PARIS – A special town meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Jan. 9 at the town office so residents can vote whether to extend a current moratorium on methadone clinic development another six months.
The following day, town officials from Paris, Norway and Oxford are scheduled to meet at the Paris town office with representatives from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency to learn more about the drug and the issue.
The three towns have been considered potential sites for a future methadone clinic. Officials from the three towns, including town managers, planning board members and police chiefs, have been working together for several months to review site plans and draft emergency legislation that would give the state more control over the licensing of such facilities.
They have been assisted in their efforts by the Maine Municipal Association and the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments. The draft legislation was initially passed over by the Legislature but was accepted on appeal by the state Legislative Council in December and will be reviewed sometime this year.
Methadone is used to treat addictions to opiates including heroin and OxyContin.
The towns first passed moratoriums last summer to halt any immediate development and give them time to work on the issue.
Norway residents voted in December to extend the moratorium another six months. Oxford extended its ban, as well.
The towns’ ability to manage methadone clinics is limited by the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, which prompted the towns to draft emergency legislation giving the state more control.
By law, municipalities cannot pass a development moratorium that exceeds 180 days. However, a moratorium may be extended for an additional 180 days if the municipality finds that the problem necessitating it still exists and that reasonable progress is being made to alleviate the problem.
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