The Lisbon Reporter

WELCOME TO THE LISBON REPORTER. In an effort to keep our community informed of what is going on at local and Federal levels of government, we decided to create this on-line newspaper. It is our hope that this on-line newspaper will help you stay informed so that you can get involved and take action for the benefit of our ENTIRE community. Thank you for visiting and please check back frequently for information about what is happening in LISBON/LISBON FALLS, MAINE USA

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Recap Town Council Workshop & Special Meeting January 28, 2014

RECAP TOWN COUNCIL WORKSHOP & SPECIAL MEETING

Tonight was another very special evening. The Town Council held a Workshop and then a Special Town Council Meeting. We are going to start off with the Workshop.

During the Workshop, the Town Council heard three presentations. This first one was about the Maine Municipal Association (MMA). This was presented by Mr. David Barrett. If this organization sounds familiar to you; it is because they recommended Mr. Stephen Eldridge to the town of Lisbon. At that time, Mr. Eldridge was the poster boy for MMA. Do we really want to repeat our mistake?

The second presentation was presented by Mr. Bill Van Tuinen. Mr. Van Tuinen is the current Town Assessor. He provided an excellent outline of the responsibilities of the Assessor’s office. He also briefed the Council on the Reevaluation his company is conducting in Lisbon. According to Mr. Van Tuinen, the reevaluation should be complete in 2014-2015. The new evaluations will go into effect in 2015.

The final presentation was done by Mr. Mark Stevens. Mr. Stevens is the Director of the Recreation Department. Mr. Stevens outlined the accomplishment of the Recreation Department. He also explained the numerous programs available to the community. The Recreation Department has programs available for all ages from seniors to 3 and 4 year olds. The Recreation Department is one of the only departments in the town that actually make money for the town.

At this point, the Council ended the Workshop and started the Special Town Council Meeting. The first order of business was to go into Executive Session. At this point, Mrs. Paula Gibbs Reporter for the Sun Journal left. The Council was in Executive Session for approximately one hour. At two different times, they asked Mr. Dale Olmstead to join in the Executive Session.

When the Town Council came out of Executive Session, they took a vote to see if Mr. Dale Olmstead would be the Interim Town Manager or not. The vote was 5 to 2 in favor of Mr. Olmstead becoming the next Interim Town Manager. The two councilors NOT in favor were Chairwoman Ward and Councilor Bickford.

The following is an article outlining what Mr. Olmstead did for the town of Freeport during his tenure as their Town Manager. http://www.keepmecurrent.com/tri_town_weekly/news/dale-olmstead-a-farewell-to-freeport/article_d2fb7fe2-121a-11e2-842a-0019bb2963f4.html . After reading this article, how can anyone doubt that Mr. Olmstead is exactly what the town of Lisbon needs? Mr. Dale Olmstead will be sworn in at the next Town Council meeting.

Larry Fillmore