AUGUSTA — City officials plan to apply for designation as a Business Friendly Community.

Gov. Paul LePage announced the creation of the Certified Business Friendly Community program last month. The program is administered by the state Department of Economic and Community Development and seeks to acknowledge communities which have a solid track record in assisting businesses expand and create jobs.

Municipalities that can identify actions that it took to work collaboratively with its business community, show strong customer service and capacity and that have taken efforts to streamline regulatory processes will receive the designation, according to a news release.

Michael Duguay, Augusta’s director of development services, cited multiple business expansion projects such as the Marketplace at Augusta, Augusta Crossing, Kenway Corporation, JS McCarthy and others the city has had involvement in.

CHINA — Selectmen will convene at 6 p.m. Monday in the Town Office meeting room to continue discussing goals and procedures for a proposed transfer station planning committee.

A similar workshop meeting two weeks ago ended with board members disagreeing over priorities.

A regular selectmen’s meeting will follow the workshop. Agenda items include a proposed work plan for the new committee, if the workshop is successful, and consideration of items for a June local ballot.

The June ballot will include a question asking if voters want to repeal the town’s shoreland septic system compliance program.

* Planning Board members will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Town Office meeting room to hold their annual goal-setting session, and will continue discussion of the shoreland septic system compliance program during their regular meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. There are no applications on Tuesday’s agenda.

WINTHROP — A public meeting and vote is set Wednesday on the proposed $380,315 budget for the administrative and business offices of Alternative Organizational Structure 97, which includes Winthrop and Fayette schools.

The meeting will begin at for 6:30 p.m. at the all-purpose room at the Winthrop Town Office. Clerks from Fayette and Winthrop will be there to check in the registered voters.

The Winthrop Board of Education is scheduled to meet and work on its school budget immediately after the joint meeting.

Compiled from staff reports