POLAND — Voters approved amending the town’s tax increment financing (TIF) program but denied two changes to the comprehensive land use code at Thursday night’s special town meeting.

The amendments will add the term Omnibus to the two Poland TIF districts, which will allow the selectmen to negotiate the length of Credit Enhancement Agreements with up to 100 percent reimbursements to businesses.

The Poland Spring Bottling Company Omnibus District will also increase in size by adding the area of Route 26 from Whales Back Road to Range Hill Road (32.6 acres), a section of Spring Water Road from Empire Road to the New Gloucester town line (9 acres), plus the addition two of smaller parcels of land totaling 4.58 acres.

Noreen Norton, the town’s TIF consultant, explained that TIF revenues can be used in the town’s infrastructure, economic development expenditures, providing impact studies on environmental improvement projects, development and improvement of recreational trails, costs associated with transit services, and matching funds to applicable State and Federal Grant Programs.

Nikki Pratt, executive secretary to the town manager, listed expenditures from TIF revenues, including road paving projects, installation of water and sewer lines, fire station bonds, the purchase and maintenance of the heavy rescue vehicle, street lights and administrative office salaries.

All TIF projects that come before selectmen have to have a public hearing, followed by town meeting approval. The Maine Department of Economic & Community Development has the final say on projects.

Voters rejected amending the Multi Family Dwellings and Planned Residential Developments ordinance. The words “‘elderly housing” will not be deleted from buildings that are served by a public sewer system and the minimum square footage for individual units in a residential apartment building will remain at 10,000 square feet.

Voters also turned down a land use ordinance amendment changing the display area on electronic signs up to 100 percent. The ordinance will remain up to 50 percent of a sign’s area.

Voters passed the third amendment changing a single lot designation on Middle Range from Resource Protection District to Limited Residential Zoning District.

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