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Cushing selectmen say Municipal Review Committee seeks legal certification; Waldoboro may hold "pay-as-you-throw" hearing
Summary
Selectman Martha Marchut told the Cushing Selectmen that the Municipal Review Committee asked contracted towns for attorney certification that a special town meeting’s protocol was legal; she also reported Waldoboro may hold an Aug. 16 hearing on a proposed "pay-as-you-throw" trash program and recommended residents attend.
CUSHING, Maine — Selectman Martha Marchut told the Cushing Selectmen on July 25 that the Municipal Review Committee (MRC) has asked towns that contract with it to provide a certificate from each town's attorney certifying that the protocol of the towns' special town meeting was legal. Marchut said she had contacted Waldoboro Selectman Bob Butler, who was not aware of the request and will investigate.
The request could affect the transfer-station contract process, Marchut said, and she raised the possibility of Cushing joining with neighboring towns Friendship and Waldoboro to retain a single lawyer to reduce legal fees. The board expressed support for the idea if neighboring towns are agreeable and asked Marchut to report back once she has more information.
Marchut also said the Waldoboro select board is tentatively scheduled to hold a hearing on Aug. 16 to consider a pay-as-you-throw program and whether to put that question on the November ballot. She told the Cushing board that, if Waldoboro places the measure on the ballot, only Waldoboro voters would decide it, but she encouraged Cushing residents to attend the hearing to express their views.
Why it matters: a requirement from the MRC to certify the legality of past town meeting protocol could prompt legal review of the governance steps towns used when contracting with the MRC, and a pay-as-you-throw program in a neighboring town could affect regional waste management practices and resident behavior.
The minutes do not specify the exact legal text MRC requested or the legal basis for the certificate, and Marchut said she will provide a fuller report when available.
