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South Thomaston Select Board accepts retirement, appoints Corey Benner and sets public hearing on mineral‑extraction moratorium
Summary
At its May 13 meeting the South Thomaston Select Board accepted Phil’s retirement, appointed Corey Benner to fill his vacancy, set a June 3 public hearing on several warrant articles including a proposed moratorium on mineral extraction, referred an amendment to the ordinance review committee, accepted donations and scholarship awards, and tabled a property‑valuation factoring decision.
The South Thomaston Select Board on May 13 completed a series of routine and substantive actions: the board accepted the retirement of Phil (effective June 30, 2025), appointed Corey Benner to fill the vacancy, accepted several donations and scholarship awards, and set a public hearing for June 3 on multiple warrant articles — including a proposed moratorium on mineral extraction — while referring an ordinance amendment to the ordinance review committee.
The board voted to accept Phil’s retirement and then to appoint Corey Benner as his replacement. Corey introduced himself to the board: “My name is Corey. I go by Corey. I live here in South Thomaston. I’m leaving a job of 20 years ... I hope to bring knowledge here and be a familiar face for years to come,” he said.
The board approved a motion to execute the warrant and notice calling for the RSU13 budget‑validation referendum, and confirmed the referendum date as June 10. Members also set a public hearing for Tuesday, June 3, at 6 p.m. to comply with notice requirements and to provide an informational session on the town revaluation and the proposed moratorium ordinance.
On the moratorium and related ordinances, the board referred work to the ordinance review committee to draft amendments addressing mineral extraction — discussion included the scope of the term “mineral extraction” (quarrying, gravel pits and rare‑earth/lithium extraction were raised as examples). The board also agreed to ask the ordinance review committee to pursue specific changes to the land‑use ordinance as part of the town‑meeting warrant process.
Financial and charitable items included acceptance of a $150 donation to the fire department and a $2,500 donation designated for Gilbert Butler Library building renovations; the board also approved scholarship awards of $2,500 (Rackliff) and $800 (Hopkins) for the coming year.
The board discussed operational problems with the recently revised demolition/debris voucher system — including how to treat small single‑axle trailers and how to ensure contractor vouchers are tied to a specific South Thomaston property — and requested continued refinement of procedures.
A lengthy conversation about certified‑ratio factoring (an assessor recommendation to apply a 30–40 percent factor to property valuations to reach certification targets) ended with the board tabling any factoring decision until the assessor can attend a meeting and provide more detailed figures.
The board scheduled several upcoming meetings and voted to enter executive session to discuss hiring a new town administrator under the statutory citation discussed in the record.
