Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Select Board approves tax supplementals, employee leave carryover and warrants; hears town updates
Summary
At its May 5 meeting the North Berwick Select Board approved three supplemental tax bills totaling $418.42 for a corrected property owner, allowed a transfer-station employee to carry one additional week of vacation, nominated a staffer to the State LPC, and approved two warrants; staff also announced a new town website and completed Transfer Station containment and a dock installation at Abbott Park.
The North Berwick Select Board on May 5 approved routine town business including supplemental tax bills for a corrected property owner, personnel leave carryover, a nomination to the State Legislative Policy Committee and two warrants.
Dwayne Morin told the Board staffer Verna had located the true owner of Map 005 Lot 015-1 (off Diamond Hill Road), that the property is being sold to an abutter, and that Maine law allows billing up to three years of unpaid taxes. The Board approved supplemental bills S-2026-6 (2024) $139.75, S-2026-5 (2025) $130.00 and S-2026-4 (2026) $148.67 for a combined total of $418.42 (motion by Vice Chair Jonathan Hall; second Selectperson Wendy Cowan; vote 4-0).
The Board also granted a request from Richard Anderson of the Transfer Station to carry over an additional week of vacation beyond the 40-hour cap because staffing shortages and training prevented him from taking leave (motion by Jonathan Hall; second Selectperson Cowan; vote 4-0).
Selectperson Cowan moved, and Selectperson Reed seconded, to nominate Dwayne Morin as the Town's representative to the State Legislative Policy Committee for the 2026–2028 term; the motion passed unanimously.
On financial business, the Board approved two warrants: April 28, 2026 for $35,888.08 and May 5, 2026 for $137,680.34 (motion by Jonathan Hall; second Selectperson Cowan; vote 4-0).
Staff provided several operational updates: the town's new website is scheduled to go live May 7 and will include expanded Code Office and Planning Board pages with a 'Projects Under Review' section and a Code Enforcement FAQ; containment work at the Transfer Station is complete and staff said the new containment holds more fluid than currently required; and a dock was installed at Abbott Park with one minor issue of pre-drilled holes not matching the triangles but with no safety concerns reported.
Board members also briefly discussed other business including forming a committee for a fuller comprehensive-plan update, a potential Event Center applicant preparing materials, an early staff estimate that North Berwick's share of the school budget will increase by roughly $450,000 (a rough mil-rate estimate of about $0.40–$0.50 was mentioned by staff), and monitoring zoning language for data centers and sludge plants in light of nearby proposals. The Board adjourned at 8:02 p.m.
