Campaign signs, schools dominate council meeting

By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Concerns surrounding the upcoming referendum on school consolidation and placement of political signs were a major focus of the October 14 meeting of the Houlton Town Council. Town Manager Douglas Hazlett, Council Chairman Paul Cleary and Councilors John Fitzpatrick, Walter Goodrich, Nancy Ketch, Paul Romanelli and Sue Tortello attended.
Consolidation concerns
    Brian McGuire and Glenn Miller, as representatives of Houlton on the SAD 29 Board, expressed their concerns about the proposed consolidation and stressed that they were not trying to tell people how to vote. Although McGuire said there may be a need for some type of consolidation, “things need to slow down.”  He said some areas for consolidation that should be considered first would be busing, purchasing, central office staffing, number of superintendents, etc. McGuire added the current plan is “too rushed” involving an expected $4 million shortfall in the years after consolidation which could necessitate school closings, tax increases and loss of local control.
    Miller said the situation would become “a political forum and education is going to take a back seat …. You haven’t  heard anyone say education is going to be any better.” He also said improvement may come “some years down the road, a lot of years down the road,” but something “needs to be done to get a handle on costs” and he would vote “no.” He and Cleary agreed that a stable low mil rate has contributed to Houlton’s growth.
RSU impact
    Romanelli stated that due to the potentially negative impact of a ‘yes’ vote on the school referendum, i.e., tax increases without “measurably increasing the quality of education,” he would tell residents to vote against it. Romanelli and Miller also emphasized that voting to join the proposed tri-county Regional School Unit (RSU) is a permanent change and withdrawing later would not be possible under the law.  Cleary said although no one knows what will happen, Hodgdon High School could be among the first schools to close and, at the end of seven years around the time of the next property revaluation, the mil rate in Houlton could go up. Additionally, he said, the governor has asked for a 10 percent across-the-board cut in state agencies that will affect funding.
    Tortello said “the brochure sent out by the RSU is very generic and it didn’t give near enough information. It could have been a brochure for any of the RSUs in the state.”  Because it could impact the citizens of Houlton so dramatically, Tortello said the Town Council felt it had a responsibility to prepare its own brochure, available at the town office, regarding consolidation and the impact it could have on residents.
    Romanelli said the only way to save money is through “personnel and bricks and mortar.” And, he added, if Houlton votes against the RSU, in addition to the penalty, there will be some hard and expensive decisions to make, even though it would be less onerous to remain in control of the schools. Cleary requested that a resolution be prepared to go on record opposing the referendum on consolidation.
Zoning and campaign signs
    Hazlett said the issue of campaign sign placement had recently become a police matter involving a political sign removed from a private business. He contacted the town attorney for guidance on campaign signs because some town zoning ordinances supercede state law.
Local and state law
    At that point, attorney Daniel Nelson spoke about his review of current law, saying Houlton zoning ordinances prohibit political signs everywhere with the exception of the RB Zone and historical zones (Union Square, Market Square, Monument Park, Pierce Park) which take precedence over state laws. State law allows local rule and placement of signs in the right of way. However, state law also prohibits any political signs within 660 feet of the Interstate, if the sign can be read from the Interstate Highway System. There appear to be several violations of that state law which should be enforced by the state transportation commission, not the town of Houlton.
    Nelson prepared a proposed ordinance for the council to review that would determine legal placement of political and non-political signs in consideration of past placements and changes over the years with regard to type and size of signs. With the coming election in just a few weeks, Nelson and the council generally agreed to leave signs where they are now. Based on the discussion, Nelson will prepare a new ordinance for the next meeting.
Power line opposition
    Hazlett had prepared a letter to the Maine Public Utilities Commission, at the Council’s request, which they reviewed and signed for immediate mailing. The letter stated the opposition of the Council to a transmission line between Limestone and Detroit because: Aroostook Wind is not contributing to the construction cost; the cost of electricity will not be reduced for customers of Houlton Water Company; Aroostook County will be forced into the ISO New England grid and estimated increases in transmission rates are as high as 25 percent.
Council votes
    In unanimous votes, the following were approved: a victualer’s license to the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians/Maliseet Tribal Bingo, located at 568 Foxcroft Road; a victualer’s license to Karen Keber d/b/a Uncle Willy’s Candy Shoppe, located at 60 Main Street; voter notification of SAD 29’s referendum on November 4; authorization of the Registrar of Voters to be available at the town office October 29 from 5 to 6 p.m. to register voters and make name and address changes; acceptance of a low bid of $6,619.65 from Raymond D. Dow for installation of a septic system on Slipp Road; authorization for the tax collector to accept pre-payment of taxes not yet due or assessed for 2009; and proclamation of October 15 as community Health and Counseling Services Day in recognition of the agency’s 125th anniversary.  
Additional business
Tortello reminded those in attendance of an informational meeting at Houlton High School, October 28 at 6:30 p.m. regarding school consolidation.  The members then went into executive session to discuss union negotiations.
Upcoming meetings
    The next meeting of the town council will be Monday, October 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the town office. A forum for Houlton Town Council candidates will be held Wednesday, October 29 at 6:30 p.m., also in the town office.