Thomas E. Higgins

The meeting focused on reviewing the ordinance process and significant revisions to Chapter 34 (Traffic Vehicles). Key discussion points included presenting an internal ordinance review schedule for the committee's feedback and developing a public-facing, simplified version of the schedule with links to documents and expected timelines for public participation and hearings. Regarding Chapter 34, the committee received redlined and clean draft versions addressing outdated language, inconsistencies with state statutes, and restructuring enforcement roles to clearly define responsibilities between the Police Chief (enforcement) and the Public Works Director/Planning office (infrastructure and planning). The proposed timeline aimed for a first review public hearing in February and adoption recommendation in March, though a delay to April was suggested if further exploration of community standards was necessary.

The Town Council Budget Workshop focused on reviewing the draft fiscal year 2027 budget. Key agenda items included receiving an update regarding public safety questions and conducting a detailed workshop discussion on the Capital Improvement Program draft. A brief session for community-based budget discussion followed the adjournment.

The primary focus of the meeting was a detailed review and presentation of financial data concerning staffing levels, overtime usage, and potential cost savings associated with increasing staffing to six personnel per shift. Discussion included the analysis of known vacancies, scheduled overtime, sick leave hours, and total overtime hours utilized throughout 2025, with a cost estimate of over $342,000 in overtime for 5,962 hours. The committee calculated a range of potential cost savings, projecting a minimum savings of approximately $209,000 to a maximum of $307,000, based on the scenario of achieving full staffing. The financial implications of funding three additional positions (estimated cost around $400,000) versus the savings realized from reduced overtime were discussed to determine the net fiscal impact, which was estimated to be between a reduction of $100,000 to $200,000. The committee agreed to update the relevant spreadsheet to present this data, including the cost of the positions alongside the savings range, for the council agenda, affirming the continuation of the program through the next budget cycle.

The committee discussed refining the process for prioritizing issues gathered from the Oreo stops survey, which addressed community feedback on traffic and pedestrian safety. Key discussions included establishing a prioritization rubric with five metrics: risk profile (safety factors), feasibility of work, clarity of the issue, impacted population, and whether the issue is addressed by other projects. The committee refined the language and multipliers for these metrics, agreeing to weight risk profile highly and feasibility/clarity using a half multiplier to reflect limited expertise. They decided that committee members (three individuals) would score the survey results independently before compiling the results, explicitly excluding town staff from the initial scoring to maintain council direction and objectivity. The final product will be a ranking that guides future action by the town manager and staff, with a plan to post the scoring philosophy publicly for transparency.

The Town Council meeting involved agenda review, which included referring several items to respective committees such as the Community Development Committee, Finance and Operations Committee, Nominations, Evaluations, and Council Policies Committee, and the Ordinance Review Committee. A councilor requested postponing Order 26-15 regarding a resolution for the University of Maine Women's Soccer Team to the next meeting. Discussions covered the status of the search for Chance Lauer, which has been suspended. Key discussions included cemetery lots and the Downtown Visioning Process. Two public hearings were held: one regarding the Second Amendment to the Downtown and Transit-Oriented Municipal Tax Increment Financing District and Development Program, and another concerning amendments to the Town of Orono's Personnel Policy Handbook, which was rescheduled. Action items included authorizing the waiver of outstanding payment arrangements for burial lots and authorizing the expenditure of funds for the repair of a police cruiser. Committee reports were presented, and the Town Manager provided updates on various operational matters. The Council convened in three separate executive sessions to discuss a personnel matter, acquisition of real property/economic development, and union negotiations.