This week, the Lewiston City Council and the Androscoggin County Commission will each hold meetings to discuss a variety of topics. Here’s what to expect.
Lewiston City Council Workshop
Tuesday, October 14 at 6:00 pm
Council Chambers, City Hall, 27 Pine Street
Meeting Agenda
After another four-hour meeting with no progress on the syringe service program ordinance, the City Council asked for this workshop so that councilors can hash out differences before holding a meeting to vote.
Members of the public are not typically allowed to give comments during council workshops. Residents will be able to speak however, during meetings when voting actually takes place.
The past couple council meetings have included discussions about the proposed ordinance, with debate lasting several hours during each one.
Major sticking points include whether or not to require a 1-for-1 needle exchange ratio, where such services should be allowed to operate in the city, and how many licenses should be issued by the city.
The workshop will be streamed live on the city’s YouTube page, which you can get to by clicking here.
Contact information for the Mayor and Councilors can be found by clicking here.
Androscoggin County Commission Meeting
Wednesday, October 15 at 5:30 pm
2nd Floor Conference Room
2 Turner Street, Auburn, ME
Meeting Agenda
With Maine’s limited county functions, no news tends to be good news out of Androscoggin County Commission meetings. The agenda is pretty lackluster this month, largely reports and approval of accounts payable/payroll warrants.
Although not on the agenda, the Commission has been having ongoing conversations around relocating the Sheriff’s Office. Commissioners recently voted against moving the location to the former Subaru location on Center Street.
The County Building, on the corner of Turner and Court Streets, is extremely outdated for modern use. Estimates to provide HVAC services to the building ranged around eight million dollars, according to one commissioner.
The County Jail may come up during discussions, as well. Last week, Sheriffs for Androscoggin, Oxford, and Franklin counties proposed consolidating services by constructing a single jail for all three counties to use.
The jails are in need of costly repair or replacement, and the proposed plan to consolidate could allow the counties to save money for taxpayers. Further details would need to be settled, most notably the location.
Members of the public may watch the meeting live by clicking here, using security code 2500.