Hang On People, Lisbon's Upcoming Agendas April 14,15, & 17 Are Really Going To Mess Y'allz UP!!

AGENDA
TOWN COUNCIL WORKSHOP
MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014
LISBON TOWN OFFICE
5:30 -7:00 P.M.

1. STAFF RECOMMENDATION ON PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY

 
2. ADJOURN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 AGENDA
TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014
LISBON COMMUNITY SCHOOL
33 MILL STREET
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. PUBLIC HEARINGS
 

A. 2014-2015 Municipal and School Budgets
 

B. Consideration of a $1,100,000 Order providing for the issuance of general obligation securities for the purchase or construction of a replacement Public Works Garage
 

C. Consideration of a $5,700,000 Order providing for the issuance of general obligation securities for the Lisbon High School New Gymnasium
 

D. Consideration of a $500,000 Order providing for the issuance of general obligation securities for a new track and related improvements at Lisbon High School
 

5. CONSENT AGENDA
 

2014-38 ORDER − A. Minutes of April 1, 2014
B. Minutes of April 8, 2014

C. Renewal Mobile Home Park Licenses
 

6. COUNCIL ORDERS, RESOLUTIONS, & ORDINANCES
 

2014-39 PROCLAMATION − Municipal Clerks Week
 

2014-40 ORDINANCE − Route 196 Design Standards and Guidelines (1st Reading)
 

2014-41 ORDER − For the issuance of $1,100,000 in general obligation securities for the purchase or construction of a replacement Public Works Garage
 

2014-42 ORDER − "YES" OR "NO" Recommendation to be printed on the ballot for the $1,100,000 Bond Issue
 

2014-43 ORDER − For the issuance of $5,700,000 in general obligation securities for the Lisbon High School New Gymnasium
 

2014-44 ORDER − "YES" OR "NO" Recommendation to be printed on the ballot for the $5,700,000 Bond Issue
 

2014-45 ORDER − For the issuance of a $500,000 in general obligation securities for a new track and related improvements at Lisbon High School
 

2014-46 ORDER − "YES" OR "NO" Recommendation to be printed on the ballot for the $500,000 Bond Issue
 

2014-47 ORDER − Consideration of an order for public hearing on 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
 

2014-48 ORDER − Consideration of an order for public hearing on a proposed Charter Amendment which will clarify that the municipality will follow and reference title 21-A for Election procedures
 

10. ADJOURNMENT

 
2014-49 ORDER − To Adjourn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 AGENDA
SPECIAL TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014
LISBON TOWN OFFICE
6:30 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

3. EXECUTIVE SESSION

 
2014-50 ORDER − 1 MRSA § 405 (6) (A) Personnel Matter

4. ADJOURNMENT

 
2014-51 ORDER − To Adjourn

WHO'S TO BLAME?

                     WHO'S TO BLAME????

I look on tomorrow’s agenda of the Town Council and see three bonds issues.  It is truly amazing that no one can see the taxpayers cannot afford another tax increase this year.  However, due to recent events the town council has to make a decision on what to do about the burning of the Public Works garage.  This is not an item that can be put off because the taxpayers are paying a monthly rental fee of $4,500.00.  This has to take a priority over everything else and should be kept in a separate category than the other bond items.

Keep in mind that several years ago the County Commissioners wanted to consolidate dispatch centers.  They asked if Lisbon would like to consolidate our dispatch center (Communication Center) with the Androscoggin County Dispatch Center and the Town Council at the time (Mike Bowie, Lori Pomelow, Fern LaRochelle, Gina Mason, Roger Bickford, Mark Lunt and Roger Cote) voted NO.  Roger Cote was the only councilor in favor of consolidating Dispatch Centers.  Chief Brooks pushed the council to keep our Dispatch Center.  Had they consolidated Dispatch Centers our town could have invested approximately $1,500,000.00 tax dollars into our town’s infrastructure.  The town would not be struggling for money right now.

If the town had $1,500,000.00 saved, the town would be able to purchase both the Public Works building and the track with this money.  Also, there is a possibility that the town would not have had to raise our taxes every year.

If Chief Brooks had been thinking about what is best for the community, he would have let the County Commissioners consolidate Dispatch Centers and save the taxpayers all this money.  It was and still is the right move for the residents of this town for as long as Chief Brooks is allowed to keep the Dispatch Center and purchase assault weapons there will never be any money for roads, track or gym.

The Dispatch Center needs to go so this community can grow!!!!!

Larry Fillmore

Lisbon Town Council Agenda for April 1, 2014

AGENDA

TOWN COUNCIL MEETING 

 TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 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
 
5. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
 
6. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION RESPONSE
 
7. CONSENT AGENDA
 
2014-45 ORDER − A. Minutes of March 17, 2014
                                B. Minutes of March 18, 2014
                                C. Minutes of March 25, 2014
 
8. COUNCIL ORDERS, RESOLUTIONS, & ORDINANCES
 
2014-46 ORDER − Adopting Street name for Map U08 Lots 35 & 35A for E911
 
2014-47 ORDER − Set polling hours, locations, registrar hours, and casting of Absentee Ballots on Election Day
 
2014-48 ORDER − Approve an amount for the purchase of a replacement plow truck
 
2014-49 ORDER − Consideration of an order for public hearing on proposed issuance of a $1,100,000 order for general obligation securities for the construction of a new Public Works Garage
 
2014-50 ORDER − Consideration of an order for public hearing on proposed issuance of a $5,700,000 order for general obligation securities for the Lisbon High School New Gymnasium
 
2014-51 ORDER − Consideration of an order for public hearing on proposed issuance of a $500,000 order for general obligation securities for a new track and related improvements at Lisbon High School
 
9. OTHER BUSINESS

A. Finance Committee Report to Council
B. Council Roles & Responsibilities
C. Review Council Working Rules
 
10. NEW BUSINESS
 
11. COUNCIL RESPONSE TO NEW BUSINESS
 
12. APPOINTMENTS

2014-52 ORDER − Appoint Election Clerks for June 10, 2014     State and Local Election
 
13. COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS
 
14. EXECUTIVE SESSION
 
15. ADJOURNMENT
2014-53 ORDER − To Adjourn

RECAP TOWN COUNCIL WORKSHOP – MARCH 25TH 2014

RECAP TOWN COUNCIL WORKSHOP – MARCH 25TH

This is the recap of Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting.  It started off with the Interim Town Manager briefing everyone on the negotiations with the insurance company pertaining to the fire at the Public Works building.

Truck – The town and insurance company have reached an agreement on compensation for the burned truck.  The insurance will pay $48,000.00 to the town and the town will keep the burned truck.  There are parts on the truck that were not damaged by the fire and the town can reuse them.  It will cost the taxpayers an additional $25,000.00 – 30,000.00 for the purchase of a new truck.

Building – There is no final agreement between the town and the insurance company but the insurance has offered $300,000.00 for the repair of the building.  The insurance company is also going to pay three months rental.  Currently, the town is paying $4,500.00 a month to Longchamps & Sons, Inc. for rental space.  The Town council will have to make a decision as to how to proceed forward from this point.  Mr. Olmstead presented four options to the council.  This will be added to next week’s agenda for more discussion and hopefully a decision.

The Council spent over 2 hours going over the four parts of the Public Works budget with Ryan Leighton.  These four are Town Engineer, Public Works Department, Winter Public Works and finally Solid Waste Department.

This was followed by the Parks Department budget with Verla Brooks, Park Ranger; then Mark Stevens with the Recreational budget.  These two budgets took less than a half hour. 

I personally believe there are three budgets that should be left alone.  They are the Recreational and Parks budget because they generate revenue for the town and they provide various services to all ages from Senior Citizens to the very young.  These two department heads never ask for anything that is not necessary.
 
The other department is the Library.  The Library has the Job Program and many many more programs for all ages.  Their summer reading program is excellent for our young people especially since the town closed the teen center.  The town does not provide any place for our teenagers to go for the past few years.  At least, these three departments provide some relief for our young people.
 
Larry Fillmore



Editor's Note:  It is unconscionable to see such a display of unprofessional decorum by the reigning council chairman for not have taken the initiative to provide a microphone for the interim Town Manager to use so that the taxpayers sitting at home watching could hear what is being said.  

GreatFallsTV: Lisbon Town Council Workshop March 25, 2014

Town Council Workshop Agenda‏ March 25, 2014 with SUMMARY OF LISBON COUNCIL MEETING RULES

AGENDA
TOWN COUNCIL WORKSHOP
TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2014
LISBON TOWN OFFICE
7:00 P.M.

1. PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY UPDATE

2. DEPARTMENT HEAD BUDGET PRESENTATIONS
 

a. Public Works
 

b. Solid Waste
 

c. Parks
 

d. Recreation

SUMMARY OF LISBON COUNCIL MEETING RULES 

This summary is provided for guidance only. The complete council working rules may be found on the town website www.lisbonme.org on the Town Officials, Town Council page.

The meeting agenda is available from the town website under Council Agendas and Minutes. 

1. Please note the order that agenda items may be acted upon by the Council, however, if necessary, the Council may elect to change the order of the agenda. 

2. The Council Chairman presides over the meeting. When the Chairman is not present, the Vice Chairman serves that function. The chair shall preserve decorum and decide all questions of order and procedure subject to appeal to the town council. 

3. Public comment is not typically allowed during Council workshops,. There may be occasions where public comment may be recruited, but normally, workshops are reserved for Council members to discuss and educate themselves on a variety of issues facing the Town. Prior to the conclusion of a workshop, if time permits, the chair may allow questions from the public. 

4. During audience participation, anyone wishing to address council will wait to be recognized by the chair before beginning any remarks. Audience members will move to the lectern to address council, and shall provide name and address prior to addressing the council. 

5. Note that “Consent Agenda” items (if there are any) are acted upon first, voted upon as a group, and will most often be voted on without discussion as these items often involve “housekeeping” issues (such as minor parking changes). On occasion “Consent Agenda” items are separated out as stand-alone action items by the Council to allow for more discussion. 

6. Public comment on agenda items. General comments on agenda items should be made during audience participation. After introduction of an agenda item, appropriate motions, and time for explanation and council questions, the public may be allowed to comment on that agenda item at the discretion of the chair. During that period of time, the public comment shall address only the agenda item before council. 

7. Action on agenda items. As each item on the agenda for any meeting is brought to the floor for discussion:
a. The town clerk reads the agenda item and the action being requested of council.
b. The sponsor of each item or, if there is no council sponsor, the town manager, or town staff, shall first be allowed to present their initial comments for consideration by the public and councilors.
c. Following this introduction of the issue, there will be time devoted to any questions of the sponsor or the town manager or staff regarding the agenda item which any councilor may have which would help to clarify the question presented by the agenda item. The chair may allow questions from the public during this time however; no debate or discussion of collateral issues shall be permitted.
d. When authorized by the chair, any additional public comment shall be no longer than two minutes per person and must be to request or furnish new or undisclosed information or viewpoints only.
e. Once an agenda item has been explained and clarified by any questioning, the discussion on the specific agenda item will remain with the council. Additional public comment, prior to final council vote; will only be allowed at the chairman's discretion. 

8. New business is for the council to receive input on town matters not on the agenda for that meeting. It is not intended, nor shall it be construed as an opportunity for debate of previous agenda items or reinforcement of a point made by another speaker. Comments shall be to furnish new or undisclosed information or viewpoints and limited to a time period of two minutes or less and shall be directed through the chair. 

9. If an “Executive Session” is conducted by the Council, State Statute prohibits public attendance for any discussion of the action to be addressed by the Council. Any action taken by the Council on any “Executive Session” matter must be acted upon in a public meeting, and may occur at the end of the “Executive Session” (which has no time element relative to the length of the discussion involved in the “session”). 

Current as of December 31, 2013

Recap Town Council Workshop Meeting - February 11th ‏ 2014

                       RECAP TOWN COUNCIL WORKSHOP – FEBRUARY 11TH

At last night's Town Council Workshop, there was a presentation by Mr. Ryan Leighton.  Mr. Leighton outlined the responsibilities of the Public Works Department, Solid Waste, Sewer Department, Technology Department and finally the Town Engineer’s office.  This presentation was informative and very well done by Mr. Leighton.

One of the highlights of the presentation was when Mr. Leighton announced that the replacement of the Police Department servers was not charged to the Police Department budget.  Instead, this cost was charged to the Technology Department.  I am sure this was done to reduce the amount taxpayers are forced to pay for the enormous Police Department.  There are several other costs that are not in the Police Department that are solely used by the Police Department.  

How can anyone tell how much it costs the taxpayers to operate any department when all costs are not charged to that department?
Next, the Council had a discussion on which of the three organizations, which had provided presentations, as to what they will do for the town in search of a new Town Manager.  The majority of the councilors chose Eaton Peabody Consulting with Municipal Resources coming second and no one really voicing their support of the Maine Municipal Association (MMA).  There were some unanswered questions pertaining to the total cost by each organization and timelines.  The Interim Town Manager, Mr. Dale Olmstead was asked to contact each organization and seek the missing information prior to Tuesday’s Town council meeting.  The Council will vote on the issue at that time.

Larry Fillmore

[Originally published on 02-12-2014 4:57am]

Lisbon Town Council Workshop Agenda February 11, 2014

AGENDA
SPECIAL TOWN COUNCIL WORKSHOP
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 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. DEPARTMENT PRESENTATIONS
• Public Works, Solid Waste, Waste Water Treatment Plant Department Presentations
 
4. EXECUTIVE SEARCH PROPOSAL DISCUSSION
 
5. AUDIENCE RESPONSE
 
6. COUNCIL RESPONSE
 
7. ADJOURNMENT

"Got Salt?" More Correctly, Does Your Municipality Have Enough Salt? KJ: Kennebec County towns, cities seeing higher costs in aftermath of icy weather

From a health standpoint we all hear the words, cut down on your salt intake.  

But for the 'thirsty appetite' of Maine's Infrastructure not having enough salt is almost pandemic now as we are just in the midst of the Winter grip upon Maine's roadways.  Thank you to Lisbon's Public Works for keeping our roadways clear and safe for travel during a most 'challenging' winter period thus far.

The people that make up the Public Works department have a tremendous responsibility to the community and more often than not, do not get the appreciation that they ALL  deserve.

So we would like to say THANK YOU!

Check out this story and see how things are going in other parts of Maine.

Kennebec County towns, cities seeing higher costs in aftermath of icy weather

If FEMA declares the ice storm a disaster, those in eligible counties could recoup 90 percent of costs.

By PAUL KOENIG Kennebec Journal 

Icy weather this winter has eaten into municipalities’ sand and salt supplies and maintenance budgets, but most aren’t worried about going over budget or running out of supplies.

While municipalities could potentially receive federal funds reimbursing costs from the ice storm in late December, Kennebec County hasn’t reported enough damage from the storm yet to receive the funds.

In Gardiner, which has already used two-thirds of its salt and winter maintenance overtime budgets, the potential assistance would prevent possible cuts to other portions of its public works budget.

“We’ve had to budget tighter and tighter every year, so there’s no wiggle room,” City Manager Scott Morelli said. “If we go over there, we have to go under somewhere else.”

That could mean less summer paving, he said, a budget line that was already cut down to $127,000 from the $170,000 requested in the first budget proposal last spring. The city also hopes to use a large chunk of the approved sum for debt service on a planned Highland Avenue project with the Maine Department of Transportation

Read More:  http://www.kjonline.com/news/Kennebec_County_towns__cities_seeing_higher_costs_in_aftermath_of_icy_weather_.html

 

"When It's Winter Up In Maine..." The Wildest Snow Removal Vehicles Ever [w/ video] Boldride

By Craig Fitzgerald | Boldride

Ah, winter. Snow falls gently from the sky and covers the countryside in a think blanket of…white crap that needs to be put somewhere else if you plan on driving a car or flying a plane anytime soon. Over the years, a lot of crazy people have come up with some insane, gigantic, widow-making snow removal equipment. Here’s a look at some of the most eye-opening versions of it:

Read All About It: http://autos.yahoo.com/news/wildest-snow-removal-vehicles-ever-w-video-140009937.html

In the meantime, check out the videos below!

World's largest snow blower HD 

 

 

 

Giant Jet Train Snowblower * WARNING * LOUD NOISE *

 

School bus going through snow blower 

 

 

UP 4652 "Plow Train" by Wayne, Illinois on 2-2-2011 

 

  

PennDOT Tow Plow 

 

 

Dick Curless - Tomestone Every Mile 

 

Lisbon's Lease to Purchase Program, Figures Lie and Liars Figure!!!!!

                 LEASE TO PURCHASE AGREEMENT

I know that I have written about this before but I think this issue is so important that I need to stress how very wrong this is for the taxpayers.  I am going to use the latest acquisition of two police vehicles as an example to help show how this works.

When the 2013-2014 municipal budget was approved it included the purchase of two police vehicles.  Chief Brooks then put out a request for bid for the purchase of these two vehicles.  Chief Brooks received the bids and presented the purchase of these vehicles to the Town Council.  The Town Council approved the purchase of these two vehicles for $48,816.00 of our tax dollars.

Now, here is where it gets tricky.  Chief Brooks takes this $48,816.00 of our tax dollars for the purchase of these two vehicles and converts this into a Lease to Purchase Agreement.  So instead of spending the $48,816.00, the town spent ONLY $15, 331.21 for the first installation of the Lease to Purchase Agreement.  So where did the remaining money ($33,484.79) go to? 

The first question, I have is why did Chief Brooks go out for bid to PURCHASE these vehicles if he knew he was going to Lease to Purchase them?  Next, why did the Town Council approve $48,816.00 tax dollars if they knew these vehicles were going to be Leased instead of Purchased instead of the $15,331.21?

So let’s take a look at this business decision and see if it is really cost effective.  Remember the Town Council approved, in the 2013-2014 Municipal Budget, the cost to purchase these two vehicles.  This means there were sufficient tax dollars available to cover the cost of these two vehicles. 

The Lease to Purchase Agreement means that the payment for these vehicles would be spread out over several years.  It also means that there is an additional fee for this service.  Then you have to add in the Administrative cost of making the yearly payments.  This would include all the paperwork to generate a Purchase Order and issue a check by the town staff.  It also involves the Town Manager, Finance Director and the Accounts Payable individual.  All of these costs need to be added into the total cost of these vehicles.

Just, the additional fee of the lease program being added to the cost of the original bid price makes these vehicles cost the taxpayers $63,848.79 instead of the $48,816.00.  This means these two vehicles cost the taxpayers an additional cost of $15,032.79 plus the Administrative cost that I am unable to compute.   Why is this necessary if we had the money to PURCHASE these vehicles in the first place?

Public Works has mechanical personnel on staff to keep the town’s vehicles operational.  The town also has the ability to contract out service to local garages in case of an emergency.  So this cannot be justification for lease to purchase.

So, is the Lease to Purchase the best business decision for the Town of Lisbon and their taxpayers?

Larry Fillmore

Thank You Public Works

Before

After

Town Council Agenda Tuesday April 16, 2013

Don't Forget to be there 1/2 hour early to discuss issues with your favorite councilor, cause  you can't do it during the meeting!!!!!

AGENDA TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2013
LISBON TOWN OFFICE
7:00 P.M. 

1. CALL TO ORDER & PLEDGE TO FLAG 2. ROLL CALL
___Councilor Bickford
___ Councilor Garrison
___ Councilor Larochelle
___ Councilor Lunt
___Councilor Mason
___ Councilor Pesce
___ Councilor Ward

Town Clerk reading of meeting rules

 3. PUBLIC HEARING

 4. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

 5. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION RESPONSE 

6. CONSENT AGENDA
2013-57 ORDER 
A. Minutes of March 25, 2013
B. Minutes of April 2, 2013
C. Renewal Mobile Home Parks

7. COUNCIL ORDERS, RESOLUTIONS, & ORDIANCES

2013-58 ORDER 
Sewer Department Vacuum Truck Bids

2013-59 ORDER 
Sewer Main Lining – Rt. 196 & East Ave.

2013-60 ORDER 
Sewer Back-up Consent Agreement

2013-61 ORDER
Special Municipal Referendum Warrant

2013-62 ORDER
School Budget Validation Referendum Warrant

8. OTHER BUSINESS

A. Public Works Update
B. Finance Director’s Report
C. Town Manager’s Report

9. APPOINTMENTS 

10. COUNCILOR COMMUNICATIONS

 11. EXECUTIVE SESSION
2013-63 ORDER 
1 MRSA § 405 (6) (D) Labor Negotiations

12. ADJOURNMENT 

2013-64 ORDER 
To Adjourn
13. WORKSHOP

Spring Clean up Day - April 6, 2013‏

Another Citizen's Perspective on Manager's Budget Presentation

Breakdown of Lisbon's Manager's Presentation

This is a breakdown of the Manager's Presentation  presented at the town meeting during the Blizzard last Tuesday.
 
Click here for a link to the Presentation
 
Fy14 Budget ----- Manager's Presentation

Slide 3. 
    Interesting we receive  $62,000 for regional dispatch. If you subtract the PSAP fee of $18,000 the true revenue number is $ 44,000.

We have a budgeted revenue increase this year of  $70,000. (we need to keep this in mind)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Slide 5.
     Shows that we consistently under estimate projected  -Excise Tax Revenue-.  (that's good but we need to keep it in mind when going through the budget process.)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Slide 10.
   This slide is a good example of someone using statistics to deceive the public. True Mil Rates when adjusted to 100% valuation.

Durham  ----------13.25
Topsham ----------16.21
Brunswick---------17.43
Lisbon -------------18.48
Auburn ------------19.59
Lewiston -----------22.67

They are trying to hide the fact that  Lisbon’s mil rate is over a dollar more than Brunswick’s, a town almost three times our size.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Slide 11. 
    This chart is pure deception and almost impossible to wrap your head around.  It appears they are showing Tax Allocation and not total expenses. 

The purpose of this manipulation is to make it appear Public Works is larger than the Police department.   Nothing could be further from the truth.

•     Communications (primarily and historically police) was removed from the Police Department several years ago to give the illusion of a smaller Police Department.

•     FICA and Health Insurance costs are not reflected in the proper departments thus hiding the true size of each department.

•     Most of the wage, health insurance and fica costs for Lisbon Government belongs in the Police Dept.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Slide 12.
   This chart is correct because they transferred massive amounts of Police and Public Works wage and insurance costs into the general government account.  If our accounting system was a true reflection of department costs, the General Government Account would be much smaller than the Police or Public Works Departments.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Slide 13.
  Notice how the General Government account keeps trending up year after year.  This is mostly due to the increased costs of the Police and Public Works departments.  The powers that be in town know the public wouldn’t accept this increase if it were applied to the correct departments.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Slide 14.
   This chart has been changed from last year.  This year they split insurance and benefits from wages to give the appearance of a smaller wage cost. Employee wage and benefit costs are over 55% of our total budget and most of that cost is in the Police Department.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Slide 17.
    It would be interesting to know what the communication reserve is?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Slide 21.
 Planning for the future:

 1.    Increase revenues:
   
2.    Don’t over complicate the problem.
   
3.    Keep an open mind.  If we find it necessary to reduce staffing we shouldn’t bury our heads in the sand and keep denying the obvious.  We should institute an immediate hiring freeze in the most over staffed departments. (no layoffs necessary if we address this now)

4.    We need input from many sources   Including the taxpayers. This will be very difficult due to the elimination of free speech at council meetings. One has to wonder if this move was planned with budget season in mind.  The taxpayer's didn’t make this mess the powers that be in Lisbon caused this nightmare.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Conclusions:

•     This presentation was design to confuse and manipulate the taxpayers.

•     The police budget has become so large it is becoming impossible to hide.

•     We must have a hiring freeze in the most overstaffed department (s)

Respectfully,
LisbonMaine.net
Joe Hill

Nation Wide Effort To Abolish County Sheriffs Departments And Strengthen Power Of Federal Law Enforcement Agencies

“A news report has been quietly making its way around the alternative media, under the radar screen, concerning a Delaware legal decision to strip county sheriffs of their arrest powers in the state.

The mainstream media has not reported the story, but the son of Vice President Joe Biden, who serves as Attorney General for the state of Delaware, has issued a mandate to county commissioners informing them that sheriffs in the state’s three counties no longer have arrest powers.”  

 Read more.

Related: SHERIFFS BUSHWHACKED, read more.

http://unmasker4maine.wordpress.com/2013/01/28/nation-wide-effort-to-abolish-county-sheriffs-departments-and-strengthen-power-of-federal-law-enforcement-agencies/

Corruption, Collusion, and Cover Up Just Normal Sailing For Lisbon Town Government Operations!

HOW TO CREATE A SLUSH FUND!!!!

I want to apologize up front for the length of this article but because of Chairman LaRochelle insisting I do not have correct information; I am forced to provide proof utilizing town documents.  I would like to think my word is good enough but the town council tries to down play everything I present to the council.

A representative of the town attended the State of Maine auction for vehicles and obtained three trucks on various dates.  I want to discuss two of these trucks and how they were obtained.  The first one is a 2003 Ford F250 for Public Works.  The cost of the vehicle was $5,500.00.  Below is a copy of the Purchase order with the account the funds were taken from.  If you look at the account E03-305-5390 you will find it is assigned to the Public Works Department for Supplies Parts.  I have included a copy of the budget provide by the Finance Director.  This line item is supposed to be used for “provides parts for all units as necessary”.  I cannot believe a Ford F250 truck qualifies as parts for all units as necessary.

Second, was a 2002 GMC Sierra K2500 for $5,000.00 for the Recreation Department?  I have included a copy of the Purchase Order but this line of accounting is crossed out and another one added.  This gets even crazier because E04-405-5380, which was the original line of accounting, is for Supplies Operating and this was changed to E04-405-5201 which is Advertising/Notices.  Trust me it is a long stretch to justifying the purchase of a 2002 GMC Sierra K2500 under Advertising/Notices.  Also note there is not sufficient funds in the Advertising/Notices account to cover the $5,000.00.

Both of these Purchase Orders are signed by our town manager, Stephen Eldridge; so much for verifying the information pertaining to our tax dollars.  If you are wondering how this applies to creating a slush fund.  This is how the town manager and the town council scam the taxpayers.  First you increase each line item in the budget under the pretense of needing to have a little more to cover emergencies when in fact it is used to create the slush fund.  This is one of the reasons why the town raised our taxes last year. 

Now think about this!  Each of the lines of accounting are going to show payment for these trucks as expenditures under these line item so with this coming budget we will have to increase these lines of accounting to cover the increase in spending.  These expenditures have absolutely nothing to do with these line items but they are going to show up as money spent on these line items.  This will increase our budget in the coming year.   This is how you create a slush fund to be used by the town manager to purchase whatever he wants at taxpayers’ expense.

How can you determine how much you need to operate if you continue to apply unrelated items to line items?  It is impossible to determine where to make cuts in a budget if the accounting is not posted to the correct line of accounting.  I now have shown where the furniture for the Communication Center was charged to the wrong accounts and again with these two trucks. 

This is what I have discovered on my own but it certainly reveals a pattern of misappropriation of town funds. 

Larry Fillmore

Concerned Citizen

Thank You Public Works !

THANK YOU – PUBLIC WORKS

The people of Lisbon should be very thankful for the outstanding and truly professional job the Public Works Department does on a daily basis.  Enclosed are a few pictures of the work these dedicated town employees due each and every day.  The first pictures are of the before and after of the Fisher Bridge.  Lisbon’s Public Works staff assisted Crooker in replacing the bridge with a culvert which improved the public safety for all.

BEFORE:

 

AFTER:

 

Also, the Public Works staff repaved the junction of Village Drive/Ferry Road and Pinewood Road.  This has been a spot which has been tearing up the alignment of vehicles for years.  The train tracks have been a problem for years but our Public Works Department ended that by repaving over these rails.

The people in Lisbon are extremely fortunate to have a Public Works Department that is very dedicated to the community.  These individuals go about their duties daily in a professional manner.  These people do not get the recognition they truly deserve.

Thank you Public Works Department.

Larry Fillmore

Concerned Citizen

My Second letter to the residences of Lisbon: Regarding Water Department

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

Common Sense ??‏

Can someone explain to me why Public Works would schedule painting the crosswalk by LCS to start before 8AM on the first day of school ... or any school day anywhere near 8AM.  Given the changes to school hours and new bus schedules, traffic in that area was bound to be heavy even without any problems.  This of course begs the question of why wasn't it done BEFORE school started ...
 Gregg

 Larry Fillmore has left a new comment on your post "Common Sense ??‏":
Gregg - It is common knowledge, Public Works Director, E.Ryan Leighton does not have a clue. It just shows the incompetency of our town management. They only had all summer to take care of this. Do you think maybe the priorities are a little out-of-line?