Buckfield Select Board adopts updated general assistance ordinance based on MMA model

The Buckfield Select Board on Feb. 3 adopted updates to the town’s general assistance ordinance based on the Maine Municipal Association model, citing clearer definitions, updated benefit maximums and more detailed service-delivery standards.

Cameron, who presented the changes at a pre-meeting public hearing, said the model ordinance incorporates 2025 cost-of-living and fair-market-rent adjustments and reorganizes maximum assistance amounts into a standardized appendix structure intended for annual updates. "So every year, MMA will update the model ordinance, which the town of Buckfield has always adopted, and then incorporates the new financials associated with it," Cameron said. He added the revisions emphasize trauma-informed and culturally appropriate service-delivery language and tighten eligibility definitions.

Key administrative changes the board adopted include retained 24-hour decision timelines for emergency assistance, explicit phone and in-person application channels for emergencies, clearer work-registration and job-search expectations with more examples of exemptions, updated asset and resource verification rules (including guidance on automobiles and property transfers), and more detailed fair-hearing procedures with timelines for appeals.

Cameron told the board the town budgets roughly $2,000 annually for general assistance and that the state reimburses a portion of those costs (Cameron stated the reimbursement rate is "about 70%"), noting the town may overspend the appropriation because state statute requires administration of assistance. He said the town has occasionally received additional state payments to help offset rising costs.

The presenter also noted the 2025 model expands municipal authority and procedures related to recovery of assistance expenses (liens, reimbursement and offsets) and clarifies confidentiality safeguards. A memo outlining the changes was included in the Select Board packet and is available on the town’s agenda materials online.

The motion to adopt the MMA-recommended changes was made by a board member, seconded and carried during the meeting after brief clarifying remarks; the transcript records a verbal affirmative vote but does not show a roll-call tally by name.

The ordinance update takes effect according to the town’s adoption process; residents affected by general assistance were encouraged to review the packet materials and contact the town office for details on applications and appeals procedures.