November 23, 2024
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Presque Isle councilors review humane society pact

PRESQUE ISLE – If you ask Christine Robinson about work, she’ll tell you she would rather be finding homes for stray dogs and cats.

The president of the Central Aroostook Humane Society’s board said Tuesday that she has spent a lot of her work time recently on a process designed to rework an agreement with the 28 communities to which the humane society provides services.

The contract, which in December drew local controversy, has been sent to area communities so they can be involved in the process to update the document, Robinson said.

Potential changes Presque Isle would like to see in the 2005 user agreement were discussed Monday night during the City Council meeting, City Manager Tom Stevens said Tuesday.

Stevens said he and Councilors Richard Benjamin and Ron McPherson will spend the next few weeks reviewing the agreement.

In December, city officials expressed their displeasure over the agreement, which will cost the city $13,325 in 2004.

The city manager said in December that the 2004 document did not say what the society would provide for services to the city and did not adequately address issues that the city and organization dealt with in 2003.

The city had no choice, however, but to sign the document because the society was not willing to negotiate on the agreement and the city needed a signed agreement to be in compliance with state statutory obligations for the care of stray animals, he said.

Humane society officials said in December that the organization could not negotiate with Presque Isle because it had sent out the contracts to all of its user communities already but that it would consider changes for the 2005 agreement.

“We want to make sure every town has a voice in this decision,” Robinson said of an updated agreement.

With the document in the hands of user communities, local officials will have until early May to comment on changes they would like to see in the agreement.

The final contract will be sent out to communities in October and will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2005.

In other business, the council Monday:

. Voted to amend the definition of “home occupations” in the city’s land use and development code after the second public hearing on the issue.

. Approved the rezoning of property on the Fort Fairfield Road between Merritt Brook and Maine Public Service Co. from agriculture-farming to business after its second public hearing.

. Learned that the city’s finance department received for the fourth consecutive year a certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association, a professional organization. The award was given for the department’s work on its comprehensive annual financial report.

. Authorized $1,230 from the unclassified contingent account to be used for a new computer for the city manager’s secretary.

The City Council will meet again at 7 p.m. Monday, May 3, in council chambers.


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