Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Brewer Council approves $500 grant, $18,389 insurance dividends, sewer-lien waivers and HRA restatement
Summary
At its June 23 special meeting the Brewer City Council unanimously approved a $500 Sam’s Club grant for a fundraiser benefiting Robbins Mill fire victims, accepted $18,389 in insurance dividends (with allocations for safety reserves, a Parks furnace, and donations), waived foreclosure on three sewer liens totaling $1,775, and authorized restatement of the city’s HRA plan.
The Brewer City Council unanimously approved four consent orders at a special meeting June 23.
Councilor Soubanh Phanthay moved to accept a $500 grant from Sam’s Club of Bangor to purchase food for the “Neighbors Helping Heroes” fundraiser on June 25; the donations raised at the event will be given to the Waldo County Firefighters Association to aid individuals and families affected by the Robbins Lumber Mill fire and explosion in Searsmont. Councilor Michele LaBree Daniels seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Councilor Michele LaBree Daniels presented an order to accept $18,389 in dividends from the Maine Municipal Association—$7,781 from the property and casualty pool and $10,608 from the workers’ compensation fund. The City Manager recommended allocating $10,500 to the Safety Committee Reserve, $7,000 to replace the Parks and Recreation Department’s aging propane furnace, and $889 for nonprofit donations to families affected by the Robbins Mill disaster.
The Council also approved Councilor Dani O’Halloran’s order to waive the automatic foreclosure of three properties that together owe $1,775 on September and/or December 2023 sewer charges; the order authorizes the City Treasurer or a designee to sign statutory waivers of foreclosure and take any necessary actions. The ordinance filing lists the three affected parcels by map and lot and owner name.
Finally, Councilor William Kimball brought an administrative order to authorize the City Manager or designee to execute amended and restated Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) plan documents prepared by Navia Benefit Solutions to comply with U.S. Department of Labor restatement requirements. The order states the restatement consolidates prior amendments and does not change policy or benefits.
ACTION: Councilor Phanthay moved that the orders on the consent calendar have passage; Councilor Daniels seconded. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
The Council’s approvals are administrative and procedural: the grant and dividend acceptances specify deposit and appropriation accounts, the lien waivers preserve municipal flexibility by avoiding short-term foreclosure costs that would exceed the amount owed, and the HRA restatement responds to federal plan-document requirements.
