Councilors can do business with town Houlton act calls for full disclosure

HOULTON – Houlton Town Council members who own or operate a business will be allowed to do business with the town as a result of action taken Monday night.

The council voted 4-2 to allow councilors with businesses to work for the town provided there was full disclosure of their involvement with that business.

The issue has been discussed for months since Councilor Dale Flewelling, who operates an automotive transmission-repair shop, questioned if it was fair to penalize members of the council who otherwise might be able to provide a needed service to the town.

Last year, Flewelling did $45 worth of work for the town to make an emergency repair to a police cruiser. None of the other councilors did any business with the town.

At Monday’s meeting, Flewelling said that when he suggested the idea, he also was thinking that the town shouldn’t force a businessperson to choose between their business and serving on the Town Council.

Others disagreed.

“I think it would take a lot of dignity away from the council when you start working for the town,” Councilor Dorothy Donahue said, adding that before people seek election to the council, they should be aware of the rules that govern the council.

Councilor Kent Good, who operates a wholesale floral business, was concerned that allowing councilors to do business with the town could appear self-serving.

“I think it has the potential to undermine the integrity of the Town Council,” he said. “I think it creates opportunities for impropriety.

Town Attorney Daniel Nelson said during a council workshop last January that the town’s charter does not prohibit councilors from doing business with the town provided there is full disclosure of that councilor’s interest and relationship with that business, and provided that that councilor abstains from any discussion or vote on the matter in question.

Councilor Michael Carpenter, who in January expressed caution on the issue, nevertheless on Monday said he didn’t have a problem with councilors’ doing business with the town as long as there was full disclosure.

“The council, when they put this charter together, they anticipated that there would be times when people would be in this situation and they put the disclosure [requirement] in here,” he said.

Also at Monday’s meeting, the council voted 5-1 to change the starting time for council meetings to 6:30 p.m. starting Monday, April 8. The council holds regular meetings on the second and fourth Monday of the month.

The change from the current 7:15 p.m. start time was suggested as a way to allow councilors to get home earlier on nights when meetings run especially long.

“We do put in a lot of time,” Councilor Hal Britton said. “I’d like to get home at a reasonable hour.”