The Annual Town Meeting will be held on Monday, June 17, at 6:30pm, at the Edna Drinkwater School (56 Bayside Road).
Announcements
Town Office and Transfer Station Closed Today
Due to the weather, the Town Office and Transfer Station Will be closed today, April 4th. The Town Office will reopen tomorrow, Friday, April 5th and the Transfer Station will reopen Saturday, April 6th.
The Northport – Belfast Boundary
The Select Board is meeting with the Belfast City Council on Tuesday, April 2, at 6:00pm, at Belfast City Hall, to discuss the boundary of Northport and Belfast at the Little River.
The Board has received many questions from concerned residents, and this explanation is intended to clear up any concerns about why the Board is meeting with the Belfast City Council.
Q: Why is the Select Board meeting with Belfast City Council?
A: The Northport Select Board requested the upcoming meeting with Belfast. The Board did so because at Belfast’s City Council meeting on March 5, the City Council voted to spend up to $5,000 on a statutory perambulation of the Northport municipal boundary.
Many people may not realize it, but under the statute, when one municipality formally invokes the perambulation process, it becomes mandatory for the other municipality to participate. There is no ability to opt out.
If Belfast were to formally call for a perambulation, Northport would be responsible for half the costs, whether or not we participate, and if we didn’t participate, Belfast would be the sole decider of where the boundary is. (See https://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/30-a/title30-Asec2851.html for the full text of the perambulation statute.) Ignoring Belfast’s intention to conduct a perambulation would be a serious abrogation of the Select Board’s rights and duties to the Town and its taxpayers.
To date, there has been lots of speculation in the press and by residents about what is going on, but the Select Board and City Council have never spoken to each other about this matter, and no decisions have been made, other than Belfast’s decision to appropriate $5000.
Because they are municipal officers, the only way that the Board and Council can meet, discuss, and reach a decision is in a public meeting.
The best – and really only – way to resolve any issue is for the parties speak face to face, and that is what this meeting is intended to do. The Select Board sees no dispute about the boundary with Belfast, but the Board does want to engage in a dialogue with the City Council to see how a costly perambulation can be avoided. If the Select Board had not reached out to the City Council to request this meeting, the likely next step would have been a 10-day notice from Belfast for a statutory perambulation, which would have left Northport with no choice but to participate and pay half the cost.
We are hopeful that a costly perambulation can be avoided. In their March 5 meeting, one Councilor stated that she wished that they did not have to conduct a perambulation, calling it “insanity,” and another Councilor voted against it. If you haven’t already, please watch the entire City Council discussion of the matter to see what each of them had to say about perambulation. See https://belfastme.new.swagit.com/videos/299141 (Item 10(D), starting at 52:55).
We hope this clarifies our situation. Please feel free to call James Kossuth, the Town Administrator, at 338-3819 x6 or email at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Nomination Papers Available
Nomination Papers are available at the Town Office at 16 Beech Hill Road, Northport, Maine, for the following positions: 1 Select Board Member (3 year term) and 1 School Board Member (3 year term).
All nomination papers must be returned to the Town Office for signature certification no later than Noon on Friday, April 12, 2023
Animal Control Officer
The Town of Northport is currently seeking qualified candidates for the position of Animal Control Officer (ACO). The job of ACO is an annual appointment, with pay by monthly stipend. It is primarily field work enforcing municipal and State ordinances relating to the regulation and control of animals. The ACO is responsible for the enforcement of various animal control ordinances. Work involves contact with the public and potentially dangerous animals; maintaining records, such as, an Activity Log and incident reports to be filed in the Town Office no less than monthly; and monitoring licensure. Work is carried out in accordance with established rules and procedures as set forth by the Maine Dept. of Agriculture and is reviewed through reports and observation of results achieved.
A full job description is available on the Town’s website here.
Applications are due by noon on Friday, April 5, 2024.
Resume and cover letter may be emailed or mailed to: [email protected] or
Town Administrator
Town of Northport
16 Beech Hill Road
Northport, ME 04849
The Town of Northport is an equal opportunity employer.
Auditing Services Request for Proposals
The Town of Northport is accepting bids for a five-year contract for auditing services. A spec sheet is available at the Town Office or from the Town’s website here. Sealed bids should be marked “Auditing Services” and must be received in the Northport Town Office, 16 Beech Hill Road, Northport, ME, 04849, by NOON on Friday, April 19, 2024. At that time, bids will be reviewed for completeness only. The bid will be awarded at the Select Board meeting on Monday, April 22, 2024, after 6:15pm at the Town Office. The Select Board reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids.