DEP Original Agreement with Lisbon‏

 

DEP Consent Agreement

The Town should publicly disclose the detailed proposal to DEP. The 
public, Conservation Commission, Water Commissioners, ARWC, and 
environmental groups should have had the opportunity to provide input. 
Interested and credible parties with good working relations with DEP 
would have had a real opportunity to enhance the local environment.
 
Other communities around us are getting cash grants from the State of 
Maine for environmental projects. We likely would be awarded a grant if 
the administration was environmentally pro-active and not adversarial 
toward the DEP and local interests.
 
Lisbon has two models for managing our utilities and the results are 
clear. The Water Dept. is overseen by a board, with minutes and open 
public participation. Their public complaints and system operations 
issues are discussed and resolved in the open. The Sewer Dept. does not 
cooperate with the public on any such basis.  The environmental 
contamination by the Lisbon Sewer Dept. is the result of lack of 
visibility and accountability. For instance, there is no disclosure of 
the complaints from the Huston Park area related to the months of sewer 
line back-up or the system failures at the Sabattus River boat launch 
dumping perhaps millions of gallons of raw sewage into the river.
 
This clearly illustrates the need to keep the Water Dept. oversight 
structure. Bringing the Sewer Dept. under the same management would also 
serve the community better than the present system.

Submitted by: Steve Warren 

Are Our Tax Dollars Being Properly Used?‏

ARE OUR TAX DOLLARS BEING UTILIZED PROPERLY? 

Apparently, I opened a can of worms the other day at a Town Council meeting when I asked why the Public Works Drive-way was not being paved this year. The Public Works Director had a listing of roads/street to be paved this year and it was not on it. The criteria for selecting which roads/streets should receive the highest priority are the ones with the worst condition and the most heavily traveled. Since the Public Works Director has no credentials, he cannot be held accountable for not using this measuring stick. 

However, according to several of our Councilors I have learned several interesting facts I am sure the people are not aware of.

1. The paved surface in front of the Public Works garage is NOT a road or street.

2. This is classified as an internal access-way on Town property.

3. Since it is an internal access-way it does not have a name.

4. It is not built to the standards of a public road.

5. According to a Councilor, it needs to be closed whenever the Transfer Station is closed.

6. The town will not build a proper road until the property that the buses park on is purchased by the town. What one has to do with the other escapes me?

7. This internal access-way is the current traffic pattern for the following:

a. Residents use to get to the Transfer Station.

b. Town owned vehicles use this to refuel.

c. Used by the buses to get to the Middle and High Schools.

d. Used by the Public to get to the parking lot to watch sporting events. 

The Town Council is content to let this situation remain as it is until they purchase the property the buses park on. The problem is that this internal access-way is currently in a very deplorable state and is causing damage to everyone’s vehicles. Please review the pictures in this article again.

The citizens of Lisbon deserve better treatment from local government especially since the people have been paying such high taxes. It is not unreasonable to demand better service from town officials. 

I believe this is a major problem right now that requires immediate attention by the Town Council, Town Manager, and the Public Works Director.


If the Town does not want to take immediate action to correct this situation, please provide information as to where to send the bills for vehicle repairs.


Larry Fillmore 

[Editor's note: If the 'town officials' are not part of the solutions then they are part of the problems.]

A Simple Sample Of Lisbon VIA Outline Format

A.  Division between Town Council and School Department
       

1. should be working together.

             a. conveniently Town Council eliminates budget advisory committee
             b.  holds all power in the laps of 7 people now, instead of having  more "eyes" on budget
      

2. Controlling Police Chief pulling the council puppets strings (a perpetual problem)

B.  Future of Lisbon and this country lays in the youth being educated through actually learning material
      

1.  Common Core mandates testing, testing, and testing. To the point that all across the State and Country, students have expressed concerns of added stress and anxiety because they have no time to learn material before being tested

      2.  Employment opportunities for High School graduates to work in Lisbon extremely scarce.

C.  Those fortunate enough to further education find jobs elsewhere.
     

1.  Limited employers in town puts greater tax burden on residents to "maintain status quo" of services with less monies to finance them

2.  Forward thinking and planning are none existent except for "deck the poles"  festival & activities etc.

Here's a tip for those on the Town Council: Start treating the Lisbon taxpayers with the respect they deserve, listen to their concerns and adjust accordingly, represent their interests as stated by them, not what you want, and then, maybe someday the damage done by your self-serving interests will be fixed.  It is up to you.

Lisbon taxpayer's you should leave your "comfort zones" and get to the Town Council meeting tonight where you  can express your concerns directly to the council during Audience Participation.  There are two places, one to discuss items on the agenda and another for "New Items".  This is the process currently mandated by Lisbon's governing body.  

Lisbon Class of 2021 Leave Legacy‏

LISBON CLASS OF 2021 LEAVE A LEGACY

Lisbon – The Lisbon Community School fifth grades were pleased to present Principal Carlene Iverson with a flowering crab tree as their legacy gift to the school.  Members of the future Class of 2021 at Lisbon High School were assisted with the presentation thanks to the generosity of Ed Bush of Maine Landscape/Bush’s Bushes, 159 Ridge Road in Lisbon Falls.  Bush planted the tree during the presentation at the school with assistance from Lisbon Alumni Class of 2010, Joe Doughty.  “We are delighted with the new Lisbon partnership of Bush’s Bushes,” comments Iverson.  “Students, staff and community members will enjoy this tree, and other trees and shrubs, for generations thanks to the gracious donations as a legacy gifts on behalf of our students.  Mr. Bush has also extended his services beyond the planting to include perpetual care of existing shrubs on the school campus.  Lisbon is truly a caring community.”  FYI on more events and programs in Lisbon visit us on FaceBook at Community Resource News in Lisbon Schools.

AGENDA TOWN COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014 LISBON TOWN OFFICE 7:00 P.M.

AGENDA
TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014
LISBON TOWN OFFICE
7:00 P.M.

1. CALL TO ORDER & PLEDGE TO FLAG
 

2. ROLL CALL
 

___Councilor Bickford
___ Councilor Brunelle
___ Councilor Garrison
___ Councilor Lunt
___Councilor Metivier
___ Councilor Pesce
___ Councilor Ward
 

Town Clerk reading of meeting rules
 

3. GOOD NEWS & RECOGNITION
 

4. PUBLIC HEARINGS
 

A. Adria Groh's applications for a new 6-month Itinerant Vendor Permit
 

B. Rock Dawg's LLC applications for a new Itinerant Vendor Permit, Victualer's License, and Use of Town Owned Property
 

5. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION FOR AGENDA ITEMS
 

6. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION RESPONSE
 

7. CONSENT AGENDA
 

 2014-90 ORDER − A. Minutes of May 20, 2014
 

B. Minutes of May 27, 2014
 

C. Itinerant Vendor Permit - Adria Groh
 

D. Itinerant Vendor Permit, Victualer's License, & Use of Town Owned Property Permit
 

E. Renewal Victualer's License for Billy Harris d/b/a Bill's Place
 

8. COUNCIL ORDERS, RESOLUTIONS, & ORDINANCES
 

2014-91 ORDER − Review of Mobile Home & Personal Property Delinquencies
 

9. OTHER BUSINESS
 

A. Finance Director's Report
 

B. Council Chairman's announcement of annual appointment of the Ethics Panel Chairman
 

10. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION NEW ITEMS
 

11. COUNCIL RESPONSE TO NEW ITEMS
 

12. APPOINTMENTS

2014-92 ORDER − Library Governing Board 3-year term expiring June 30, 2017
 

2014-93 ORDER − Ethics Panel 3-year term renewal expiring June 30, 2017

2014-94 ORDER − Ethics Panel 3-year term renewal expiring June 30, 2017
 

2014-95 ORDER − Appeals Board 3-year term renewal expiring June 30, 2017
 

2014-96 ORDER − Planning Board 3-year term renewal expiring June 30, 2017
 

2014-97 ORDER − Planning Board 2-year term expiring June 30, 2015
 

2014-98 ORDER − Assessment Review Board 3-year term renewal expiring June 30, 2017
 

2014-99 ORDER − Appeals Board Resignation - Richard Long
 

2014-100 ORDER − Civil Constable - Paul Potvin, Harry Darling, and Harry Gorman
 

13. COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS
 

14. EXECUTIVE SESSION
 

2014-101 ORDER − 1 MRSA § 405 (6) (A) Board & Committee Interviews (If needed)
 

15. ADJOURNMENT
 

2014-102 ORDER − To Adjourn

The Unitil Project Passed‏ !!!

THE UNITIL PROJECT PASSED!!!

At last night’s Special Town Council meeting, four of the Councilors voted to approve this project.  These Councilors were Roger Bickford, Eric Metivier, Mark Lunt and Gregg Garrison.  Councilors Dillon Pesce and Chris Brunelle voted against the project.

Prior to the vote was a lengthy discussion starting with Mr. Leighton providing a small briefing followed by question and answer period by the Councilors?   Mr.  Leighton stated first that Public Works personnel would not be doing the trenching and later stated that Public Works personnel would be preparing the trench for paving.    According to Mr. Leighton, Unitil will be responsible for the trenching and laying the gas line.  However, it is unclear as to why the Public Works personnel and backhoe would have to be on a standby mode.

Another curious point was, if this is a Unitil project, why was there no one from Unitil there to clarify any points, and there were numerous unanswered questions?  One would be why Unitil is doing the trenching but does not have to complete the work to satisfy the final trench so it can be paved without Public Works personnel having to ensure the work is done right.  Also, why is there no written Unitil proposal detailing the project and who is responsible for what? 

Also, there was no documentation from the Brunswick Housing Authority as to what they are responsible for.  It was stated that the Brunswick Housing Area was to pay half of the cost for paving but did not mention if the Public Works personnel are required to prepare the trench for paving if the Brunswick Housing Authority would split the cost with the town.  In other words, the Town could end up paying for preparing the trench for paving and then split the cost of paving with the town.  If this is the case, the taxpayers are getting screwed again.

Mr. Leighton was unable to answer all the questions asked by both the Council and the Public.  Mr. Leighton changed his story several times.  The Council will still have to go out for bid on the paving because it is over $5,000.00 which is required by the town Purchasing Policy.

I cannot explain why these four Councilors voted the way they did other than this project will provide a cost savings on heating the MTM Center, once completed.  I support the project but I am against approving a project when there are so many questions that remain unanswered.   I will submit a Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) for the documentation from Unitil and the Brunswick Housing Authority which should provide the answers to these questions.  I want to know who is responsible for what.

Larry Fillmore

WELCOME TO LISBON

Swift Demoliton's Work At The Former Knight-Celotex Plant

Lisbon Taxpayers Pay For Incompetency, But Why?

WHY ARE WE PAYING FOR INCOMPETENCY??

At the last Town Council meeting, there was an agenda item under Other Business called “Unitil Paving Proposal”.  This proposal was submitted by the Town Engineer, Ryan Leighton (See Attached). 

The proposal lacks several items such as a map of the route, distances and who was going to be doing the trenching.  During the discussion by the Council and the Interim Town Manager, it came out that Public Works would be doing all the trenching.  A minor detail left off the original request.  This agenda item was tabled until next week during the Special Town Council meeting.

On the agenda for May 27, 2014, there is no “Audience Participation” so the people will not have a chance to speak on this subject.  I do not believe that even if the people could speak would it be heard.  I believe this has already been decided and the council will approve this proposal.  The fact that Public Works will be doing the trenching, at no cost to either Unitil or the Brunswick Housing Authority, and the people are going to be forced to pay an additional amount for paving is crazy.  Why isn’t the trenching by Public Works not sufficient payment for this project by the taxpayers.

Most of you do not know this but a former council sold Brunswick Housing Authority 4 Campus Avenue for $1.00 and with it went over a MILLION dollar grant for the renovation of the building by Federal Grant.  The property at the time was valued at $265,050.00.  I understand that the Brunswick Housing Authority is a non-profit organization but the Town of Lisbon is not.  The Town should not be making concessions like this and now the Town is willing to do all the trenching and then pay for half of the paving even though there is no benefit to the town from the MTM center to 4 Campus Avenue.  Why should the taxpayers be forced to pay anything for this project?

Please review this proposal by Mr. Leighton and tell me if you believe that this inept performance is worth the $78,000.00 plus Mr. Leighton receives as a salary from the town.  This is exactly what you get from an individual that has absolutely no credentials for the position. 

So why does the Interim Town Manager and the Town Council accept a proposal that is incomplete and does not present ALL the facts in order for the Council to make a competent decision?

Larry Fillmore

Making the Right Choice for the Community Part 2 of 3 (Gym)

Part 2

The second bond issue is for a new gym.  This has a very high price tag attached to it.   However, the bond is for thirty (30) years which means the majority of us will never see it paid off. 

I am voting to approve this building of a new gym.  Again, I am on a fixed income but I believe that approval of this bond is in the best interest of this community.  The main reason I am in favor of this is because it provides the best chance to get our school system off probation.  However, there are many many more reasons for my decision.

Ride around town and see all the empty homes. We are losing friends and neighbors left and right.  This trend needs to stop and one of the best ways to do this is offer families an incentive to move to Lisbon.  Most parents, like False Deluder, are dedicated to their kids and want them to have the best opportunity possible regardless of what the parents have to sacrifice.  I believe that, if you build it they will come.

A state of the art gym will provide young people with a facility to play sports and to host numerous tournaments throughout the year.  Tournaments generate revenue for the school and revenue for the community.  A gym with all the bells and whistles which meets all the state, MPA and other organizations requirements will generate tournaments in every sport offered in Lisbon.

The revenue from these tournaments will mean that the school can convert the current gym into a Performing Arts Center.  A Performing Arts Center will then generate more revenue.  Generating revenue will help the taxpayers by reducing the cost of operating the school.

Parents driving to these tournaments will need to shop for gas and food for the family. The majority of these funds will be spent in our community.  This will generate additional revenue for our businesses.  This cannot be a bad thing.

This bond has a high price tag but it is an investment in our community.  This is an excellent opportunity to generate additional revenue for both the school and the community.  The location of the new gym is right off Route 196 so it will be visible to all from the road.   BIW is going to be hiring more workers and these workers will need a place for them and their families; so why not Lisbon?

As Tracey Austin reminds us all, each year we wait the more it costs.  The time is right now, so let’s investment in our community.

Larry Fillmore

MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR THE COMMUNITY!!!! Part 1 of 3 (Public Works)

PART 1

This article may get lengthy so I will break it up into three parts.  This community is at a cross roads right now and has to make some very difficult decisions.  The decisions will affect the entire community and will be costly.  I, like a lot of citizens, are on a fixed income and with the cost of living as it is every penny counts.  However in June, we are being asked to vote on three bond issues.  I am going to try and defend MY choices.

First, I want to say for the first time I believe we have a good Council who, for the most part, are interested in doing what is right for the community.  I believe in Dale Olmstead, Interim Town Manager, and hopefully the next Town Manager, Diane Barnes.  These individuals have a very solid plan contrary to what False Deluder says and there is urgency in moving this forward.  First, is the fact the town is paying a monthly fee of $4,500.00 for space in another facility and second is everything must be in place before next winter?

It is easy in June to forget that Public Works needs to be able to keep our roads plowed and salt and sand put down during the winter months.  In order to prepare and accomplish this Public Works needs a facility.  Public Works employees work extremely hard to make sure the public remains safe on our roads at all times.  We call Police, Fire and Medical, Public Safety but the real Public Safety is Public Works because if these First Responders cannot get to you what good are they?

I am voting YES on the new Public Work’s garage for several reasons.  The current building does not allow for our fleet to be housed inside during winter months.  The mechanics are forced to work in cramped spaces and the ventilation is unacceptable.  This puts our employees at risk. 

I attend almost every meeting of the Town Council, unlike most of you and including False Deluder.  Mr. Olmstead outlined a detailed plan to resolve numerous town issues at one time.  The plan depends on the citizens voting to approve the bond for the new Public Works garage.  If the bond is approved, the town will purchase a building that will not only house the Public Works vehicles but also the school buses.    

This will allow Public Works to perform maintenance on the school buses eliminating outsourcing school bus maintenance.  The plan also includes moving the Lisbon Falls Fire Station into this facility, thus eliminating the traffic problem on Main Street during a fire.  The current Public Works garage will be converted to a salt shed which will cover our salt.

Yes, approving this bond will cost the taxpayers additional funds but spreading it out over years will reduce the impact.  I believe a new Public Works garage is essential to moving our community forward and it will eliminate several other problem areas at the same time which makes this very cost effective.

Larry Fillmore

I Really Liked Ms.Norris

I really liked Ms.Norris- we allowed her to be kicked to the curb. The Chief of Police treated her very badly and I think she had a lot of honesty and fortitude to tell it like it was, and would become, after hiring one of the worst Town managers I have ever seen in this town I dearly love and have lived in all my life.
 
I will always wonder what our town would have been like today if we had kept Jennifer Norris and never met the likes of our former town manager. I thank you Larry for telling the truth and taking your valuable time to educate us. I think we have a good Council  and I am getting a little more comfortable with that form of government... but I always attended our town meetings and the fact that my vote counted there and we could always have a secret ballot.

Submitted by: 'Faye Brown'

Town of Lisbon News & Information‏

CALL US!!!

FMI 353-3000 EXT. 102

lisbon@lisbonme.org

At What Point Are the People Going to Wake Up‏

Back in October 6, 2011, Jennifer Norris, former Economic Community Development Director for the town wrote an excellent article explaining what was going on in the town and warning the people.  Everything that Mrs. Norris said was true and is coming to light again.  Please reread Mrs. Norris’s letter.

The following letter was  originally posted on October 6, 2011

After quietly reading the Lisbon Reporter for over four years now, I can no longer be quiet.

Dear Editor,

After quietly reading the Lisbon Reporter for over four years now, I can no longer be quiet.

It saddens me greatly to see the direction the Town of Lisbon government has taken.  When I worked as an Economic Developer, the most important and fun part of my job was interacting with the dedicated citizens of Lisbon.  It didn't matter if they were from Lisbon or Lisbon Falls, the people that I got to interact were truly inspiring because they love their town.  I had it made working for the Town of Lisbon because of the citizens.  I was looking forward to pulling together the human capital in Lisbon because it was so easy.  The citizens of Lisbon are talented, have multiple skills, and want what's best for their community.  To learn that Faye Brown, an amazing woman, who gave and gave and gave to the Lisbon community in the form of aesthetics and character, is not going to be volunteering her time any longer breaks my heart.  To learn that the Moxie Festival that was beautifully run by hardworking, dedicated volunteers is now the number one responsibility of the new Economic Developer is even sadder.  But what makes my blood boil is the fact that the Town of Lisbon's current and past "non-citizen involvement" way of doing business is blowing up in their face, just like I told them it would. 

The straw that broke the camel's back when I worked as the Economic Developer was when I was disciplined for having a discussion with another staff member about a future economic development transaction.  Not only did my boss at the time, Chief David Brooks have a chit chat with me but Mike Bowie also did.  I was told that I was not allowed to talk about any economic development transactions with anyone because they wanted to keep it all confidential.  I told them that it was not possible because in order to do my job effectively, I needed to work with the citizens and keep them as informed as I could while respecting the potential business' need for confidentiality.  In the case of keeping information from the other staff member, they were basically asking me to work a deal and pull the rug out from underneath this person.  I'm talking about the teen center.  I had a business come to me interested in the teen center building.  I started with the person who was running the place at the time, Mark Stevens.  I told him about the interest the business owner had in the building not only out of respect but I wasn't about to do a business deal behind someone's back.  I spoke with Mark and learned that the building was donated and may have strings attached from the person who gave it to the town.  Of course this was important because we had a obligation to ensure that however we used that building, it was considered acceptable use not only by law but by the citizens of Lisbon.  You owned that property and therefore it was my duty to keep you in the loop.  Instead, Bowie and Brookes wanted me to keep the information from the public under the guise of economic development.  In most cases I would have kept the potential business identification confidential.  But in this case, the business owner also wanted the public or anyone else that had a stake to know that he was interested in purchasing the building.  He wanted to be upfront with the public.  And I understood why.  It's called good business, especially since the business owner recognized that the building was owned by the citizens of Lisbon, not Mike Bowie, not David Brooks.  

In order to do my job effectively, I needed the citizens of Lisbon.  I was not about to go behind your back when it involved a public building and then stretch the executive session clause that protects economic development endeavor's confidentiality.  I was not about to steal a building out from underneath a co-worker.  I had the conversation with the business owner about getting the okay from the Lisbon citizens first.  The business owner had no problems with that.  Why would Brookes and Bowie then pull me aside to scold me for not keeping the teen center building proposal confidential?  I'll tell you why.  Like most loans made by the Town of Lisbon, they were given to those businesses who would guarantee a return.  It was a revolving loan fund all right.  It revolved a bunch of times because the loans were given to businesses who would be able to pay them back and they could make money off the interest.  It was a slush fund with no rules attached, no checks and balances, and no oversight.  If they gave a loan to the business who wanted to purchase the Teen Center, they were guaranteeing a return.  They sold a building to the business, the business used economic development funds to purchase the building, therefore the money went from one Lisbon Account to another.  This same account was where the $32,500 was stolen from. 

What I find the most interesting is that Dan Feeney gave a loan to Davis Landscaping so that he could purchase a building next to his property.  Davis Landscaping also held the landscaping contract with the Town of Lisbon.  I learned that Mr. Davis purchased the property with economic development funds.  There was no business, no mention of business, no nothing just a request from Mr. Davis that I help him sell the lot.  In essence, he was asking me to be his real estate agent so that he would not have to pay a commission when he did sell the building.  He was never my priority.  Although, Mike Bowie went out of his way to express to me that he was impressed that I contacted Mr. Davis.  I only contacted him because the dude owed the town money and I wanted to make sure he paid since he never should have got the money to begin with.  I was very disappointed that he was tying up over $150,000 of funds that could have been utilized in other ways, ie a loan to a business (what a novel concept), an investment in our infrastructure, a matching fund, anything but in his hands.  It was another loan that turned my stomach because of its unfairness to the citizens of Lisbon and to me as the Economic Development Director.  I could have used that money in many, many wonderful ways that would have directly impacted the community, not just one man.  That is what those funds are there for.  These are federal funds for the community.  Stealing federal funds does not have a statute of limitation on them.  And that is exactly what has been going on in the Town of Lisbon.  

It is so disheartening to see the citizens of Lisbon work so hard to do what is right by their town but for all the wrong reasons.  If the Town of Lisbon would quit jerking the public around and put the effort into building alliances for the betterment of all in the community, you would see amazing results.  Instead you have a town council and others in positions of power ensuring that you don't know what is going on while they make all the decisions for you.  Having a town council who represents and one that thinks they know what is best for you is not what is going on.  The current town council is working hard to protect their freedom because if you knew what was really going on, people would be going to jail.  Unfortunately in the State of Maine, we have the Home Rule law which protects these "under the dome" towns via the Maine Constitution.  There is no oversight of a municipal government or checks and balances so unless the citizens step forward nothing will get done.  

Lisbon has the potential to be an amazing community.  I was planning on staying for years to see it all through.  I was looking forward to awarding contracts to bidders from Lisbon.  I was looking forward to helping our businesses.  I was looking forward to developing the business park at Longchamps.  And, I was looking forward to helping you make Lisbon beautiful.  It sucks to have to dump your energy into dealing with ignorance but its gotta be done.  

To those Lisbon citizens who don't know what to do but want it to stop so that you can make your town a home start with writing a letter to the Androscoggin DAs office and the Maine Attorney General's office.  Put the pressure on them and tell them that you mean business.  Tell them that you want something done about the stealing of federal funds.  I am your witness.  They do have a case.  You cannot get rid of the bank records or any financial transactions.  That is all recorded and will tell the story of dirty dealings in the past and present.  This is your money.  And I give you my word that I will stand behind all of my statements regardless of the venue.  I would not put myself out here if I did not know as a professional what is considered legal and illegal when it comes to federal funds.  
Its not unethical, its not unprofessional, its illegal!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Norris

Councilor Roger Cote spent three years on the council preaching the same thing and he too was ignored.  A review of the voting records during Councilor Cote’s tenure will show that he was the only one who voted against all this excessive spending and corruption.  Councilor Cote predicted that the town will end up in the financial situation it is today.

For the past three years, I have been providing documented proof of the corruption, collusion and excessive spending by Stephen Eldridge, former Town Manager. I have provided proof of questionable accounting practices by Mrs. Jessica Maloy, Finance Director and finally excessive spending by Chief Brooks by the Police Department for useless items such as assault rifles and a GPS.  There are many many more incidents of Chief Brooks wasting taxpayers’ monies for “Toys for the Boys”.

The town has a $500,000.00 money pit.  The Communication Center/Dispatch is a service that could and should be provided by Androscoggin County Dispatch who is an authorized state Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).  What does that mean to the citizens of Lisbon?  It means all 911 calls are first received by the Androscoggin County Dispatch and then relayed to the Lisbon Communication Center/Dispatch before any Police, Fire or Medical personnel are dispatched.  Common sense will tell you that this delay, regardless of how small, can make a difference between life and death.  The equipment was provided through a grant but it cost the taxpayers $275,000.00 to maintain operations when if we transfer the equipment and operations to the Androscoggin County Dispatch we can save all that money and will only have to pay for the services used.  If the Communication Center/Dispatch remains with the town, taxpayers are going to have to pay for the replacement or maintenance of this equipment, which is not cheap.

The people have allowed these individuals to squander over $2,000,000.00 (2 million tax dollars) of our Undesignated Fund and allowed them to raise our taxes for years.  Both Mrs. Norris and Councilor Cote tried to warn the people years ago.  At what point are the residents going to say enough is enough and put a stop to this insanity?

Larry Fillmore

Town Council Agenda‏ Tuesday, May 6, 2014 At 5:30 P.M.

AGENDA
TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2014
LISBON TOWN OFFICE
5:30 P.M.

1. CALL TO ORDER & PLEDGE TO FLAG
 

2. ROLL CALL
 

___Councilor Bickford
___ Councilor Brunelle
___ Councilor Garrison
___ Councilor Lunt
___Councilor Metivier
___ Councilor Pesce
___ Councilor Ward
 

Town Clerk reading of meeting rules
 

3. EXECUTIVE SESSION
 

2014-54 ORDER − 1 MRSA § 405 (6) (E) Consultations with legal counsel - DEP Consent agreement & Cable TV Franchise Agreement
 

2014-55 ORDER − 1 MRSA § 405 (6) (A) Personnel Matters regarding staffing levels
 

2014-56 ORDER − 1 MRSA § 405 (6) (D) Labor negotiations - Teamsters Public Works Unit
 

2014-57 ORDER − 1 MRSA § 405 (6) (C) Potential acquisition of real estate
 

4. GOOD NEWS & RECOGNITION
 

A. Lisbon Emergency Recognition of Sergeant Stewart & Officer McGee
 

B. Moxie Festival Planning Update
 

5. PUBLIC HEARINGS
 

A. Proposed Charter Amendment to reduce the number of signatures necessary to call a Special Town Meeting to consider budget issues from 15 percent of the qualified voters voting in the last gubernatorial election to 10 percent of the qualified voters voting in the last gubernatorial election
 

B. Proposed Charter Amendment which will clarify that the municipality will follow and reference title 21-A for Election procedures
 

C. Proposed Route 196 Design Standards & Guidelines
 

D. Itinerant Vendor License for Randall Smith d/b/a Pinky D's
 

6. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION FOR AGENDA ITEMS
 

7. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION RESPONSE
 

8. CONSENT AGENDA
 

2014-58 ORDER − A. Minutes of April 14, 15, 17, 22, 28, & 29, 2014
B. Renewal Itinerant Vendor /Mass Gathering Licenses
C. Itinerant Vendor License for Randall Smith d/b/a Pinky D's
D. Renewal Liquor License for Angelo's
E. Renewal Victualer's Licenses
 

9. COUNCIL ORDERS, RESOLUTIONS, & ORDINANCES
 

2014-59 ORDER −Warrant for School Budget Validation Referendum June 10, 2014
 

2014-60 ORDER −Warrant for Bond Referendum June 10, 2014
 

2014-61 ORDER − Route 196 Design Standards & Guidelines (Second Reading)
 

2014-62 ORDER − Amend Section 2-507 Finance Committee established (First Reading)
 

2014-63 ORDER − Dispatch Agreement with Lisbon Emergency Services
 

2014-64 RESOLUTION − Stating opposition of FEMA's interpretation of Policy 9523
 

10. OTHER BUSINESS
 

A. Town Office and Library Operating Hours Survey Results
 

11. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION NEW ITEMS
 

12. COUNCIL RESPONSE TO NEW ITEMS
 

13. APPOINTMENTS
 

2014-65 ORDER − Accept resignation of (1) Regular Planning Board Member
 

2014-66 ORDER − Appoint current Associate Member to Regular Planning Board Member
 

2014-67 ORDER − Appoint Wardens 

14. COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS
 

15. ADJOURNMENT
 

2014-68 ORDER − To Adjourn to Budget Workshop
 

16. BUDGET WORKSHOP

Recap Town Council Workshop - April 14th‏

RECAP TOWN COUNCIL WORKSHOP – APRIL 14TH

The Interim Town Manager, Mr. Dale Olmstead, updated the Council on what he has learned pertaining to the Public Works garage.  Right now the insurance company is offering $300,000.00 dollars as a settlement.  Along with this cash money, the insurance company is going to pay for a few months rental fees.

This leaves the Council with several options:
1.  Repair existing building.
2   Build a new building.
3.  Move into as existing building.
 

According to Mr. Olmstead it would not be cost effective to repair the building because it was not an adequate facility for Public Works in the first place.  

Second, it would cost the town too much to build a new facility for Public Works. 

 Third, there are two buildings available in town to take care of our immediate needs but would have additional costs if the town wanted to expand for one and the other is readily made and would provide for a lot of town consolidation.

The two buildings are:
 

ETTI:  (64,000 square feet)
Longchamps (10,000 square feet – expandable)

Both of these building would need an appraisal before they could discuss price.  The appraisals have been ordered.
The Councilors discussed each option for almost an hour.  Chairwoman Ward allowed the Public to provide input and then adjourned the meeting without any vote by the Council.

Larry Fillmore

More Information Concealed from the People‏

                           MORE INFORMATION CONCEALED FROM THE PEOPLE!
 

 Lisbon Town Engineer E. Ryan Leighton

A former employee of the Town of Lisbon filed a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission and on April 1, 2014 and this complaint was settled out of court.  The Maine Human Rights Commission filed a complaint against E. Ryan Leighton, Town Engineer and the Town of Lisbon. 

The complaint alleged that Respondents Town of Lisbon and Ryan Leighton subjected the former employee to unlawful discrimination in the terms and conditions of employment due to his disability when it classified his vacation as medical leave, threatened termination of his employment and ordered him to submit to a medical examination.  The Commission found reasonable grounds to believe that the Complaint ant was subjected to disability discrimination when the Town of Lisbon and Ryan Leighton required him to undergo an independent medical examination.

Our Interim Town Manager, Dale Olmstead, negotiated an out of court settlement.  The terms of the agreement are that neither the Town of Lisbon nor Ryan Leighton is admitting to doing any wrong doing.  However, the town agreed to provide the Commission Compliance Manager with a copy of the current policies relating to disability discrimination, medical inquiries and medical examinations, and any proposed changes to those policies.

Within 120 days of the effective date of the agreement, the town will provide mandatory training for all of its employees, managers and supervisors regarding the requirements of the revised policies related to disability discrimination, medical inquires and medical requests.  The dates when the training was performed, an overview of the training provided and the name and credentials of the trainers will be provided to the Commission Compliance Manager.

Not part of the agreement, the Town Insurance Company agreed to pay and indeed did pay our former employee $16,500.00 to drop the Maine Human Rights Complaint and any further legal action.  This does not include legal fees for the town.

Once again, monies are being paid to settle yet another suit on behalf of Ryan Leighton.  This time the taxpayers did not have to suffer directly but will when our insurance premiums go up because of Mr. Leighton’s total lack of managerial skills and his inability to deal with people.  This is the second time Mr. Leighton’s incompetency has been identified.  The first was when the Department of Environmental Protection agency fined the town $22,307.00 for violations.  Mr. Leighton is neither a qualified Licensed Professional Engineer, qualified as the Superintendent of Sewer (only Grade 2 and should be Grade 4) nor qualified to manage people.  Keep in mind that Mr. Leighton cannot sign documents/reports required by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection agency and yet he receives a salary close to $80,000.00 of our tax dollars. 

Talk about fraud, waste and abuse of our tax dollars.

Larry Fillmore

Lisbon School Department Community Informational Night April 9, 2014 Presentation

   Community Informational Night April 9, 2014

{Video Presentation to follow soon}

Lisbon HS Dancing with Staff‏

Lisbon – The Lisbon High School Drama Club in conjunction with members of the Class of 2014 are planning an evening to remember!  Thanks to the continued partnership with the Alma-Lea Dance & Studio in Lisbon, students are presenting one of the favorite events for the Lisbon Community of School.  Dancing with the Staff, the Grande Finale’ will be presented on Thursday, February 27.  Reigning champions Julie Wescott and Randy Ridley are breaking up their act and their trophies are retiring with them.  

The challenge is on for five couples to compete for the 2014 Gold Ball.  Back by popular demand, the sensational dancing duo of Darrell Orr and Cathy Messmer, will be challenging Brandon Ward and Katy Dodge; Gretchen Ward and Sarah Brown; Rastus Coombs and Maddy Cornish; and Sara Flowers and Amy Sewick for the championship!  

Darrell Orr & Cathy Messmer

Brandon Ward & Katy Dodge

 Gretchen Ward & Sarah Brown

 Rastus Coombs & Maddy Cornish

 Sara Flowers & Amy Sewick

Mark your calendar to attend the first night competition of Thursday, February 27 and the championship event on Thursday, March 20 at 7 p.m.  The event will be held in the Lisbon High School gymnasium’s transfixed into a grand ballroom for the event at the campus located at 2 Sugg Drive in Lisbon Falls.  Tickets are available at the door.  Adults $5 and students $3.  Children under 5 are free.  FMI contact Jen Fox at 353.3030 or email jfox@lisbonschoolsme.org or Monica Millhime at 754.0021 or email mmillhime@lisbonschoolsme.org.  Proceeds benefit the LHS Drama Club and the Class of 2014.

Coming Soon, Kitty Korner Thrift Shop

 

 

With today's declining economy and increasing cost of living, many people are trying to find ways to cut back on cost without cutting back on luxury. As many people look for ways to cut spending, they are snatching up clothes, jewelry, furniture, appliances and even toys that other people previously owned. This is the perfect opportunity for you to get ready for the upcoming opening of Kitty Korne...r Thrift Shop located at 84 Main Street / Lisbon Falls, Maine! After Christmas is the time for you to go through your clothes, children's clothes, toys etc... put them aside and when we open, come and visit the store to sell us your good, clean, non-stained clothes, toys in good working condition etc....
Remodeling of the store will be starting soon! Will keep all updated. We are also asking to share this post to help us spread the word... Much Appreciated!

We Thank You!
Ray & Lucie Bisson



https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kitty-Korner-Store/179895365412031

Very Merry Main Street‏