On July 12, the managers and administrators of Camden, Rockland, Rockport and Thomaston sent a letter to the Knox County Commissioners, who plan to meet at 2 p.m. today, to table an agenda item that includes a discussion and possible action on a proposed “Act on Proposal for the Knox County Homeless Coalition for Funding Affordable Housing Projects Through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funds.”

The proposal is to be heard from Genesis Fund/Knox County Homeless Coalition.

The meeting begins at 2 p.m. To participate in Public Comments use the ZOOM link: https://zoom.us/j/98624143630 

To watch the meeting, without the capacity to make comments, go here: https://townhallstreams.com/stream.php?location_id=50&id=38774

The letter takes issue with how to allocate $7.7 million in federal funds under the American Rescue Plan. Maine received approximately $1.5 billion in aid to state, county, and local governments through the American Rescue Plan. The funding includes more than $997 million to the State of Maine, more than $221 million to support Maine’s county governments, and a combined total of nearly $241 million for local governments.

Knox County is receiving $7,725,245.

Dear Commissioners Parent, Pohlman & Merriweather & Administrator Hart:

On behalf of the Towns of Camden, Rockport, Thomaston, and the City of Rockland, we respectfully request that you table Action Item (VII. 1) on the agenda for your July 13 meeting.  At your June 8 2021 meeting, you committed to further engaging with the municipalities in Knox County to better understand how County ARPA funds can be used for the benefit of residents in the County.   We ask that you honor this commitment before you make any further decisions on how the County will allocate these funds.  

The County has a once in a generation opportunity to support investments that will make our communities resilient to a changing economy.   However, the continued expenditure of County ARPA funds without any input or consultation from municipalities will only result in investments made by the County that are out of touch with the economic realities our region is facing.  Municipalities, not the County, are closest to the issues in our communities, and are expected by the citizenry to solve these problems. We implore you to work with us so that $7.7 million is not wasted on endeavors that will have little to no impact on people in Knox County.

Sincerely,

Audra Caler

Town Manager, Camden

Jon Duke

Town Manager, Rockport

Kara George

Town Manager, Thomaston

Tom Luttrell

City Manager, Rockland