[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6087377,"mediaKeyId","2890389-6598619b3f0c45d242fde576b05114c6","parentId",2890389,"title","Library budget review flags utilities assumption, staffing change and facility maintenance costs","audioSeconds",1213,"startMs",5269000,"endMs",6482000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2890389-6598619b3f0c45d242fde576b05114c6&start=5269&end=6482","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2890389-6598619b3f0c45d242fde576b05114c6/thumbnail_5269000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6087377/Maine/Library-budget-review-flags-utilities-assumption-staffing-change-and-facility-maintenance-costs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6087377-c004abde6e0cf29e41bab87bc2a338b9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770998174&Signature=Fb2taWUs4ZzZD5dB5X43MDl5u4HKW1KgpKl~HM-wiY-tzDWuBJFP5I20stnoDSJ49OnaeSg9maxMUG1rmdSKPkogfzz~Gjt8KXQDcfVpvEpaaGqiZPYMN6pJ3Y~wPT-tk-QVwhIpsQixuyuDvcelnxaTUqsLmCsN64V8mnpyQearnyl68R~QYq-BRYAXZk-kS3G6dZTouCKhK0h7oVwAfuLn0Gm6q9-ooL4DzVpaHWflp0MTN2Zlcua77CnGzbBUhnGpeKsZYVcNz6UfJFKIaYr41bTJzWNZNktMR3FKz7vRWotgGwVAZdQl6CbtabLkcvABqlF5FNa7xhUTWU4ZDg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town of Cumberland, Maine","date","2025-04-01T21:43:31Z","article","Councilors reviewed the library’s proposed operating budget and raised questions about utility assumptions, staffing changes and building-maintenance costs.

Staff told the council they will revisit a blanket 10% across-the-board utilities increase and adjust each line to reflect expected expenditures rather than a flat percentage. They also described two staffing changes in the proposed budget: replacing an assistant director role with a marketing and communications position and converting a part-time role to full-time; staff said pending budget approval will determine hiring timing.

The council discussed facility-contract costs. The library’s budget includes preventive-maintenance and service costs with a Siemens HVAC contract and an additional contingency line for unforeseen repair work. Staff said the Siemens contract provides preventive maintenance and built-in discounts on service calls; the separate contingency line is intended to capture unexpected repair costs that fall outside the preventive-maintenance agreement.

Councilors also asked why generator, cleaning and subscription costs are carried in the library cost center. Staff noted the town allocates building-specific operating costs to the facility’s cost center because those amounts are shared with North Yarmouth under an interlocal assessment; the library’s facility costs therefore need to be captured in the library budget for correct revenue-sharing.

On custodial services, staff said the library uses a long-standing cleaning contractor and estimated that the contract is cost-effective given square footage and service frequency; the council discussed whether the service should be put out to bid but staff said the current arrangement has been in place many years and likely reflects appropriate scale for daily/weekly cleaning.

Councilors also queried subscription and software lines (for example, multiple Canva/Zoom/communication subscriptions) and asked staff to review whether redundancies can be eliminated or terms consolidated.

Ending: Staff will adjust utilities projections, confirm hiring timing for the marketing/communications position if budget approval is received, and report back on subscription consolidation and the Siemens/contingency lines.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cumberland Town Council and Budget Workshop - March 31st, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Councilors reviewed the library budget, questioned a flat 10% utility assumption, and discussed the planned conversion of an assistant director role into a marketing/communications position along with maintenance and generator costs tied to Siemens preventive maintenance.","taxTitle","Town Council , Cumberland Center, Cumberland County, Maine","taxId",69260,"location","Maine","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":44,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6087382,"Council hears increases in parks maintenance costs and weighs dog-waste, ranger and parking options",1742,3527000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2890389-6598619b3f0c45d242fde576b05114c6&start=3527&end=5269","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2890389-6598619b3f0c45d242fde576b05114c6/thumbnail_3527000.jpg","/articles/6087382/Maine/Council-hears-increases-in-parks-maintenance-costs-and-weighs-dog-waste-ranger-and-parking-options","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6087382-80c64507ad9f535d977cb6aedf51be2b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770998174&Signature=c213P8z0MmNdUWq5tYJ~u0ggxs7YS2qyTZElstdoS2wXKlJcuj5AaYocSFxcqaaIIYGxAuGKk7Fu7IhtxqzARXXBnWPrHiDQEB5k3Vry~uaBJtmowK5BcgZxK1uM6~QkY5-LeGHAby624HiC~EahBjat2ve7CnvNPe7~2~ZPAyQI3diTF-BGcBDDTrtGxYDi-2BxRpmmd1JJsC~NzxAqj82sPk07xNb9Qj-H0PsacwveKXlqa6mZVqddj7Jj~EJ~b-i5g1PAfD7u7EqKLyd18NgBuVAbrukq62bOPwKr2~hF52680eX~mD7mJRJZjLu1lNGjzmbr048qUlFPyqQVIw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Parks and recreation staff told the Town Council that higher utilization at town athletic fields has driven up maintenance costs for fertilizer, field paint and porta-potty rentals, and councilors discussed several user-fee and enforcement options to control costs and behavior in high-use parks.

Staff said increased field usage at Twinbrook led to higher paint and fertilizer spending; they will send a line-item breakdown of the increases to councilors. Parks management said they coordinate some bulk chemical purchases with the school department to reduce per-unit cost and that some volume discounts also come from joint purchases with Valhalla.

Councilors questioned whether recreation program fees should carry a per-user maintenance allocation and whether private organizers (for example, regional soccer clubs) should pay more for large events. Staff said the town already charges specific fees for organized events such as the Labor Day soccer tournament and generates roughly $13,000 annually from miscellaneous field-use fees.

Councilors also focused on dog waste and parking at high-use sites. Parks staff said the department budgets about $2,000 annually for dog-waste bags at multiple parks but that poor compliance and bags being used as general trash remain problems. Members discussed enforcement, signage, educational outreach and potential revenue measures to offset costs. Suggestions included adding a modest surcharge to dog-licensing fees (noting that the base license is set by the state), installing a donation box or QR-code payment at bag dispensers, or requiring a resident parking sticker for high-use lots.

Broad Cove and Twinbrook were noted as parking-pressure points. Parks staff said park rangers help manage parking and reduce safety issues during busy periods; councilors asked whether rangers are still needed given accidents and congestion reported at Broad Cove.

On next steps, parks staff will send the requested breakdowns for fertilizer and paint increases and explore options for enforcement or modest revenue tools (donation boxes, sticker programs, or organized-event fees). Councilors did not adopt a new ordinance or fee during the meeting but scheduled dog-waste and parking topics for future discussion.

Ending: Staff will return with more detailed cost breakdowns and with options — including pilot ideas such as a donation box or parking sticker pilot — for council consideration.","Parks officials reported higher fertilizer, field-paint and porta-potty costs tied to greater field use, and councilors debated paying for dog-waste bags and whether to pursue parking fees or resident stickers for high-use sites such as Twinbrook and Broad Cove.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6087387,"Council probes recreation budget after large credit-card fee reclassification; discusses options to cover costs",2074,1194000,3268000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2890389-6598619b3f0c45d242fde576b05114c6&start=1194&end=3268","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2890389-6598619b3f0c45d242fde576b05114c6/thumbnail_1194000.jpg","/articles/6087387/Maine/Council-probes-recreation-budget-after-large-credit-card-fee-reclassification-discusses-options-to-cover-costs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6087387-f42dbf7093d8646490fba237f34ff4cf/orig.mp4?Expires=1770998174&Signature=oUV0ELXGJYSDpYs0YaLd6GL73uPz2sIzhmiTsoEHr87ZDJe7shA-fW~Fcty13SvQYn96i8P1B37Kldym~SI4n9OybJijiTTVpMaFdn4swcaLhZQ17KeG7PIudtYlBdX3-Ja-dImZOZGcYzEV~a6F5FKaMeySZDIUYUexjwvP7X2DwsxxYAeSIzgVzeZD8g5LG2B-YjYdqMHtlD5safRzqfx0RXTdMORFKx-q~Y4aOev2V5jHwfBHGf5P-y7Y9rTXq0mBKCChXk92ziHgpSzYBpZR8I~ZUrcI1zifRjiHJ-xOBwrK~g~czzoOXxaMxtk0iRaJgoUaGmRMhWYGwiP0Zg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Councilors spent extensive time reviewing the Recreation Department budget and pressed staff about a large credit-card processing line, program pricing and how to keep recreation operations at least break-even.

Staff reported the budget shows a consolidated credit-card/online fee figure of roughly $108,000. They explained accounting changes moved about $45,000 of costs previously budgeted under software into the credit-card line, leaving a net processing increase of about $8,000 year over year after reclassification.

Councilors and staff discussed several ways to address the net processing cost: build the cost into program prices, add a convenience fee at checkout, or assess a small flat registration/administrative fee (several councilors suggested $5 per registration). Staff and councilors noted that some programs already operate at small losses while summer camps and other high-demand offerings can be fully subscribed and help offset overhead.

Councilors and recreation staff emphasized the department’s need to set conservative revenue forecasts and not assume best-case enrollment levels; several members recommended budgeting conservatively and aiming to under-promise and over-perform on revenues. Staff said summer camps have strong actuals and many programs sell out quickly — one example given was summer day camps that fill within the first 30 minutes of registration opening.

On program capacity, staff explained swim lessons are constrained by pool time and lane availability rather than interest alone. Councilors suggested partnering with schools to expand swim-safety instruction but staff warned one-on-one instructional time in PE is limited.

Staff also said the golf-related youth programming at Valhalla is fully subscribed and noted a local resident-discount policy; staff agreed to provide a further breakdown of resident vs. nonresident participation and comparative nonresident fees at neighboring towns.

No formal policy changes were adopted; councilors directed staff to return with options and numbers showing how different approaches (convenience fee, pass-through or flat registration fee) would affect program pricing and overall recreation net position.

Ending: Staff will run and report modeled scenarios for the credit-card fees and revenue assumptions and provide comparative nonresident fee data.","Councilors examined the recreation (RAC) budget line for credit-card processing, learned a large portion of the increase reflected a reclassification from software to processing, and debated whether to pass fees through to participants, add convenience charges, or levy small registration fees to cover costs.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6087391,"Town Council examines Valhalla golf course budget, earmarks revenue for capital needs",1119,101000,1220000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2890389-6598619b3f0c45d242fde576b05114c6&start=101&end=1220","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2890389-6598619b3f0c45d242fde576b05114c6/thumbnail_101000.jpg","/articles/6087391/Maine/Town-Council-examines-Valhalla-golf-course-budget-earmarks-revenue-for-capital-needs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6087391-91b93ee68da49abaf826a5b412873c88/orig.mp4?Expires=1770998174&Signature=jHiVLNfix3~CSpM8ahS1qVFONB8ZEgoOX1apSwqHDG2TY-OwioQDc4Gnx8yuTuetzG6zHgVBedAoGsgnD7Nqy8foQE4eSOkNQhDeGF8x0NxBR2uz9Ou0Bsmi7syDS4NyRjeha088nB5QwOASO0ZSI1nWSBecHFamAmHitqs8Fe-4fFuzk77ZB88GvI-2eXnXq5SRFB4DVHM72ml0OICal-0ihIwcvNFChIjvz25DbGpTDFzObtC7uQxyIxe-IDPiwFWLsWpQxMBkQD1Z7ZdXYUoFveN0CBd0IEp2K-9~q0Vnx54p2c8pFON-v2xaEH8iTPk7kLFKDzLTazvI5hmTlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Town Council discussed proposed budget adjustments for the Valhalla golf course on the department budget review, focusing on reinvesting course-generated revenue into a capital improvement (CIP) account to cover equipment replacement and infrastructure needs.

Council members and staff said the move would preserve funds so Valhalla can pay for items such as HVAC upgrades, irrigation work and other facility maintenance instead of netting the course’s surplus to the general fund.

Staff noted the golf facility has seven HVAC units; two were replaced this year and four more will need upgrading in future years. Staff said past practice had been to draw from a general CIP building fund when repairs were needed, and the new approach would set aside Valhalla’s net revenue in a course-specific CIP account.

Budget reviewers also examined line-item changes in course revenue and expenses. Staff said some categories dropped or rose because outings have been scaled back to reduce pressure on tee time availability, which affects greens-fee and membership revenue. A staff member explained the driving-range revenue plunged in the year when a windstorm destroyed the range net and forced the range to close.

Councilors pressed staff for clarity about advertising revenue and recent spreadsheet variances. Staff said prior agreements (including a past arrangement with a partner identified as Ocean View) and internal accounting moves explain some year-to-year swings; advertising revenue was described as variable and staff said they would follow up with detailed figures.

Members asked about additional revenue opportunities. Staff said advertising on GPS units in the course’s carts is possible and will be explored; because the town recently expanded cart coverage, staff said advertising through GPS units could become a viable, though currently experimental, revenue source and that they expect to report back after a year of operations.

On staffing, councilors confirmed Brad is a full-time golf employee and that a third staff member assists with cash-out duties; Patty’s hours are split between duties. Staff also reported that many youth programs at Valhalla are fully subscribed and that, for the first time this year, registrations were filled entirely by Cumberland residents.

Next steps: staff will provide more detailed breakdowns of prior-year advertising and driving-range variances and report back to the council next budget cycle on the viability and early results of GPS-card advertising.

Ending: No formal votes were taken on the Valhalla budget during the session; discussion items were recorded for follow-up.","Councilors and staff discussed shifting Valhalla golf course revenue into a capital improvement account to fund HVAC, irrigation and other infrastructure work, and reviewed revenue changes tied to outings, advertising and memberships.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Library budget review flags utilities assumption, staffing change and facility maintenance costs

Council hears increases in parks maintenance costs and weighs dog-waste, ranger and parking options

Council probes recreation budget after large credit-card fee reclassification; discusses options to cover costs

Town Council examines Valhalla golf course budget, earmarks revenue for capital needs