Read Article
LEWISTON City officials adopted next year’s $50.1 million municipal budget Tuesday, following lengthy discussions over its impact to the property tax rate and new positions like a Human Resources equity and diversity specialist.
While the City Council turned down the proposed school budget Tuesday, postponing a citywide referendum, the council voted 5-2 to approve the municipal budget.
Among the last-minute items debated Tuesday was the inclusion of a Human Resources position that would be tasked with developing a workforce representative of the demographics of the city, one of the main recommendations stemming from the Equity and Diversity Committee earlier this year.
Sun Journal screenshot
LEWISTON The annual school budget validation referendum scheduled for next week will be postponed after the City Council voted down the proposed budget Tuesday night.
Following lengthy debates among councilors over the municipal and school budgets, the City Council approved next year’s $50.1 million municipal budget but declined to move ahead with the proposed $95.7 million school spending plan.
Finance Director Heather Hunter said the School Committee will have to reevaluate and resubmit its budget to the council for approval, and the referendum scheduled to take place May 11 will be postponed.
Several councilors said the School Committee had declined to work with city officials on a budget compromise as the city faces a property tax rate of more than $30 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The vote reflected a now-strained relationship between elected officials on the City Council and School Committee.
Read Article
LEWISTON The City Council adopted a citywide equity statement Tuesday after debating a section that references immigration status.
The statement, developed over a period of months by a local coalition known as City Spirit L/A, along with human rights nonprofit Mindbridge, commits the city to addressing inequity and building a community “where people of all cultures and identities can thrive.”
Despite a groundswell of support for the overall effort and the message it sends, the adoption in Lewiston was delayed last month after a councilor said the statement should receive a legal review. A debate swirled again Tuesday regarding a section of the statement that references immigration status, which Councilor Lee Clement has argued could be interpreted that Lewiston condones illegal immigration.
Lewiston approves final, 5-year agreement for Bates Mill No 5 redevelopment pressherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pressherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Read Article
Bates Mill No. 5 with its black saw-toothed roof is seen in August 2019. The city will extend an option agreement with developer Tom Platz for the purchase of the mill.
Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal 2019 file photo
LEWISTON The city has inked a new deal with developer Tom Platz this time calling it a “final” agreement for the purchase and redevelopment of Bates Mill No. 5.
The five-year option agreement sets new parameters between the city and Platz, who has found success in redeveloping the rest of the Bates Mill complex. But, redeveloping the hulking, 350,000-square-foot Mill No. 5 has been elusive.