Remarks by Nancy Smith
126 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 5 of 6
It's a process question. I love the outline of this. I love the clarity and the accountability in it. When we get inquiries, or I know through your email or other staff, they get these inquiries, are they forwarded so that they get into that workflow stream? Should we respond to the person we've received it and then forward to that email address so that they're aware that it's now in, rather than us, trying to follow it up on our own.
So then to be clear, if we get one of these inquiries on a specific item, we can just forward it to the Ask Ellsworth and then copy the person so they know?
Councillor Smith? Sarah, three questions. I'll just give them to you and you respond as you can. So to be sure I understand it, would this 267-540 be a 50-50 split between Maine DOT and the state? Secondly I'd love to hear a little bit more I was you know looking at what that 48 000 differential buys us and you mentioned community engagement as part of that if there's anything more you can share about what they're planning to be sure that we're hearing from residents and business owners in the in the city and also I think in the area since more than just Ellsworth residents drive it. Anything…
Thank you. Sarah, my understanding is... We use RFPs and RFQs, request for proposals, request for qualifications. What I've seen here and elsewhere is a request for a proposal is for a finite project. We need you to do this thing. What is your price to do this thing? And then verify they're a qualified vendor. Then an RFQ for qualifications is we have this big project. There are multiple layers to it, probably multi-year. This is really big. We're looking for a partner. Who we can work with what are your qualifications? What are your experience? Experience is relevant to that so that we know…
So what is the downside to going with the lowest cost bid, as has been the motion to be made right now?
What will that look like to the people of Ellsworth or to the final outcome of the project?
I appreciate the clarification. Thank you.
Okay. Moved to award the professional engineering services contract for the Bayside Road reconstruction project from Washington Street to Beachland Road to Sebago Technics Incorporated in the amount not to exceed $267,540 with funding from the fiscal year 27 general obligation bond and to authorize the city manager to execute the final agreement
Obvious question you may not have an answer to. Why do you think they came in at less than half of what?
Quick note before we move on. Is there consensus to try to move down but lower the temperature in this room? I'm seeing lots of flush faces.
Literally or figuratively. I thought she meant figuratively. I would be in favor of that as well if we're trying. But in the meantime, when people are physically overheating. That's really funny.
And it is 604, not 603, if I'm following along?
Before most of us were on council or on staff.
And clarification, this begins on page 56 of the packet. Correct. This is the one on page 56.
Thank you. Looking at the comparison of the two systems, I would not support this method because the description of the strong mayor aligns more closely with that person being the governor and the rest of the counselors being the legislature, that you have someone with veto power and you have someone who sets the agenda for the area that's being governed. And that is much more... Effectively done through collaboration even when there's conflict of seven people rather than one who's the boss with that much power and the rest of the people on the council trying to advance good policy with very…
So I'm going to dive in here. I love this conversation. When I saw your email to the counselors, by the time I got to it, Counselor O'Halloran had already said he wanted to sponsor it. And I thought, OK, I don't need a sponsor to dive in. I want to start by saying I support the motion that's being proposed, which isn't to pass a food sovereignty ordinance tonight. It's to answer all of these questions. and see what's a fit. So let me, my thoughts are in five different categories here. First, what I bring to this, I was a farmer for 17 years. I included some of this in my email to you asking…
The baked eggs, too, okay. The baked goods, it is complicated because you really can make somebody ill with things that aren't cooked, or you made the ketchup, it sat out for six hours, and then you put it in the fridge. There are ways that you can really hurt people. So there is a level there. I've heard different things about the licensed kitchens. I have a friend who makes... vegan burgers, and he said you can have cats and dogs in your house, you just need to have them not in the kitchen while you're working. And you have to have impermeable surfaces, which means painted, so that you can…
So these are things I think for all of us to, or those of us who are interested as we move forward to understand better. And again, we were clear, meat and poultry are not included because the stakes are so high. Custom processing being the exception. You could buy a half a pig or a quarter of a cow. You buy it live and I transport it to the butcher for you, and then you get it back in packages. That is allowed when you're buying bulk. So there's a lot to this. Raw milk, I have caution about. When we were dairy for about 12 years, I drank raw milk. I would not recommend someone go to the…
Sorry, the tension that I had was we were licensed for the chicken, and we had chicken. And we were friends with bakers who had a bakery, and I thought, this is great. They make amazing pies. They can make us chicken pies. And we found out, no, that's not what their license covers. So that ended very quickly when we had that set up. But to be able to do something like chicken pie that people can just put in the oven when they get home has great potential.
Nancy, you had a... Yeah, as we move forward, others that have come to mind that I think should be involved are Green Ellsworth, the Ellsworth Farmer's Market. I see Twyla in the back. There's a connection with the food systems folks. There are probably people there that would be interested. And to your point about giving away loaves and fishes as just a starting point for what barriers are they seeing and how could an ordinance hit those three points of the informed consent, grow your business, and access to... local foods.
So what is the current motion? Move to authorize the city manager to authorize staff. And then the rest gets written. That is not my amendment.
And return the matter to the city council for further consideration before any ordinance is formally introduced or adopted second any further discussion council yeah I think just reflecting on some of the other things we said I don't think it has to be part of the motion but again with the intent that we reach out to we being the city the organizations I mentioned and then others that this can be a large collaborative effort And there's no timeline to this, that it is about sinking it in with, in my mind, the RV park. We have a six month moratorium. People on both sides of that issue are…
Thank you. I move that the City Council approve the side agreement between the City of Ellsworth and the Ellsworth City Hall Clerks Unit Local 327, authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement on behalf of the City.
Well, if I understand, it allows us to be part of this package of bonds that the bond bank is going to be putting out. Right? That's the purpose really, to be able to take advantage of their buying power, so to speak.
I'll add a couple of comments having reviewed many versions of the capital investment plan and the bonds that we're looking at. Just three points again about the courthouse I I agree this came to light originally looking like a classic nimby issue of the neighbors not wanting the courthouse in their backyard and the more we listened the more there were really strong valid points as to why it shouldn't be in the Surrey road that there shouldn't be that kind of an investment in what is a rural neighborhood and it doesn't add to the core of the city at all and the process we took landed it right…