POLAND — The Board of Selectpersons correctly elected its leaders at a reorganizational meeting on April 16, town attorney Natalie Burns said in an email to Town Manager Matthew Garside on May 22.
The issue on whether the board acted legally was brought up by Arthur Berry, who lost in the selectpersons’ race April 5. Berry believed the language in the town charter specified the entire board had to be present at that meeting.
Selectperson Suzette Moulton, who was elected vice chairperson, was not present at the April 16 re-organizational meeting.
Burns further affirmed, “The language in the Charter does not require that the entire board be present for the vote. It requires that three members of the board vote for the selected persons even if only three are present … it is my opinion that the original vote was valid.”
Garside had received the same opinion from Maine Municipal Association earlier in May but was pressed to ask the town’s attorney for her opinion as well.
Garside said the cost for the town attorney’s review of the charter was $47.50.
In other business Tuesday, it was announced there will be a public informational meeting on the marijuana license lottery procedure at 1 p.m. July 17 in the Town Office Conference Room. Garside said the lottery will be scheduled in August.
Poland residents will get preferential treatment on a first-come, first-served basis.
According to the policy, there will be four lottery drawings divided by type of license and zoning designation.
Selectpersons awarded the paving contract to Spencer Group Paving, LLC. of Turner for $445,837.54. The money comes from the Capital Improvement Plan budget. Paving will be done on Plains and North Raymond roads.
The Johnson Hill project had to be cut from the original paving quote because of rising costs in material and fuel. Johnson Hill would have cost another $148,000 and that additional expense would have exceeded the balance of the Capital Improvement Plan budget.
Selectpersons also gave Garside approval to get bids on solar power for town facilities. The town wants proposals for the engineering, procurement, construction and operation of a roof-mounted, utility interactive solar photovoltaic generating system on the sand and salt facility.
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