[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,75,87],{"_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":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6219350,"mediaKeyId","3622994-44cdd3250856826ec5346ff03eb1cceb","parentId",3622994,"title","Council approves revised resolution to continue MDOT feasibility work for I‑95/I‑195 and Ocean Park Road with cost‑sharing caveat","audioSeconds",1640,"startMs",4176000,"endMs",5816000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3622994-44cdd3250856826ec5346ff03eb1cceb&start=4176&end=5816","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3622994-44cdd3250856826ec5346ff03eb1cceb/thumbnail_4176000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6219350/Maine/Council-approves-revised-resolution-to-continue-MDOT-feasibility-work-for-I95I195-and-Ocean-Park-Road-with-costsharing-caveat","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6219350-2912985bbe77c99d694ccaf95355e34d/orig.mp4?Expires=1776024232&Signature=lmKW3bNaQlMXEM5dRNGnHG45wrzqIgYRjjk2A~yePIFUM2kQHiwpxlW9lfxoqc2Jq1nnhrwBQdQQlispSoZuTgpik20SmjWysq1U~jhJ7W-UgzQHIQZgbmjzEp8v2bXaojqHKVQpFTmUPlusqU-Kx-SIFptiHJ0f~UXZJivDfd~-WtMN0C4~yjW~J4AB3T9dLok20zr3kq0MNc7GLEHFPz-rYQCIwGigLRNMhx-GIYYZH5NtjgX5G-M6GPCYoBR4cYtSRq0bFnDRhzJJglKcdI~e2uBx-M4qNSSiEqP796jcqQXynkLNutLGXGx5FjNUwQyJQUAjnIMyBdGdMMPrNA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-06-02T20:01:58Z","article","The Saco City Council voted 4–3 on Monday to approve a revised resolution asking the Maine Department of Transportation to continue feasibility work on the Interstate and Ocean Park Road corridor, including reconsidering traffic patterns at Exit 2A and additional work on the I‑95 Spur and Temple Avenue.

The resolution removes support for a through‑lane closure at Exit 2A, recommends further study of signalization and alternative traffic patterns that preserve access to Ocean Park Road, and directs staff to outline Saco’s expectations for any future cost sharing with Old Orchard Beach or state and federal partners. Councilor Gunn introduced the measure and moved approval.

Gunn said the new draft followed earlier council and public input and included MDOT's acceptance of a similar draft. “Staff has coordinated with the Maine DOT on this new resolution and has included the email correspondence noting Maine DOT's acceptance of this draft resolution,” Gunn said.

Council debate focused on process, fiscal risk and the scope of benefits to Saco. Councilor Johnston said he remained unconvinced the city would receive clear benefits and that the council had effectively rejected an earlier version in March. “The current resolution still remains rather unclear as to what the benefit to Saco is,” Johnston said, and he announced he would vote no.

Councilor Hatch proposed and the council adopted an amendment tightening cost‑sharing language: the amendment replaced the phrase that Saco’s fair local share “should” be proportionate to the benefit the city receives with language that Saco’s fair local share “shall” be proportionate to the benefit the city deems it will receive. The amendment passed unanimously, 7–0.

The main motion — as amended — passed on final roll call, 4–3. The yes votes were Councilors Edwards, Berman, Hatch and Hewitt; the no votes were Councilors Parks, Dunn and Johnston. The resolution references the MDOT planning partnership (WIN 26660) and states staff will pursue further feasibility work only under the outlined considerations.

Several councilors emphasized that the approved resolution asks MDOT to perform additional study only; any engineering, design or construction would require separate council approvals and specific cost allocations at future steps. Councilor Burman stressed that subsequent design and construction phases would return for council decisions on funding and cost sharing.

No funding was approved as part of Monday’s vote. The measure returns the issue to MDOT and directs city staff to continue coordination while preserving the council’s ability to evaluate and approve any future financial commitments.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Saco City Council Meeting - June 2, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","After debate, Saco City Council approved a revised resolution asking Maine DOT to study alternatives for Exit 2A and the I‑95 Spur, removing support for a through‑lane closure at Exit 2A and adding language that Saco's local share must be proportionate to benefits the city deems it will receive. The vote was 4–3.","taxTitle","City Council Meetings , Saco City, York County, Maine","taxId",69267,"location","Maine","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_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":56,"_74":56},6219356,"Saco council discusses formal policy and fund to cover overtime for nonprofit special events",1117,2121000,3238000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3622994-44cdd3250856826ec5346ff03eb1cceb&start=2121&end=3238","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3622994-44cdd3250856826ec5346ff03eb1cceb/thumbnail_2121000.jpg","/articles/6219356/Maine/Saco-council-discusses-formal-policy-and-fund-to-cover-overtime-for-nonprofit-special-events","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6219356-e1e4f101302b67ac7106d778db26818f/orig.mp4?Expires=1776024232&Signature=WYAKsKp7ffBxnX4fjK0cKbpd6LiiZaXVTPC7b5R5pzU-Hn2kWmb7QZ9DbYNGviNhOINQmV0BEJdqmLacHfGwGfUZDtJv3UiZvGIOmWV5DFVB7q2flldUbt2RxFnAg4SlAjhA0mTcZwoV3KGga1Kjn9BFTpurqesBg4LRKSK93ZLLh0WvmkU1zMEntQ1m92TN6sAaEUBW-B8GTvbiX9D1QA-i8rWnZs1CVNmrSAOBS7xhAyJD78obglDadTcjF2VqbXFI3uBQlFJ1suNot2xeYbbte-KXX5NnTs1rJGGkBL~lU9ydXObocpJ8u~oNJL0as2zVIMJfYGhhv0PnY7JEFA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Saco city leaders on Monday debated whether the city should create a standing fund and a formal policy to cover overtime costs for nonprofit special events, noting the current approach leaves department overtime charges absorbed within departmental budgets.

The issue affects municipal budgets and staffing: councilors argued a clear policy would avoid perceived favoritism, reduce administrative burden on departments and allow the council to decide which events the city supports financially.

Chief Clements told council there are about 23 special events annually in Saco; some require multiple departments to provide services and work that often creates overtime charges. “In the past, depending on…we either charge, don't charge, partially charge for overtime or detail pay, which means that city departments are absorbing, all or partial financial burden, which comes out of our overtime line,” Clements said.

Councilor Johnston and others said the lack of a consistent policy has created perceptions of unfairness and encouraged events to move to Saco because of unclear charges. “You create this atmosphere of…perception of favoritism,” Johnston said, urging a defined policy and the idea of carving an annual budget or special fund for supported events.

Councilors explored multiple models: creating a dedicated municipal fund to pay overtime for council‑approved events; carving out funds from departmental budgets currently absorbing the costs; adopting a tiered policy by projected attendees; or requiring partial cost‑sharing with event organizers. Councilor Berman suggested the council could maintain a list each year of events it would underwrite from a special fund and allow other events to petition for support.

Practical concerns featured throughout the discussion: officials noted staff retention and burnout from frequent overtime, the administrative load of frequent FOAA requests for event records, and the difficulty of recruiting employees to work repeated weekend details. Councilor Johnston added that some events rely on volunteer or civic groups (Rotary, etc.) and that a funding carve‑out could be considered for longstanding civic events.

City Administrator Berhanco said staff will inventory past events, calculate historical overtime and related costs with police, fire and public works, and return with a draft policy and funding options—likely for next fiscal year. He said any fund or policy would need a flexible adjudication process for gray‑area requests and that staff could work with traffic safety and finance committees to develop criteria.

Councilors also discussed revenue offsets—like vendor, artist or food‑truck fees—and contracting private security for some events as possible cost mitigations. Staff noted an existing tiered framework developed during the COVID period based on projected attendance could serve as a starting point.

No formal policy or budget transfer was adopted at the meeting; staff were directed to compile costs, propose a funding mechanism and present a draft policy for council consideration.","City staff and councilors debated creating a standing budget or fund to pay overtime for police, fire and public works at roughly 23 annual special events, with a return to council planned after staff and departments compile costs and a draft policy.",{"_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":56,"_74":56},6219361,"Saco council hears plan to add multi‑directional cameras downtown; privacy, cost and access raised",1728,504000,2232000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3622994-44cdd3250856826ec5346ff03eb1cceb&start=504&end=2232","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3622994-44cdd3250856826ec5346ff03eb1cceb/thumbnail_504000.jpg","/articles/6219361/Maine/Saco-council-hears-plan-to-add-multidirectional-cameras-downtown-privacy-cost-and-access-raised","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6219361-e5d612028fee478efb86c7f256979816/orig.mp4?Expires=1776024232&Signature=c3fKJe4DPn5iKL-pCrb1pYjlEqKlgu0Qfj8LXkDSvgY3tixBipBfmVzKg5a28sLebxf2o0UmYTYISBcES76YEd1TKESoAp7177ekQF~awGV3R0uYHG0oibL7DL4vmbJsqcVl8tFNWJ7a5Xb4RRYRRYTc~DzQ10FjLh6YL3TK66DiY5wc6NyFwcxG86LENRG91xsGCg7Z3mLhB5Gzwzv0yagXqAjWEyvutnR552vwR2tzd8FHSMroqPhakfSLZgnJeIWSBaO7Oq97mzLeDz4WeQOAUfRIKd3NQwZJ5AtOVeX76mOJ5vhDcdQt-PFpYSwCC5D1fLEDEuFo~CBFXc2Gtw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Saco city officials on Monday reviewed a proposal to add multisensor, cloud‑hosted surveillance cameras at several downtown intersections and other high‑crash locations, saying the systems would be used for post‑incident review rather than continuous human monitoring.

The discussion matters because the cameras would record public spaces and create data the city may be asked to share for investigations, insurance claims or legal cases; councilors and residents urged the administration to return with firm costs, locations and a data‑use policy before proceeding.

Chief Clements told the City Council the city is replacing legacy cameras at municipal facilities with the vendor Verkada, which the department already uses at the police station, and wants to add multisensor units at Main Street, Elm Street, North Street and other intersections. “We would not be looking to activate facial recognition because the state does not allow that in the state of Maine,” Clements said. He added the cameras have built‑in analytics but that those features have been administratively disabled for their current cameras.

Director Panaro explained the operational advantages driving the request: the cloud system reduces the time to configure and export video and can be searched for vehicle types or broad attributes, saving staff hours compared with the city’s older on‑premise system. He said the city currently has about 80 cameras across municipal buildings, with roughly six at the police department, and that installing one multisensor unit takes about 25 minutes. Panaro said a test device used about 50 gigabytes in a month and that the city would likely rely on an unlimited mobile data plan through FirstNet for cellular backhaul.

Councilors asked multiple questions about privacy, access and costs. Councilor Berman raised whether existing devices on light poles were traffic sensors or cameras; Panaro said those devices only control signal timing and would not be used for video retention. Berman also asked whether a court order or another agency could obtain footage; Clements said access is logged and that the department regularly provides links to prosecutors and defense attorneys in criminal cases but will confirm vendor policies and return with details.

Resident Chelsea Hill urged a strong governance framework around access and retention and suggested the council require a lifecycle cost analysis and regular audits. “It would be like a hyperlocal mini‑GDPR,” Hill said, adding that Saco should compare a proprietary system to open systems before committing.

City Administrator Berhanco told the council staff will return with a list of proposed camera locations, estimated costs and funding options and will check whether any ordinance changes are needed before installations proceed. No formal vote or commitment to purchase was made during the workshop.

The council and staff flagged several operational and policy issues to resolve before any deployment: vendor access and audit logs; retention period (Clements used a seven‑day roll‑off example); whether license‑plate‑reader (LPR) cameras would be used (the city currently has no LPR‑specific cameras); monthly data usage and cellular backhaul costs; and an explicit sharing policy for outside committees or consultants (for example, the Ocean Park study was discussed as a potential recipient of footage if agreed by council). Clements said multisensor cameras cost approximately $4,500 each, and site deployments that require a cellular gateway could add roughly $7,000 for a modem and enclosure, plus monthly data charges.

The workshop closed with direction for staff to prepare a formal proposal that enumerates locations, equipment and total lifecycle costs, documents vendor access and audit controls, and proposes a municipal policy for access, retention and sharing. The council did not adopt any ordinance changes at the meeting and will review the staff proposal in a future public session.","City police and staff outlined a plan to expand cloud‑hosted, multisensor cameras at downtown intersections for post‑incident review. Councilors and residents pressed for details on costs, data access and a governance policy before formal deployment.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Council approves revised resolution to continue MDOT feasibility work for I‑95/I‑195 and Ocean Park Road with cost‑sharing caveat

Saco council discusses formal policy and fund to cover overtime for nonprofit special events

Saco council hears plan to add multi‑directional cameras downtown; privacy, cost and access raised