By Barbara Scott
Staff Writer
Members of the Caribou City Council met Monday evening for the 2011 reorganization meeting as mandated by the city charter to take place at the first meeting of a new year. During the meeting Kenneth Murchison and David Martin were sworn into office for three-year terms on the panel by City Clerk Jayne Farrin.
Aroostook Republican photo/Barb Scott
Kenneth Murchison, left and David Martin were sworn into the Caribou City Council for their three year terms at the Jan. 3 reorganization meeting of the council. Jayne Farrin, Caribou City Clerk and secretary to the panel administered the oath of office. In back, Councilwoman Mary Kate Barbosa witnesses the oath ceremony.
Following the oath ceremony nominations were opened to select a chairperson/mayor for the city council 2011. Councilwoman Karla Bell nominated Kenneth Murchison for the position, this nomination was seconded by counselor Christopher Bell; with no other names offered the council voted unanimously to re-elect Murchison to the position.
C. Bell nominated Karla Bell to serve as deputy mayor; seconded by Mary Kate Barbosa, Bell was voted unanimously to the title. Both the mayor/council chairperson and deputy mayor/council chairperson are elected from among the council members and serve an annual term.
Councilors K. Bell and Barbosa nominated and seconded the appointment of Jayne R. Farrin as secretary to the city council for 2011. Farrin is the current city clerk.
The next agenda item considered to be established for the new year was to set a date, time, location and rules of procedure for 2011 regular meeting of the city council. It was proposed and voted for the council to meet the second and fourth Monday of each month with any necessary workshops scheduled following the fourth Monday meeting. The meetings will continue to run under the guidelines of Robert’s Rules of Order. The Caribou City Charter mandates that the council must meet at least once every month throughout the year.
The council members present at the Jan. 3 meeting (Jon Boone and Mark Goughan were not in attendance) authorized the continuation of city government functions from Jan. 1 until final adoption of the 2011 city budget. (Under the city charter section 5.02, no money shall be paid out of the city treasury except by order issued and signed by a majority of the city councilors.)
Pursuant to the city charter section 5.08, “the city council shall adopt the budget on or before the third Monday of March of the fiscal year currently ending. If it fails to adopt the budget by this date, the amounts appropriated for current operation for the current fiscal year shall be deemed adopted as of the preceding fiscal year on a month-to-month basis, with all items in it prorated accordingly, until such time as council adopts a budget for the ensuring fiscal year.”
In other new year business, the council members authorized City Manager Steve Buck to approve treasurer’s warrants for 2011.
The council members moved as a slate the appointments of administrative city officers for 2011. These names and officers appear in a separate article in this edition.
It was also approved to authorize the collection of property tax before the 2011 commitment date and pay no interest (0 percent) on prepayments. The council also authorized the city to provide a Tax Club for 2011. Historically Caribou has a long-standing practice of establishing on an annual basis a tax club. This allows participants to start paying on the year’s tax starting Jan.1 in 12 monthly installments based upon the previous year’s valuation and mil rate. Prior to the year-end participants receive an adjustment notice to their current year tax billing adjusting for any change in valuation and or mil rate. There is no interest due on payments providing all monthly installments are made prior to the 20th of each month and the final and full payment is made by Dec. 20. Buck commented that the city has continues to have a successful rate of participation in the Tax Club.
The council also voted to approve the revised transportation project agreement with Maine DOT for the future (this spring) construction of one-mile of sidewalk on North Main Street. This project has been created at an 80/20 split regarding cost with the MDOT.
The city manager proposed the council consider a review of the year-end payment to the Caribou Chamber of Commerce and industry prior to disbursement. In a prepared statement Buck said, “Currently, the Council authorized disbursement for the calendar year 2010 to the CCC&I is $147,500. The City paid the first five months based upon the prior year’s contract for $155,000, or $12,916.66 per month times five months or $64,583. Finance was then instructed to reconcile for equal billings through year-end based upon an annualized total of the $147,500. The invoices submitted from the CCC&I were revised for $9,166.72 and was paid for the next three months.”
Buck continued, “Administration again noted the discrepancy and requested a reconciliation and new invoices to be submitted. CCC&I did not submit any revised invoices for Sept., Oct., Nov. or Dec. until just now. CCC&I submitted two invoices, one for November and one for December in the amount of $12,910.66 each or $25,821.32. This is the invoice amount from last year and is not correct.”
“The city has outstanding to be paid to the CCC&I an amount of $55,416.54. In light of the fact that the city does not have a contract for 2010 and in the absence of accurate invoices, administration is seeking council approval to perform a final disbursement of $55,416.54, an annual disbursement to the CCC&I for the calendar year of $147,500 as per budget. In light of the extensive circumstances, as manager, I am not comfortable making the final disbursement absent Council authorization.”
Following discussion on this issue, C. Bell stated he felt that the city should honor the budgeted amount and Martin said, “I’ll agree with this payment but if they needed the money, why didn’t they ask for it and what services have been rendered?”
K. Bell moved to authorize the finance department to make a final disbursement of $55,416.54 to the CCC&I for a total annual disbursement of $147,500. This motion was seconded by Martin and approved unanimously by the panel providing the CCC&I submitted a revised invoice to the city.
During an executive session the city council voted to fulfill vacancies of appointed Board positions. Council members appointed Nancy Solman and Jan Murchison to three-year terms on the Caribou Utilities District Board of Trustees. Gillian Sleeper and Marty Belanger were reappointed to five-year terms on the Library Board of Trustees and Christine Solman was reappointed to a three-year term on the Caribou Planning Board.
A Jan. 10 budget workshop meeting is scheduled to be held at 7 p.m. in the council chambers. The next regular council meeting will be held on Monday Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.
