AUBURN — The city is looking for qualified residents to serve on a new Agriculture Committee, which will be responsible for steering efforts to grow farming and other agricultural business in Auburn.

The committee was created at the same time the city implemented a series of changes to the Agriculture and Resource Protection zone following months of debate.

During council discussions, any changes to the zoning ordinance were often directly tied to the creation of the committee, due to concerns over having direct involvement from agricultural zone residents and farmers.

The zoning changes, which relax standards for building a home in the zone, will give the Planning Board the authority to grant special exceptions for landowners looking to build a home on parcels of at least 6 acres, but the Agriculture Committee will be the first to see new proposals.

The Agriculture Committee will be tasked with making recommendations to the Planning Board and on applications for new farm buildings.

Councilor Holly Lasagna, who was among those who drafted the committee guidelines, said Monday that serving on the committee comes with a lot of responsibility.

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“It’s really going to be important that we have the right people on this committee,” she said.

According to the City Council memo, the purpose of the Agriculture Committee is “to proactively build a stronger food, agricultural, and resource economy in Auburn and to address the ongoing needs of protecting and promoting farms, farmland, forestry businesses, woodlots, local agriculture economy and local forestry economy.”

The guidelines for who can serve on the committee are designed to have specific expertise represented on the board, Lasagna said.

That includes at least one member who is “actively engaged” in agriculture and at least one member involved in forestry.

According to the memo, all members of the committee will be “selected upon the basis of their active involvement, interests, skill or expertise in agriculture, forestry, food system economics, public policy or related fields.”

Lasagna said initial terms on the committee will be staggered so that all original members of the committee do not leave at the same time. That means one member will have a one-year term, three members will have two-year terms, and another three will be selected for three-year terms.

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Subsequent appointments will be for a term of three years.

A deadline to apply for one of seven seats on the new committee is Friday, Feb. 28. The seven appointed members will then be able to appoint two nonvoting members.

Applications will be reviewed by the Appointment Committee, which will meet in March to make nominations. The nominations will go to the City Council on March 16.

PLANNING BOARD SHORT

Planning Board chairman Evan Cyr spoke during public comment Monday regarding the City Council’s decision last week to deny the appointments of Matt Leonard and Laurel Libby to the Planning Board.

Cyr said the council’s decision to “reject members vetted by the Appointment Committee has left the Planning Board shorthanded.”

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He said as a result, the board’s associate members must now serve as full-time members, which will leave the board short in many instances, including if a member has to recuse himself or herself.

Cyr added that he plans to step down as chairman, and that the remaining board is relatively young.

“We will have to contend with a learning curve and the shorthanded board,” he said.

Last week, the council voted 4-3 to deny the appointments of both Leonard and Libby. While no reasons were given for Libby’s denial, Lasagna said she was concerned with Leonard’s professional connection to Councilor Stephen Milks, who is his employee, as well as his other political activity, which includes a run for the Maine Senate.

The Appointment Committee is made up of councilors Milks, Leroy Walker, and Brian Carrier.

On Monday, the council approved the appointments of Andrew Titus for the Auburn Water District trustees and Shawn McDonald for the Auburn Sewer District trustees.

Lasagna urged the Appointment Committee going forward to consider gender and age of applicants when making appointments.


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