THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2007

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FEE ON PLASTIC BAGS

AUGUSTA (Nov 15): The chairman of the Legislature's Natural Resources Committee is on a mission to eliminate 90 percent of those ubiquitous plastic grocery bags Mainers now use by the millions each year. He believes it will take a per-bag fee to make it happen.

Rep. Ted Koffman, D-Bar Harbor, has a bill he's trying to get in for next year that will be reviewed Thursday by the Legislative Council. Koffman's is one of 134 bills that legislators have asked the council to reconsider after it initially rejected all but 148 out of 566 submitted.

"Whether or not the bill is approved, we're going to keep working," Koffman said, to come up with a solution that involves both a carrot and stick to change behavior.

Koffman's proposal would include a 20-cent fee on plastic bags, which he said is a negotiable "starting point." (11/15/07, Wallack, Village Soup)

http://waldo.villagesoup.com/Government/story.cfm?storyID=103384

LISBON TOWN MANAGER

LISBON - The town council is inviting two candidates for a second round of interviews later this month for the town manager position.

Councilors could decide who to hire by early December, said David Barrett, director of personnel services for the Maine Municipal Association, which is assisting Lisbon with the search.

He refused to say who the candidates were, citing concerns about confidentiality.

Councilors interviewed seven candidates last week and chose two for the next round, he said. They had planned to interview eight people, but one withdrew before the interviews.

A total of 41 people applied for the job. (11/14/07, Reagan, Times-Record)

http://www.timesrecord.com/website/main.nsf/news.nsf/0/033D361A3F6E7FE20525739300608BF3?Opendocument

LEWISTON COUNCIL RETREAT

LEWISTON - Mayor Larry Gilbert and the newly elected City Council will gather in the Bangor area at the end of the month for a weekend of strategic planning.

"It's going to be our first chance to really get to know each other," Gilbert said Tuesday. "It will be a good opportunity to just talk and discuss each of our priorities."

The city has reserved space at the Lucerne Inn, outside Bangor in Dedham, on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 for the retreat and strategic planning session. The meeting will be moderated by Wayne Mitchell's Augusta-based planning firm ProdComm.

Voters last week elected an entirely new City Council, and that group will take its oath of office in January. New councilors are Thomas Peters II in Ward 1; Nelson Peters in Ward 2; Larry Poulin in Ward 3; Denis Theriault in Ward 4; Tina Bailey in Ward 5; Elizabeth Dube in Ward 6; and Robert Reed in Ward 7. (11/15/07, Taylor, Sun Journal)

http://www.sunjournal.com/story/238550-3/LewistonAuburn/Gilbert_council_planning_retreat/

STRONG SUPER DISTRICT

STRONG - Recommendations to establish a future regional school system covering most of Franklin County will be discussed Thursday.

A regional planning committee has developed a draft plan to combine towns in SAD 9, SAD 58 and Coplin and Highland plantations has been developed after weeks of meetings beginning in September.

The plan is far from complete, SAD 9 Superintendent Michael Cormier said, but a lot of work has been put into it.

The planning committee will have its last meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, before the Dec. 1 deadline at the Strong Elementary School to decide some final issues. (11/15/07, Perry, Sun Journal)

http://www.sunjournal.com/story/238567-3/Franklin/Super_district_plan_up_for_vote/

MAINE SALES TAX

AUGUSTA (AP) - Days ahead of a review that could prompt new adjustments to Maine's state budget, lawmakers are being told overall General Fund revenue is just about keeping pace with projections but that sales tax receipts are lagging and likely to drop more.

Revenue from the Highway Fund, meanwhile, continues to fall short of official estimates.

Since July 1, when a new $6.3 billion two-year General Fund budget took effect, treasury collections from General Fund lines - which include individual income and sales taxes - have been $836 million, $3.2 million or 0.4 percent below budget.

Highway Fund revenue for the same first four months of fiscal 2008 totaled $92.2 million, according to legislative analysts. That was under estimate by $5.4 million or 5.5 percent. (11/15/07, Associated Press)

http://www.sunjournal.com/story/238533-3/MaineNews/Maine_sales_tax_receipts_lagging/

MEA GENDER BIAS LAWSUIT

AUGUSTA -- The woman who has long represented Augusta-area teachers at the bargaining table is suing her employer, the Maine Education Association, saying it permits a workplace rife with sexual harassment and discrimination.

Joan Morin, of Whitefield, who was hired by Maine Education Association in 1996 as a labor advocate, claims a co-worker made demeaning comments about her gender "for many years" and the organization's executive director failed to stop it.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Kennebec County Superior Court by Morin's attorney, Walter McKee.

"Primarily, this discriminatory conduct has been perpetuated by MEA employee Keith Harvie," the lawsuit says. (11/15/07, Adams, Morning Sentinel)

http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/4474345.html

SOMERSET JAIL

SKOWHEGAN -- With a new $30 million jail less than a year from completion, commissioners are already considering adding another 60 beds.

The extra beds -- an additional housing pod -- would cost roughly $4 million, but the money wouldn't come from Somerset County taxpayers, who have already seen their taxes rise significantly due to the jail project.

Instead, another county would pay for the construction and, in return, get additional capacity at a bargain price at a time when jails across the state are filled to over-capacity.

Androscoggin Sheriff Guy Desjardins, whose jail was over capacity by roughly 30 inmates a few weeks ago, said the idea has strong appeal.

"Economically, it makes all the sense in the world," said Desjardins. (11/15/07, Crowell, Morning Sentinel)

http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/4472426.html

LITCHFIELD TOWN MANAGER

LITCHFIELD -- The town will do another round of advertising to find a town manager to replace Steve Musica, who said he is retiring at the end of the year.

An earlier round of advertising netted three candidates, none of whom impressed town officials.

Musica said selectmen in an executive session Monday night decided to readvertise the post.

"We didn't think we had a good fit for the town," Selectman Glen Ridley said. (11/15/07, Adams, Kennebec Journal)

http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/4469889.html

HEATING BILLS

AUGUSTA, Maine - With home heating oil prices significantly above those of last year and appropriations for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program undetermined at this point, politicians on both sides of the aisle in Augusta are recognizing that state funding will be needed to help poor Mainers stay warm this winter.

"We are probably going to have to make up again for some of the deficits in the federal government or their refusal to step up to the plate," House Speaker Glenn Cummings, D-Portland, said Wednesday. "Maine lawmakers, who see what the impact will be on Maine people, are going to have to do the right thing."

Two years ago, lawmakers approved an emergency $5 million state appropriation to supplement the federal funds. Cummings said he is not ready to put an amount on what may be needed or what may be affordable for the state. He has asked his staff to analyze both the need and what is available to meet it.

"I don't think we are going to let Maine people hurt this winter unnecessarily," he said. (11/15/07, Leary, Capitol News Service)

http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=156560&zoneid=500

RUMFORD-MEXICO PUBLIC WORKS

RUMFORD - Past regionalization talks between Rumford and Mexico about the fire and police departments stalled. Now selectmen of both communities hope the study of merging the public works departments might yield results.

At the invitation of the Rumford selectmen, the two boards met for an hour last Thursday to update how individuals felt about trying to merge services. Everyone in attendance agreed the talks should be renewed.

 Greg Buccina, chairman of the Rumford Board of Selectmen, set the tone for the discussion when he read about two communities that successfully merged their public works departments. "We need to find something we agree with and do it, like public works, which would have the least resistance to be welcomed by the majority of our citizens and see how things fall into place."

Mexico Town Manager John Madigan followed by adding, "We don't all need a grader and a street sweeper." (11/15/07, Farrin, Rumford Falls Times)

http://www.rumfordfallstimes.com/frontstory4.shtml

With the PolitickerME.com Wake-Up Call e-mailed to your inbox, phone, Blackberry or PDA first thing in the morning, you can get a rundown of Maine's top political headlines. Sign up to get the Wake-Up Call delivered every morning.