WATERVILLE — The City Council is expected to consider a final vote Tuesday on a plan to remove three Colby College properties from the downtown tax increment financing district and place them in a new district.

The meeting, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., will be accessible to the public through a link at the city’s website — waterville-me.gov. Those wanting to take part in the meeting must contact the city clerk’s office by 5 p.m. Tuesday to be given credentials to log in.

The City Council voted Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 to postpone a decision on the TIF matter, with City Manager Steve Daly saying the city was working to identify how revenue from a new TIF district would be used.

Daly said the city was working with an expert the city has used for years to make sure that when the TIF request is sent to the state, the city has everything in order.

On Dec. 1, the council voted 6-1 to amend the downtown TIF district and related development program by removing the three Colby properties from the district and placing them in a new district. It was a first vote on the proposal.

The properties at issue are at 93 Main St., the site of the future Paul J. Schupf Art Center; 9 Main St., where the Lockwood Hotel is located; and 20 Main St., the former Waterville Hardware property and future Arts Collaborative.

Colby College owns the properties, but the TIF district would have nothing to do with Colby, which would not benefit from the change, according to city officials. It is not a “Colby TIF,” they said.

Tax increment financing is an economic tool that allows cities and towns to shield new value from developments from tax calculations to preserve the amount of state aid for education and revenue sharing the city receives from state government, saving residents money.

Money generated from a new TIF may be used for downtown needs because it allows the city to capture tax revenues from the buildings and dedicate the money for that purpose.

In other matters Tuesday, councilors are scheduled to consider establishing a city manager evaluation committee and appointing three people to that committee; approving a $320,170 contract with O’Connor Motor Co. of Augusta for two dual-axle trucks with dump body and plow gear; approving a $288,346 contract with Freightliner of Maine in Bangor for two single-axle trucks with dump body and plow gear; and approving a change to the city’s zoning ordinance to allow Cleantap Energy and L/A Properties to build a solar farm on 40 acres off Eight Rod Road.

Councilors are also expected to consider a resolution providing for the establishment of a pilot food waste recycling program.

They also will consider supporting: a proposed amendment to the 1993 Kennebec River Management Plan related to accommodation of fish migration; an Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging law, as endorsed by the state Legislature in 2019 to support municipal recycling programs; an act regarding remote participation in public proceedings; a proposal to conduct a feasibility study for extending passenger rail service from Brunswick through Augusta and Waterville to Bangor; and an act to fully fund and restore state municipal revenue sharing.

« Previous

Alpine skiers get opportunity for ‘trial’ runs at Quarry Road Recreation Area

Next »

Phantom returns, scatters signs of love across Portland