Board: Lewiston City Council

Met: Tuesday night

College costs

Issue: A plan to give Maine college graduates a break on their student loans could go before voters this November. Backers say it will bring in millions of dollars in state and local revenue and encourage Maine graduates to stay here. Proponents are shopping the idea around, and asked the City Council for its support and help convincing legislators to put it on the November ballot.

Up next: Councilors voted to support the effort.

Early May 15 start

Issue: Councilors are scheduled to vote on a water district rate increase, and City Administrator Jim Bennett told councilors it could lead to an especially long meeting.

Up next: Councilors agreed to start their regular May 15 meeting at 5:30 p.m., giving themselves an extra 90 minutes

Taxi licenses

Issue: City ordinances ban anyone who has lost their drivers license for any reason within the last three years from driving a taxi in Lewiston. Taxi companies and members of the city’s Taxi Appeals board suggested amending rules that let people drive taxis if they’ve lost their license due to nonpayment of child support or automobile insurance, but it has since been reinstated.

The scoop: Since neither reflect directly on driving ability, councilors agreed.

Up next: They’ll vote on the issue a second time at their May 15 meeting.

Park rule housekeeping

Issue: When the city owned the entire Bates Mill Enterprise Complex, it paid to build a park behind Bates Mill No. 2 Wing and Storehouse and adopted a policy determining how it could be used. Private developer Platz Associates now owns the property and the park, but the city’s use policy is still on the books.

The scoop: Councilors voted to remove mention of Fountain Park from city ordinances.

Police get drug bust money

Issue: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency shares the proceeds from drug busts with the other police agencies involved. In Lewiston’s case, that money is put into a special account to help pay for drug enforcement actions.

The scoop: Councilors on Tuesday accepted $862 in proceeds from a drug arrest earlier this year.

Contact government reporter Scott Taylor via phone at 689-2846 or via E-mail at [email protected]