The Gorham Town Council met on Tuesday, September 6. Chairman Pratt opened the meeting; there were 60 members of the public in attendance. The Gorham Little League Minors All-Star Team led the council with the Pledge of Allegiance. In addition to the seven counselors, the town manager and town clerk were present at the meeting.
Open public communications included a view on the recent tax assessments. Councilor communications included notice and reports of committee meetings and a reminder of the current blood shortage. The town manager’s report included congratulations to the Gorham Fire Department for a grant, thanks to the departments that helped with Glow in the Park event, and reminders to all about the revaluation wrapping up, giving a phone number to call for anyone needing to discuss their assessment.
The school committee report was given and included updates on the opening with over 500 staff members, discussion of current Covid status and restrictions, a reminder of buses on the road with concern for safety, the need for bus drivers, an update on open houses, athletics, the need for substitute teachers, and a pre-K survey for parents that was to be completed by September 12.
Seven public hearings were held to hear comments on:
1) a referendum question to amend the Gorham town charter;
2) a referendum question related to the proposed issuance of general obligation bonds and/or notes in anticipation of such bonds in a principal amount not to exceed $20,025,956 for various school-related capital expenditures;
3) a proposal to issue a renewal medical use marijuana license to Chris Terison, Therapy Relief;
4) a proposal to issue a renewal medical use license to Nicolas Wilson, Forrest City Organics;
5) a proposal for the town of Gorham to propose a growth management ordinance;
6) a proposal to amend the zoning map to change the area in the vicinity of South Street to Brackett Road from rural and suburban residential district to the urban expansion district, the area in the vicinity of new Portland Road and Lowell Road from the rural district to the suburban residential district, and
7) a proposed zoning amendment to the Narragansett mixed-use district in the land-use development code.
Decisions of the Council included the following:
to approve the minutes from August, passed 7-0;
Order #22-99 (amend the town charter) to waive the reading due to length, passed, 7-0;
Order #22-99, passed, (Councilor Kuech had left the meeting) 6-0;
to allow counselor Pratt to remain seated for discussion and vote on item number 22-9-02, passed, 5-1 (Pratt);
Order #22–100 amending the order from $20,025,956 to $10,523,215, passed, 6-0;
Order #22–100, to authorize the amended order, passed, 4-2-0 (Pratt, Phillips);
Order #22-101, to issue a renewal medical use marijuana license, to Chris Terrasson, Therapy Relief, passed 6-0;
Order #22-102, to issue a renewal medical use marijuana license, to Nicholas Wilson, Forrest City Organics, passed 6-0;
Order #22-103, to waive the reading of the proposal to approve the Town of Gorham Growth Management Ordinance, passed 6-0;
Order #22-103, to amend the proposal, to allow 110 permits annually, passed, 5-1-0 (Hartwell); to amend Section 6, Exemptions and Section 4, Definitions, passed 6-0; to add a fee schedule of $1000, passed 6-0; to allocate the fees to the TDR account, passed 5-1 (Pratt);
Order #22-103 to authorize as amended, passed, 6-0;
Order #22-104, to authorize amending the Zoning Map to change the area in the vicinity of South Street to Brackett Road from Rural and Suburban Residential District to the Urban Expansion District and the area in the vicinity of New Portland Road and Lowell Road form the Rural District to the Suburban Residential District, voting first to allow Councilor Hager (a resident of the area) to remain seated, passed 5-0 (Hager), then voting to table Item #2022-09-06 until October, passed 5-1 (Shepard);
Order #22-105, to authorize amending the Land Use Development Code Section 1-16 Narragansett Mixed-Use Development District, passed, 6-0;
Order #22-106, to authorize the Town Clerk to issue the warrant for the November 8, 2022 Annual Municipal Election, passed, 6-0;
Order #22-107, to approve all qualifying applications from the Senior Property Tax Relief Program as reviewed and recommended by staff, passed, 6-0;
Order #22-108 to approve the transfer of $10,210.00 to the Town of Gorham pursuant to Title 15 M.R.S.A, §15824(3) and §5826(6) seized in a criminal case (Docket No. CR-20-5276), passed, 6-0;
Order #22-109, to authorize the construction of a private way over the public easement of the discontinued section of Libby Avenue providing that the property owner provides through the Planning Board review process all concerns with abutting property access are met, public easement access is maintained, and the property owner provides for a public works turn around that meets the Town’s public road standard, passed 4-2 (Hartwell, Phillips);
Order #22-110, to authorize a referendum question for the November 8, 2022 election asking voters if they approve establishing a Charter Commission for the purpose of revising the Gorham Town Charter pursuant to M.R.S.A. 30-A Chapter III and that the Town Council schedule a public hearing on October 4, 2022, failed, 1-5 (Hager, Wilder Cross, Pratt, Phillips, and Shepard);
Order #22-111, to set September 20, 2022 as a workshop date to discuss road discontinuance and public easements, passed, 6-0.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 p.m.
The complete minutes, as recorded by Town Clerk Laurie Nordfors, and the meeting video can be found online at gorham-me.org.