public
works.
5. This office does provide a location for water
and sewer customers to pay their bills in Lisbon Falls, including an after hour
drop box.
I ask that when you vote on November 6 to vote
no on this question. Voting yes will not save any money for the
water customers or the taxpayers.
Questions call me at home
353-2780 or cell 576-2438 office 353-3020 or better yet come to water meeting
next meeting October 15 @ 6:30.
William A. Bauer,
Chairman
My Third letter to the residences
of Lisbon:
The
reason the Town Officials are giving for the take over of the Lisbon Water
Department is an attempt to save money for water customers and taxpayers. There are three areas that the town may feel
that they can save money:
1.
The elimination of the
stipends paid to the three water commissioners.
2.
The elimination of the part
time person for the water department.
3.
The elimination of the
salary for the general manager.
This
would total about $70,000 out of a $925,000 budget. My question is who will perform the duties of
the terminated employee’s and elected officials and how much will that cost
us? My thoughts are that this will
cost the residents more money than any savings it will generate.
Here are
some facts that the voting public needs to be aware of. If you have other areas of concern please
call me.
BILLING
The
Lisbon Water Department is using Northern Data for its billing program. The Town uses Trio for its computer billing
programs. The Water Department has found
that the customer history is much more beneficial by using Northern Data as its
billing program. This information has
been extremely valuable when a customer calls about a high water bill. If the town takes over does this account
history vanish?
INSURANCE
The
Lisbon Water Department pays for all of its own insurance programs, but does
benefit from bulk purchasing through the town.
MAINTENANCE
The water
department pays for repairs and parts for all of the vehicles that have been
completed by the town garage. However,
the town does not maintain parts for hydrants, meters, the filtration plant, or
repair clamps for water mains breaks.
The water department does maintain the inventory of parts for all of
these.
METER READINGS
The water
department provides to the town its water meter readings for sewer billing
purposes at no charge to the town. There
are no savings to the town from meter readings.
Other communities are charging sewer departments as much as a $1.00 per
reading.
PAYROLL
The
Lisbon Water Department maintains the payroll for water department
employees. The information is then
provided to the Town of Lisbon and the Town prints the checks. This amounts to six checks per week for
employees and three checks quarterly for the commissioners. The Lisbon Water Department does maintain
it’s own checking account and prepares all of its own checks other than
payroll. The Lisbon Water Department
must have the Town Manager or his designated person sign the checks. This is spelled out very clearly by the
charter. No employee or elected official
of the water department may sign any checks issued by the Lisbon Water
Department.
DEBT
The
Lisbon Water Department maintains its own debt structure. These bond payments are paid for from water
revenues but the Town of Lisbon guarantees the debt. The total current long-term debt of the
Lisbon Water Department is $3,000,000.
NOTE: $2,000,000 is owed for the filter plant
located on Moody Ave (a spill or
contamination means we still pay but can’t use this plant).
FACT: MAINE PUBLIC UTILITIES STRICTLY FORBIDS THE
MIXING OF UTILITY REVENUE AND EXPENSES WITH OTHER MUNICIPAL FUNDS.
I ask that when you vote on November 6 to vote
NO on this question. Voting yes will not save any money for the
water customers or the taxpayers.
Questions call me at home 353-2780
or cell 576-2438 office 353-3020.
William A. Bauer,
Chairman
My
fourth letter to the residences of Lisbon:
Licensing
I would like to give the readers a short explanation on who
is eligible to work for a Maine water company.
The Maine Drinking Water program has the responsibility of determining
who may become a licensed operator and is responsible for assigning
licensees. Water systems are defined
through a process of grading points, class I to class IV. This is true in both treatment and
distribution according to the complexity and population. Lisbon is a class II. Operators must show competency by
successfully completing examinations in both treatment and distribution. Operators must also possess the appropriate
experience. The state requirement for
Lisbon is two years experience in a water company. An operator must posses the knowledge,
skills, ability and judgment to assure safe drinking water. This is measured through a review of
education, experience and examinations.
The Lisbon Water Department has three employees with a class II or
higher license and one employee who has a class I and is currently studying for
the class II test. My point to this is
that the town does not have any current employees who would meet the
requirements to be licensed operators.
Hence, there would be no savings with a takeover by the town!
General
Manager
The General Manager’s duties are to supervise the daily
activities of all the staff and report to the three elected water commissioners
at the bi-monthly meetings. I think it
would be beneficial to mention the chain of command at this point. The field staff will do what it can to solve
any problems/requests. The next step is
to take it to the office staff. The
office staff will then present the problem/request to the general manager. If the problem/request is still present then
the Board of Water Commissioners will ask the person to attend a meeting. If the problem/request still has not been
resolved the final decision falls with the Maine Public Utilities
Commission. So for complaints or
concerns you should come to the water department not the town manager or
council member.
Commissioners
The Water Commissioners are elected for a three-year term; their
terms do not run concurrently.
Therefore, there is one commissioner on the ballot every year. The water commissioner’s sole responsibility
is to the customers and the water supply that serves the Town of Lisbon. I feel that the present board works very
well to keep your water supply safe.
I would like to ask you to write in the name of Stanley Arthur
Doughty Jr. for re-election to the water board.
Remember
voting yes will not cut your water bill or lower your taxes. Therefore, I am asking for your support of
the current Water Department as it stands by voting NO.
Questions
call me at home 353-2780 or cell 576-2438 office 353-3020.
William
A. Bauer, Chairman
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Has anyone given any thought to why the Town Council is
doing away with the Budget Advisory Board and establishing a Finance
Committee? Could it be because the Budget Advisory Board recommended
unanimously not to support last year’s councilor’s budget? It certainly would explain why instead of adding these
additional duties to the current Budget Advisory Board; the council wants to
select (you mean hand pick) individuals whose loyalty is to the council and NOT
the people of Lisbon.
These additional duties are what the taxpayers have been
paying the town manager ($91,401 in 2011) as part of his duties. For the past four years, tax dollars have
been spent on the town manager’s salary and he has not been performing any of
his responsibilities. Let’s look at the
Economic Community Development Department as a prime example. The two areas where town funds provided by
the state and federal government and our tax dollars are being utilized are the
Revolving Loan Fund and the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program. My research has shown there are outstanding
loans which should have been paid off in 2008 still outstanding; one loan
should have been paid off in September 2011 and finally two businesses have
been out of business for longer than a year.
How it
possible is; that this goes unnoticed for so long if he is doing his duty? The same thing
applies to the TIF program because I requested a copy all of the Credit
Enhancement Agreements (CEA) for the town’s state approved TIF’s. At
first the town denied my Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) stating I was not
entitled to them; but once the state educated our town manager, town attorney
and the town Director of the Economic Community Development Department, I
received only four of the five active CEA’s. Also, only the Director apologizing for the
town’s error! One of the CEAs was signed
by the current town manager with an effective date of April 1, 2004. It certainly is strange how a legal and
binding document can be signed four years prior to the current town manager
arriving to Lisbon. I wonder how legal these document will be in
a court. The fifth CEA
arrived approximately ten days later signed by the current town manager with an
effective date of December 16th, 2002. This is only six years before the current town
manager arrived. This means for the past four years, this
town manager had no clue the town was missing these critical documents. Why are we paying this town manager to do what exactly? In the Army we have a saying for this type of
performance, it is called being on the ROADs program (Retired On Active Duty);
get it.
Now to further cover up the incompetency of the town
manager, this council is going to establish a Finance Committee. Keep in mind, this Finance Committee is ONLY
GOING TO BE ADVISORY just like the current Budget Advisory Board. So please tell me again why we are doing this except to
punish the current Budget Advisory Board for not support last year’s
councilor’s budget and trying to get hand selected individuals who will be
loyal ONLY to the council.
Of course, this is cheat labor because the Budget Advisory
Board and now the Finance Committee are not paid for their time and effort!!!!!!!!!!!!
Larry Fillmore
Concerned Citizen
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