Calais turns down requests by contractors to plow snow

CALAIS — The Calais City Council turned down requests from several contractors to turn over some city services, including winter plowing and sanding of city streets, to private contractors. The councilors also questioned the tone of a letter received from the Washington County Commission that talked about a county tax incentive.

In his notes to the council, Calais City Manager Byron Burke said that the contractors who had approached him did not exhibit an interest in plowing city sidewalks or snow removal. “Further there has been no interest in clearing catch basins, thawing culverts, and the like,” Burke said in his notes to the council.

Burke said he even received a call from a company that was interested in operating the city’s water department. “It is difficult to consider contracting for services which are currently accomplished with our own assets, especially given the extraordinary service that the city affords its citizenry. For example, response time for a slippery condition at North and Main streets is currently a matter of minutes, whereas it would be extremely difficult to enforce that standard upon a contractor even if written into the document,” he said.

The city manager pointed out that if private contractors were hired, the city’s heavy-duty equipment would sit idle, and a year-round staff still would be needed. “Further, changes in personnel would require extensive hiring and training to meet summer needs,” he said.

Councilor Ruth Brogan said that similar proposals had been presented to the council in the past and had been voted down. “This contracting services sounds good at first, you get a price … you get rid of your equipment, and then the price goes up,” said Mayor Harold Clark.

After a few minutes of discussion, the councilors voted to continue city services with city equipment and staff.

During the meeting, the council reviewed a letter from the Washington County Commission. Earlier this year, the council voted not to accept a 2 percent discount on county taxes if paid by July 2. At that meeting, the councilors raised questions about the kinds of services the city received from the county. At one point in the discussion, Councilor Michael Sherrard drew laughter from the audience when he suggested the city secede from the county.

In response to the city’s decision not to accept the 2 percent discount, commissioners Preston E. Smith, Mary Kendall Follis and Edward Cline July 8, wrote to the councilors.

“As we are all taxpayers in Washington County, we are all feeling the tax crunch. We regret that the city of Calais was unable to take advantage of our tax incentive as several other municipalities did. We sincerely appreciate your interest in the county’s operation and look forward to your attendance at some of our meetings. Perhaps with your expertise in the budgeting process our upcoming 1994 budget meetings could benefit from your attendance and input before finalization, which would negate your criticism afterward,” the commissioners wrote.

During their discussion of the letter, the councilors continued to maintain that the city paid exorbitant county taxes and received nothing in return. The city’s county tax bill passed the $146,000 mark this year. Although Burke served on county budget committees in the past, this was the first time he has been invited to do so by this commission. “They (previous commissioners) have tried various budget processes in the county, but I am not sure the commissioners have taken much note of what those panels have advised,” Burke said.

Brogan said that since Calais and Baileyville have their own police departments, they should receive a credit for that expense. “I am convinced that all communities, no matter what their size should pay for law enforcement. We specifically pay for our law enforcement, and I feel other communities should also do that in addition to their county taxes,” Burke said.