All that’s left to fix is the echo

At their Sept. 14 meeting, members of the Hartland city council set a 3 percent preliminary tax increase. Under state law, a preliminary tax levy must be set in September; the final levy must be announced in December. At that time, the levy amount can be decreased, but it cannot be higher than the amount named in September. 

 

Mayor Kelly Routh announced that, aside from a small amount of painting and an ‘echo’ during council meetings, work on the new community center is complete,  “and it’s all paid for.”  After moving a refrigerator/freezer over from the old community hall, council members decided to spend about $900 for a new one. The Hartland Fire Department didn’t have any billable calls for the month of August. A request was placed for some new jackets and gear in anticipation some new volunteers will join the department. 

 

The council rejected a request from P & L Excavating to dispose of some septage waste in the city ponds. 

 

City maintenance staff was instructed to remove a set of dilapidated wooden steps located on city property at 518 Broadway St. before winter arrives. 

 

Acadia Bank requested approval to install a small children’s library structure on the lawn near the new city hall: the procedure with such unmonitored containers is that readers can take, return, or even donate books at their discretion. The council granted approval under the condition that the bank keeps the structure maintained. 

 

No Parking signs will be installed on Broadway and Main to better manage space; they will be installed from the corner to the alley. A resident living on North Star Lane requested permission to build a single house across two separate lots. The council rejected the request.

 

The BP convenience store and gas station in Hartland has a tobacco license that hasn’t been renewed. City Clerk Karen Flatness emailed the owner a renewal form which must be completed for the business to be in compliance. Flatness told council members the job descriptions for the city clerk and city maintenance worker, since both have become outdated.