BELFAST — The Belfast City Council will hold its regularly scheduled public meeting Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m. and address an agenda that includes new City EMS and ambulance employees, new CMP poles, general assistance, and a four-day work week for City staff, among other agenda items. 

The first agenda item on Belfast City Manager Erin Herbig’s report is a request to appoint Greg Connors as the deputy economic development director for the City of Belfast. 

Connors has worked for “Maine Housing, the Maine Municipal Bond Bank, Northern New England Housing Investment Fund, the Maine State Legislature, Maine Municipal Association, and the Texas Water Development Board,” according to the report. 

Another confirmation request on the agenda is for that of Riley Peterson, who is expected to be confirmed as a full time paramedic/firefighter for the Belfast Fire and Ambulance Department. 

Peterson lives in Belmont with his wife and children and is, “looking forward to working closer to home and supporting his community,” Herbig’s report said.

Joseph Wellman is also expected to be confirmed as a full time paramedic/firefighter for the Belfast Fire and Ambulance Department. 

Wellman joins the City of Belfast with 20 plus years of experience in both fire and emergency services. Currently licensed by the State of Maine as an EMT/paramedic, Wellman also has his Maine Fire Service Institute Pro Board Firefighter I/II certification, in addition to other certifications, according to the report. Wellman has also served in an instructional capacity in multiple areas. 

Requests to place several new CMP poles will also be a topic of discussion. Central Maine Power has submitted pole permits for two new poles on Lincolnville Ave and three new poles on School Street. 

Later in the meeting the first reading of the “2022-2023 General Assistance Ordinance and State Derived Benefits for general assistance requests” will be done. 

According to the report:

“General Assistance is a statewide program. Different areas of the State have different levels of financial assistance based upon local surveys for food cost, housing cost, utility bills, etc.

“Every year the State proposes new maximum limits of assistance as well as a General Assistance Ordinance and Appendices for the City to consider adopting which is updated annually by the Maine Municipal Association. The limits for this next year have increased from last year’s limits and City staff recommends the adoption of these increased limits, as well as the updated Ordinance and Appendices. The State reimburses the City seventy percent of any General Assistance we provide.”

It is anticipated that a second reading will take place at the Oct. 18 Council meeting. 

Nearer the end of the agenda is an analysis of the City of Belfast four-day week, 10-hour-day schedule. According to the report Mayor Eric Sanders requested that this item be placed on the agenda at the Sept. 20 Council meeting. 

The move to four day work weeks was approved at the July 21, 2020, City Council meetings, and the model was implemented Sept. 1, 2020. 

“The change was made in part because several City Departments outside of City Hall had already moved over to this work schedule, including Fire and Ambulance, Public Works, the Transfer Station, and Code and Planning, and this had worked well to recruit and retain employees,” said Herbig. “Most recently, at the Sept. 20, 2022, Regular Council Meeting, the City Council approved moving our Police Department to this schedule as well.

“Additionally, the City Council discussed that opening earlier and closing later would provide a more user-friendly service for working people and working families. Other municipalities across the state had also moved to this schedule to allow for longer office hours of availability to the public.”

She said: “Over the past two years, we have seen the benefits of broader service to our residents while creating an incentive that has proven to be helpful in employee recruitment and retention.”

An analysis of the schedule is available for both citizens and employees for Council discussion. 

The agenda concludes with a message from Herbig regarding kindness and community, which reads in part:

“Each of us has so much going on in our lives, including competing strains and stresses, not to mention the current coronavirus pandemic. Far too often we see kindness pushed to one side, in favor of what is urgent or trending now. However, I truly believe that if we all do [our] part collectively these small acts of kindness have the potential to make our community a better place for everyone.”

The complete agenda is available to view, in addition to details regarding each item listed.

Belfast City Council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. Meetings are conducted online using Zoom and can be streamed on the City of Belfast website. They also air live on BEL TV and on Belfast Community Radio at WBFY 100.9. 

Comments can also be submitted by emailing the Council during the meeting. Comments will be presented to the Council.

An oral comment can also be submitted during the meeting via Zoom webinar. Information for this method can be found on the City website.

Information and documents related to this meeting are available on the City’s website. 

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com