CHELSEA — Selectmen at tonight’s meeting will discuss a plan to negotiate a franchise agreement with Time Warner Cable.

Town Manager Scott Tilton said representatives from nine communities — including Gardiner, Farmingdale, Hallowell, Pittston, Randolph, and Windsor — met last month to discuss hiring legal counsel to negotiate a beneficial agreement.

“We all have contracts that have expired or will expire within three years,” Tilton said Tuesday. “If we do hire someone to negotiate the contract for us, we get to split the legal costs. And there’s strength in numbers.”

The meeting is 6:30 p.m. at the Chelsea Elementary School.

Tilton said the group of towns may be able to negotiate a contract that allows access channels so meetings can be broadcast. They could possibly receive franchise fees and negotiate a change to the distance a home or business has to be from a cable access point before Time Warner will run a line.

Tilton, who represents the town at the meetings, said asked City Manager Scott Morelli to see if he would be interested in the idea.

Advertisement

“He thought it was a good idea too, so we found out what towns were able to participate and contacted them,” Tilton said. “This worked in another town I worked for. We did it in Arundel with Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, and it worked out well.”

In other business, selectmen will begin to set goals for 2012 using the SMART goal format. SMART stands for specific, measurable, obtainable, relative and timely.

“This format will help selectmen set goals,” he said. “For example, a goal might be to lower taxes. We would come up with how to accomplish lowering taxes by being specific about it. It might be by 3 mills in two years rather than just saying lower taxes. That’s not really a goal. It’s just an aspiration.”

The board also will take action on several proposals, including a town-wide property tax revaluation request for proposal; legal services, a town attorney use policy and the adoption of a code enforcement officer job description.

Selectmen will consider annual automobile graveyard junkyard permits. The permits are for Geroux’s Automotive Repair and Parts, Best Price Recycling and Salvate, and Win RO Auto Salvage.

The board will review the Kennebec County Revised Hazard Mitigation Plan Resolution. Tilton said the county updates the plan every five years and the town is being asked to formally adopt the changes.

Advertisement

“There’s five sites in Chelsea chosen as mitigation sites,” he said. “We have an issue with these sites with washouts and damage they cause. The mitigation will prevent that from happening.”

He said most of problems involve culverts too small for water that flows through them during a flood. One culvert is on Windsor Road and another on Nelson Road, he said.

“First we approve the resolution then talk about whether we want to address these sites in the budget,” he said. “The state and federal governments will pay 75 percent of the cost and the town has to come up with the other 25 percent.”

Tilton said the town is looking for someone to replace Allen Hallett, Jr. — who resigned from his school board seat — until June’s annual town meeting and election.

Anyone interested can contact the town office or fill out a volunteer application on the town’s website, chelseamaine.org.

Tilton said selectmen also will hear about a state Department of Transportation’s 12.5-mile highway resurfacing project planned for this summer on Route 17.

Mechele Cooper — 621-5663

mcooper@centralmaine.com


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.