Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — After receiving a legal opinion from the Maine Municipal Association (MMA), the Limestone Selectpeople have frozen funds allocated for the North Woods Folk Art School (NWFAS) which intended to use the previously appropriated $9,000 to hire a consultant to get the school up and running for the summer. Selectperson Chair Walt Elliott read a portion of MMA’s legal opinion aloud during the meeting to clarify where Limestone legally stands, stating “there are two major legal issues to be considered in relation to a funding request, whether it is a public purchase or expenditure and whether the expenditure has been authorized by the town meeting,” he read. “It says that Maine’s constitution declares that all municipal funds must be used for a public purpose, meaning that the public must receive the primary benefit from the use of the funds. Public events that primarily benefit an individual, a corporation or one entity would generally not serve a public purpose and would therefore be an unconstitutional expenditure of public funds.”
Town Manager Donna Bernier explained to the Selectpeople that there are circumstances that would make funding possible including the incorporation of specific folk school oriented funding through a community development grant, the inclusion of the project through a comprehensive plan or voter approval of the expenses at the annual town meeting.
The town is currently in the process of obtaining a comprehensive plan through the Northern Maine Development Commission and is working toward obtaining community development grants, but due to the extreme urgency expressed by NWFAS representatives during the last two selectpeople meetings to get the project started, the issue regarding the $9,000 for the NWFAS will be brought before Limestone taxpayers during the Annual Town Meeting on Wednesday, June 9.
While the idea of a folk art school was originally conceived through a consultant-based vision last spring, the ideas presented were not specific enough to clearly show how the town would benefit by acting on any of the suggestions.
“Obviously we need things in town and we’ve got to figure out a way to do that, but we can’t illegally spend that money,” said Selectperson Jim Leighton.
Elliott agreed, stating that as much as the board wants the town developed, it needs to be done legally.
During her manager’s report, Bernier informed the selectpeople that an inspection from the Dept. of Labor Bureau of Labor Standards was performed on May 5 and that the town has recently received their citation and penalties; the fire department was excluded from the inspection having received the S.H.A.P.E award last summer. Bernier reported that she is currently working on rectifying the citations and appealing the penalties.
Bernier also mentioned that the Community Planning Grant application has been sent in; if approved, the grant will put downtown revitalization plans and future grant possibilities in motion. She concluded her report by giving the selectpeople a status update on the selectpeople election on June 8 and mentioning that the town is accepting resumes for the position of Parks and Recreation Director until June 4.
The agenda for the meeting was short, during which the selectpeople signed a warrant for the Annual Town Meeting and signed a ration declaration and reimbursement application. They also rejected a bid on the 1982 fire truck and approved a bid in the amount of $1,500 for the 1989 Brigadier dump truck.
The next meeting of the Limestone Selectpeople is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. tonight at the municipal building in Limestone.
