FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Every year, I write the same article in hopes the new Council will decide to return Lisbon to a democracy.  I think that it is important to return discussions and dialogs to Town Council meetings.  These options were striped from the people and replaced demanding the people can ”ONLY”  address the Council without the benefit of knowing why they are asking for a change.  Such an idea of asking people to speak when they do not have all the facts is totally ridiculous and wastes every ones time. 

Years ago, the people could speak on agenda items AFTER hearing why the sponsor has the item on the agenda.  Then the Council discussed the issue and then it was opened to the people.  This way everyone knew what was going on and we had meaningful discussions.  Also, the Councilors had ALL the facts in order to render a decision before voting.  Decisions are being made by the Town Council now without having all the facts on many items.  This leads to poor decisions.

 The Agenda would look like this:              

1.   CALL TO ORDER & PLEDGE TO FLAG

2.  ROLL CALL

3.  GOOD NEWS & RECOGNITION

4.  PUBLIC HEARINGS

5.  CONSENT AGENDA

6.  COUNCIL ORDERS, RESOLUTION FOR AGENDA ITEMS

7.  OTHER BUSINESS

8.  NEW BUSINESS

9.  COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS

10.                   APPOINTMENTS

11.                   EXECUTIVE SESSIONS

12.                   ADJOURNMENT

This Agenda eliminates both Audience Participation & Response for Agenda items and Audience Participation & Response and replaces “New Business”.  This agenda will provide meaningful dialog for all and increase the chance of all the facts coming out.  Councilors will have all available facts in order to render better decisions.

Larry Fillmore

 

RECAP TOWN COUNCIL MEETING – NOVEMBER 15TH

This is the summary of Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting.

Under Good News & Recognition – The Lisbon Recreation Pee Wee Football team received a proclamation for winning their Championship.

Under Council Orders Resolutions & Ordinances – 

1.  Waiver for Foreclosure for Sewer & Taxes – The Town Council approved the waiver for three mobile homes by a vote of 7-0.
2. Sewer Lab Tech Position – The Town Council approved the hiring of a Sewer Lab Tech by a vote of 7-0.  The salary is still undetermined.
3. Ratify Police Sergeants Contract – The Town Council voted to ratify the contract by a vote of 7-0.
4. Lisbon Falls Fire Station Hose Tower Insulation – The Town Council approved this by a vote of 7-0.  All Seasons Weatherization & Insulation, LLC won the bid in the amount of $16,850.00
5. Trail Project Closure – The Town Council approved the closure of the Trail Project by a vote of 7-0 not to exceed $11,926.34.
6. Charter Amendment Effect Date – The Town Council approved the date of November 15, 2016 as the effective date by a vote of 7-0.
7. Loader Discussion & Decision – The Town Council approved to purchase a Loader not to exceed $150,000.00 by a vote of 7-0.
8. Establishment of the Lisbon Development Committee (First Reading) – The Town Council accepted the first reading by a vote of 7-0.

Under Appointments – Mr. Dan LeMan was appointed as an Associate Member to the Planning board by a vote of 6-0.  Councilor Metivier did not vote.

Larry Fillmore

TOWN COUNCIL AGENDA FOR NOVEMBER 15TH

MONKEY SEE MONKEY DO!!!!!!!

It is time for the people to look at how the Town Council votes.  This should provide facts for the people to see which Councilors are putting the best interest of the community first when they vote on agenda items. 

But wait a minute; this cannot be done because the Town Council’s votes are, for the majority of the time, unanimous.  In the last year, only two Councilors voted against an agenda item.   Councilor Klobe and Councilor Crafts did not vote with the group only once in a year.

This is an indication that everyone is playing well together.  But is this true?  Councilor Cote voted against the group close to 90% of the time.  Councilor Cote ALWAYS put the best interest of the town ahead of everything where other Councilors put their personal agenda before the community.

We need Councilors who are not afraid to vote for the community first and friendships second.  This should always be the measuring stick for a Councilor and not if he plays well with others.  When considering how good a Council is; a review of his voting record should be the only yardstick.  Today, it cannot be done because they ALWAYS vote unanimous and therefore there is no way to measure which Councilors puts the community first.

We need to vote for the Councilors that will ALWAYS put the best interest of our community first.   Currently, we know that Councilors Meteiver and Brunelle vote personal agenda and NOT what are in the best interest of the town.

 Please think about this when you vote on Tuesday, November 8^th.

VOTE

Larry Fillmore

THE HEIGHT OF STUPIDITY!!!

At Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting, I witness the height of stupidity.  Our previous Finance Director, Mr. Edward Karass, briefed the Town Council on what are good financial practices and what are financial bad practices.  He was trying to explain how our town got into the financial fix the town was in and what can be done to get the town out of debit.  One of the areas to correct was to eliminate the practice of lease to purchase Police cruisers. 

 The Town Council does a decent job when it comes to allocating funding for Police cruisers in the town budget.  The funds to purchase these vehicles are allocated in the approved budget.  The old process was twofold.  Part one is to get a bid for the purchase and then to borrow funds to pay for the lease to purchase of the cruisers.  This adds to the cost of the cruiser and requires the taxpayer to pay additional fees for leasing.  Mr. Karass and I agree that if you allocate the funding for these vehicles in the budget the town should pay OUTRIGHT for the purchase of the vehicles.  This saves the taxpayers the cost of leasing and does not increase the town’s debit.

 However, Mr. Karass has been gone about a month now and on Tuesday night the old procedure was back in place by lease to purchase a Police cruiser.  There was no need to go lease to purchase because the funding had already been approved in the budget.  The police budget is roughly two million tax dollars so there should be sufficient funds to purchase the cruiser OUTRIGHT and save the town leasing fees.  According to the Town Manager, this is the way it always has been done.

 Doing things because we have always done it that way is about as dump as it comes.  Especially after our previous Finance Director explained why this is a bad practice.  Vice-Chair Metivier stated that the Town Council would look into the area next year.  This is the same answer we have gotten for the past three years, with no results.  It is terrible to have the right information and then ignore it.

 This cruiser has to be retrofitted with the communication equipment in the vehicle.  However, the equipment is for a Crown Vic and not the SUV the town purchased so there is going to be an additional cost to transfer the equipment into the new cruiser.  The Town Council added an additional cost of roughly $7,625 to the cost of purchasing the cruiser, which was $25,375.00 to make it an even $33,000.00.  The Town Council could have used $7,625.00 of forfeiture funds to cover this additional cost.  This is what the forfeiture funds are designed to be utilized for but none of our Councilors thought of it. 

 This is the problem with the Council Working Rules.  The Council Working Rules eliminate a chance of having a discussion or dialogue on issues with the Public.  Apparently, the Town Council believes they are smarter than everyone else in town and therefore does not need to get additional help.  Think about what would happen if everyone could input data into a problem so that the Town Council had all the facts in order to make an intelligent decision.

Please call the Town Manager and your Councilors and voice your concerns about spending your tax dollars when there is no need.

 Larry Fillmore        

 

LISBON NEEDS LEADERSHIP!!!!!

When the people of Lisbon go to the polls on November 8th to vote; it is crucial they vote for individuals that possess two important traits.  They are leadership and the ability to put what is best for the community first.  I believe we have this on the School side but on the Town Council; we are seriously lacking.

On October 6, 2015, the Town Council, which included the following Councilors Bickford, Crafts, Brunelle, and Metivier, voted to stop the Consolidation of the Lisbon Communication Center and the Androscoggin County Dispatch.  This consolidation would have allowed the 911 operators to dispatch directly OUR First Responders in emergency situations.  This initiative would have made it possible for OUR First Responder to get to the scene more quickly and possibly save more lives.  At the same time, Councilors Pesce and Garrison estimated a cost saving to the town of approximately $190,000.00 tax dollars.  To me this is a significant savings for the taxpayers. 

However, since October 6, 2015, these same supposedly Councilors have made no effort to pursue this any further.  That means that every man, woman and child’s live remain endanger.  This outrages me and should you but no one other than myself; Mr. Stacey and Dorothy Fitzgerald have tried to get the Town Council to take immediate action to correct this situation.  What is going to happen when a loved one dies because of the delay in First Responder getting to the scene and the family sues the town for failure to provide a safe environment in Lisbon? 

We have two sitting Councilors up for reelection who voted to stop the consolidation and they are supposedly Councilors Metivier and Brunelle.  If these two are reelected, they will not make any effort to correct this situation.  Putting our citizen’s life a risk all the time is bad enough not looking into way to save the taxpayers money is inexcusable.  These two have clearly demonstrated the past two years they are not leaders nor have the ability to put what is best for the community first.  It will be up to the people on November 8th to choose our next Town Council so it is critical they choose wisely.  I will not be voting for either of these two.

The Androscoggin County Dispatch is willing to work with our new Chief of Police to provide emergency dispatching to Lisbon.  However, it is up to the Town Council to make the first move.  I do not care which Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) provides the service as long as the PSAP dispatch First Responder immediately receipt of the 911 call.  There are two PSAP in Androscoggin County which is L/A 911 and Androscoggin County Dispatch.

If you are tired of having your life and that of yours love ones put at risk, call the your Town Council, Town Manager and the Chief of Police and DEMAND they take immediate action to correct this mess.

Larry Fillmore

RECAP TOWN COUNCIL MEETING – NOVEMBER 1ST

At last night’s Town Council meeting, the following is a summary.

 Under Council Orders, Resolutions & Ordinances –

1.     FD 2 – 2016 SCBA Compressor Bid Results – The Council approved the bid from Industrial Protection Service for $21,945.00 by a vote of 4-0.  Excused Councilors were Bickford, Kolbe, and Albert.

2.     Cruiser Bid Award – The Council approved the bid from Casco Bay for $25,375 and an additional cost for changing over equipment for a total of $33,000.00 by a vote of 4-0.  This is again a lease to purchase.

Under Other Business – Kathy Malloy (Assessor) and Dennis Douglas (Code Enforcement Officer) provided Department Heads Oral Briefings to the Council.

 Under Appointments – The Council approved two new committees as follows:

 Advisory Committee as part of the CDBG requirements - Members are Tracey Steuber; Amanda Bunker; Dennis Douglas; Karin Paradis; Don Fellows; Scott Hall; Fern LaRochelle and Gina Mason.

Lisbon Brownfields Steering Committee – Members are Tracey Steuber; Richard Main; Charlotte Farnum; Marie Hale; Trevor Kenkel; Roger Bickford and Gina Mason.

Larry Fillmore 

LISBON COMMUNICATION CENTER

The following are FACTS concerning the Lisbon Communication Center:

a.  Androscoggin County Dispatch receives all 911 (emergency phone calls) and has to call 353-2500 (Lisbon Communication Center) to have First Responders dispatched.  If 353-2500 is busy (which 911 operators have told me happened several times) delays the response time for First Responders to get to the scene.
b. There are absolutely no dispatchers at the Lisbon Communication Center that are currently qualified as Emergency Medical Dispatchers.  This means that there is no one qualified to determine an Emergency Medical Code.  This code is critical for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) to alert them as to what equipment and medical supplies are going to be needed.  This is yet another reason why not to use 353-2500 for emergency situations.
c. At Candidate Night a sitting Councilor (Chris Brunelle) announced that for local 911 call 353-2500.  This is so incredible wrong.  All emergency situations should go through the Maine State 911 system.  353-2500 is the NON-emergency phone number to reach Lisbon Police Department.  353-2500 should never be used for emergency situations because the dispatchers are not qualified to handle emergency situations.  This show the level of competence of our Councilors.  The worst part is that only one Councilor has investigated and got the facts on the Lisbon Communication Center and that is Councilor Klobe.  Every time she tried to bring this up; Roger Bickford and Eric Metivier refused to discuss this issue and changed the subject.
d. By not having the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) dispatching our First Responder and having to wait for unqualified personnel to answer 353-2500; creates a delay in responding to emergency situation which in turn puts every resident of Lisbon’s life a risk.  This is a Public Safety issue and needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. 

So what is the problem and how do we correct the situation:  First and foremost the Town Council needs to get educated as to how to improve the quality of life for its residents.  I recommended to the new Chief Hagen, Town Manager Barnes and Councilors Ward, Albert and Klobe that a joint workshop be held with
Androscoggin County Dispatch (Sheriff Samson and Director Fournier) and the Town Council to resolve any issues remain unanswered.  So far Chief Hagen and Town Manager Barnes said they cannot get involved until the Town Council asked them.  Councilors Ward and Albert keep stalling and Councilor Klobe has always been in favor.  Androscoggin County is willing to participate.  The Lisbon Communication Center has always been a political issue instead of a Public Safety issue. 

The Town Council and Town Manager want to wait until after the election.  As you well know, I do not think Erick Metivier and Chris Brunelle should be reelected because they have cost this community a great deal of tax dollars and have failed to tackle this Public Safety issue.  In fact, these two are part of the group that created this mess.

The people need to elect leaders and not followers.  We need to elect people that will take politics out of the situation and vote for what is best for the community.  Right now former Town Councils have put everyone in this community’s lives at risk because there was no follow-up by the next Council on this issue.  The solution is very simple and that is to hire a PSAP to dispatch our First Responder upon receipt of an emergency situation.  There are two PSAP’s in Androscoggin County (L/A 911 and Androscoggin County Dispatch).  It does not make any difference which one we use and long as we eliminate having to contact the Lisbon Communication Center prior to dispatching our First Responder.

The need to start now is because whichever PSAP is selected it is going to take approximately six month for the transition.

Larry Fillmore

TOWN COUNCIL AGENDA FOR NOVEMBER 1ST

WHEN TO CALL 353-2500 AND WHEN TO CALL 911

 

At the Candidates Forum on Tuesday October 18 Chris Brunelle,

a Town Councilor, running for re-election, made the statement 'that for

 

emergencies call 353-2500.'

353-2500 is the phone number for the Lisbon Police Department.

 They answer Lisbon Communications. 

When to call 353-2500:

    To report a break-in.

    To report non-life threatening situations.

    To report a theft, i.e. of a vehicle, bicycle, private property.

    To report any suspicious activity.

        You get the idea????

When to call 911:

    FOR ANY AND ALL EMERGENCIES !!!!!!!!! 

 

THE LIFE YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN, OR THAT OF A

                            LOVED ONE.

 

Submitted by:  Dorothy Fitzgerald

                        Concerned Citizen

RECAP TOWN COUNCIL MEETING – OCTOBER 18TH

This is a summary of a very short Town Council meeting.

Under Council Orders, Resolutions & Ordinances:

1.  School Capital Reserve Request – The Council approved for the School Department to spent $20,311.00 for Gartley Street repairs and for a new dishwasher by a vote of 5-0.  Councilor Albert and Bickford were both excused.
2. HVAC Service Contract – The Council approved the award of the contract to Patriot Mechanical in the amount not to exceed $4,480.00 by a vote of 5-0.
3. Acceptance of CDBG Downtown Revitalization Grant – The Council accepted the CDBG Grant funds for $320,000.00 for its Lisbon Falls Streetscape Project and set a date of November 1st as a date for a Public Hearing by a vote of 5-0.
4. Acceptance of FY16 HSGP Funds - The Council accepted the award of this grant in two parts.  The first was for Maine Emergency Management in the amount of $15,258.44 to be applied toward a generator and for the Police Department for $3,485.00 for upgrading the exterior security cameras by a vote of 5-0.

Under Other Business – The Town Manager informed everyone that a new telephone system is being installed at the town office.  Also Mark Steven updated the Council on the Recreation and Parks Department.

Larry Fillmore

THE JOKE OF THE DAY!!!!!!

The other day, I was running errands around town and almost lost control of my vehicle after reading Mr. Eric Metivier’s reelection sign.  The sign read “a Citizen and not a politician”.  Are you kidding me?

Eric Metivier was one of the ringleaders that challenged the School Department budget a few years ago.  The result was in the taxpayers having to pay approximately $15,000.00 for five extra referendums and additional legal fees.  Mr. Metivier also stopped the consolidation of the Androscoggin County Dispatch and the Lisbon Communication Center.  According to Councilors Garrison and Pesce the cost savings to the town would be approximately $190,000.00 per year.  Since it has been two years, which means this move resulted in the taxpayers have lost out on approximately $380,000.00 and will continue too until Lisbon gets rid of the Lisbon Communication Center.

Mr. Metivier has always been a member of the “Good Old Boys” network which is just another way of saying “Politician”.  

On November 8th, the people of Lisbon must think hard and long before casting their vote for Town Councilors.  Mr. Chris Brunelle voted with Mr. Metivier on everything.  Mr. Brunelle is a follower and not a leader.  Neither one of these two individuals has demonstrated they have the best interest of the community at heart.  Instead, they are wasting our taxpayers’ hard earned money.  

Please choose carefully!  In order to move our community forward, the Town Council has got to remember to put the best interest of the community in making their decision.

Larry Fillmore

DAS IST GENUG!!!!!

We are coming up on the second anniversary of the Town Council shutting down the Consolidation of the Lisbon Communication Center and the Androscoggin County Dispatch project for providing emergency services to Lisbon.  The estimated cost savings to the community was approximately $190,000.00 tax dollars per year.  So far, the community has lost out on approximately $380,000.00 tax dollars.  The following fake councilors can take full credit for this:  Roger Bickford, Eric Metivier, Chris Brunelle and Dale Crafts.

 

These individuals have made no effort to investigate and resolve any questions they had at the time so we can assume that questions were NOT the real reason for shutting down the project.  If these individuals really cared about our community or they would have looked into how to save approximately $190,000.00 per year in tax dollars for the people.  However, they never made an effort to provide relieve for the people but instead increased our taxes every year.  However, come November of this year, the people will have an opportunity to correct this situation and vote someone in that will put whatever is best for the community before any personal agendas.

 

There are several critical reasons to having Androscoggin County Dispatch provide our emergency services to the community.

 

(1)           Having Androscoggin County Dispatch immediately dispatch OUR first responder upon receipt of the 911 call will provide the best quality of life possible.  Forcing Androscoggin County Dispatch to contact Lisbon Communication Center prior to dispatching OUR first responder (current system) is time consuming and if they cannot make contact because 353-2500 is busy as has happened on numerous occasions cause a delay that puts our lives as risk needlessly.

 

(2)           Having Androscoggin County Dispatch providing emergency services to Lisbon will save the community approximately $190,000.00 tax dollars.  This is NOT chump change and will help to reduce our taxes.

 

(3)           Having Androscoggin County Dispatch providing emergency services to Lisbon will enable Sergeant Moore to return to the Police Department full time.  This will improve the efficiency of the Patrol Division.

 

(4)           None of the individuals currently filling positions as dispatchers are currently qualified as Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMD) so they should be classified as Communication Specialist.  There is no NEGEN911 equipment in the Lisbon Communication Center and therefore they do not receive 911 calls directly and cannot establish the Emergency Medial Code (EMC) that is required to be pass on to the Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) in an emergency medical situation.

 

These are a few advantages for closing the Lisbon Communication Center. However, I am sure that by now you are asking the same question “Why has these imposters not looked into the situation in two years?”  This is a scenario which should be of great importance to provide residents with better quality of life and would save the people money.  These two items should always be a top priority in order to improve our community.  Think about how far $380,000.00 could have gone to improving our community. 

 

This brings me to the reason for this article.  If the phonies do not come to an agreement with Androscoggin County Dispatch or any other Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) by the end of the year; the town will lose another $190,000.00 for next year. I have talked to Androscoggin County Dispatch and they estimate it will take approximately six months to integrate Lisbon into their system.  This will move us into yet another budget season and the community will lose out for another year. 

 

The Town Council has stalled enough.  Let’s have a Town Council workshop and include representative from Androscoggin County Dispatch or whatever PSAP they want to use and resolve all questions and move forward and do what is right.

 

Larry Fillmore

RECAP TOWN COUNCIL MEETING – OCTOVER 4TH

This is a summary of the Town Council meeting for October 4, 2016.

Under Council Orders, Resolutions and Ordinances –

1. Outdoor Shooting Range (Second Reading) – The Council voted by a vote of 7-0 to approve.
2. CDBG Micro-Enterprise Assistance Program – Lisbon Business Façade Program – The Council approved by a vote of 7-0 to adopt the Town of Lisbon Business Façade Grant Guidelines and Requirements.
3. Self-Contained Breathing Fill Station Compressor – The Council authorized the Fire Chief to solicit bids for self-contained breathing fill stations by a vote of 7-0.
4. Request to go to bid for 2017 Ford SUV Interceptor – The Council authorized the Chief of Police to solicit bids for a 2017 Ford SUV Interceptor.
5. HVAC Service Contract – The Council tabled this item because they needed more information.
6. Managed IT Support Service Contract – The Council awarded the bid to the Round Table Technology for $53,790.00 by a vote of 7-0.

Under Other Business - The Town Manager is working on an information paper to explain the Charter Changes on the November ballot.  Ryan Leighton provided an update on both the Sewer Study and the Downtown Parking Lot & Hasey Street situations.

Under Appointments – Both Richard Main and Annica McGuirk were appointed to the Conservation Commission.

Larry Fillmore

Town Council Agenda - October 4, 2016

 

 

IF WE ONLY HAD FOUR REAL COUNCILORS

 
In 2014, two REAL Town Councilors were looking into ways to reduce the operating cost of the town in order to reduce taxes for residents.  What a novel idea?  Two of the REAL Councilors estimated that the town could save the taxpayers approximately $190,000.00 by having Androscoggin County Dispatch provide our emergency services.  They even went so far as to begin working with Sheriff Samson and his staff on how to go about it.  However, the project was stopped by the Council because of a dog and pony show by former Chief of Police David T. Brooks.  Chief Brooks provided false information to the people and the Council.

Instead of trying to iron out the differences, our current Town Council dropped the idea.  Roger Bickford has been making excused for not trying to make it work.  To me, saving taxpayers approximately $190,000.00 deserves a second look.  I decided to look into it a little further to see where the disconnect really is.  The most disturbing part of the current system is that all request for emergency services automatically go to Androscoggin County Dispatch.  Androscoggin County Dispatch immediately dispatches First Responder upon receipt of the call for all towns they provide service for with the exception of Lisbon.  Lisbon REQUIRES Androscoggin County Dispatch to notify Lisbon Communication Center at 353-2500 and Lisbon Communication Center is the ONLY ones authorized to dispatch our First Responders.  What a useless system!  I talked to the Emergency Medical Dispatchers/911 operators at the Androscoggin County Dispatch and they informed me that there have been several times that they could not get thru on 353-2500 which causes a time delay before First Responders are dispatched.  This puts our live a risk every day.  What this means is that we are paying over $360,000.00 a year to be put at risk. 

The reason 353-2500 is so busy is because people do not understand this is for NON-EMERGENCY situations ONLY.  There should be an automated message that states “If this is an emergency; hang up and dial 911”.  I have mentioned this to the Town Manager several months ago and it still has not happened.  The Town is getting a new phone system and maybe this message will be on 353-2500.  

Rumor has it that the Town Council will be putting a Referendum question on the November ballot asking the people if they want to close the Lisbon
Communication Center or not.  Of course, this will be NON-BINDING so what good is it?  Also, the Town Council is NOT going to provide all the facts to the people in order to make a valid decision because they do not want the people to know what the facts are.  If the people knew all the facts, there would be no need for the question.  The Councilors are unaware of all the facts.  You know how I know that is because if they knew all the facts they would have already reenergized the project in order to provide residents with quality emergency service instead of hanging them out to dry.

The four imposters are keeping this project from moving forward.  This is just another example of their lack of concern for our community.  Two of these imposters are coming up for election in November and I hope the people remember all the pain they have caused this community.

Larry Fillmore

RECAP TOWN COUNCIL MEETING – SEPTEMBER 20TH

The following is a summary of the events Tuesday night at the Town Council meeting.  

Under Council Orders, Resolutions & Ordinances

1.  Ch. 70 Definitions – Medical Marijuana Definition (First Reading) – Chairman Bickford made a motion to table this action until after the election and rescheduled for December 6, 2016.  It was approved by the council by a vote of 7-0.
2. Outdoor Shooting Range (First Reading) – The Council approved the first reading by a vote of 7-0.
3. Annual approval of Residential Tax Club policy - The Council approved this policy by a vote of 7-0.
4. Order of Payment of taxes – The Council approved this by a vote of 7-0.
5. Voting Credentials for MMA Annual Business Meeting – The Council approved this by a vote of 7-0.
6. School Capital Reserve Request – This was approved by a vote of 7-0.

Larry Fillmore