Ellsworth council moves bus-storage negotiations to executive session after public urges in-town solution

The Ellsworth City Council moved March 16 to continue confidential negotiations about bus and staff-facility leases in executive session after an extended public discussion in which residents urged the city and school to keep vehicle storage inside Ellsworth or build on municipal property rather than leasing an out-of-town facility.

City and school staff reported the existing leases for bus storage and the school’s bus-garage space are expiring this spring. The joint procurement and RFP process returned several proposals; city staff said they entered confidential negotiations with one preferred bidder and sought council authority to continue negotiations but did not present a final contract for approval.

Public commenters — including long-time residents and business owners — urged the council to avoid long-term outside leases and pointed to available municipal land and to prior transactions where the school consolidated leased office space into a city-owned building. School staff and transportation personnel described operational constraints: the district runs 17 buses and 11 vans with staff shifts beginning as early as 4 a.m., midday runs and late-night athletic or activity transportation; they said there is insufficient room on school parking areas to store and maintain the fleet during the day.

Councilors pressed staff for comparative costs and asked about potential capital alternatives (building on city-owned land, modular buildings, or short-term solutions). The manager noted multiple proposals remain under evaluation and said legal counsel advised confidentiality during active contract negotiations. After the public hearing, council voted to go into executive session to receive more details and continue negotiations.

No binding lease decision was made at the meeting; staff will report back after executive-session negotiations.