FAIRFIELD — The Town Council approved a policy on remote meetings Tuesday night, as municipalities across Maine adjust to allow for continued remote participation during the coronavirus pandemic.

The policy sets standards for when a council member or committee member could attend remotely but does not limit remote participation by the public, so meetings would continue to be live-streamed online broadcast over Zoom.

Temporary provisions in the Maine Freedom of Access Act authorize remote participation in local meetings during the pandemic but are set to expire Friday. For communities to continue utilizing remote methods, they must pass new policies.

Other communities in central Maine are also dealing with the issue. The Pittsfield Town Council has passed an emergency ordinance to adopt a remote participation policy, allowing councilors to participate remotely through a video call under certain circumstances, and stipulating all meetings be broadcast online.

The council passed it as an emergency ordinance to ensure it would go into effect immediately and not have to go through the usual ordinance-approval process, beginning with the ordinance committee and including a public hearing.

In Skowhegan, Town Manager Christine Almand said the Board of Selectmen had not taken action toward creating a policy because the board had been meeting in person for months. Meetings for the town’s Board of Selectmen and Planning Board are live-streamed on Facebook, and meetings are held in person at the municipal building.

In Norridgewock, the Board of Selectmen decided at a meeting earlier this month to adopt a policy outlining the guidelines for remote participation for the board. Officials also began live-streaming the meetings July 21 on Facebook and Zoom.

Selectmen in Norridgewock are still required to attend meetings in person, and can only participate remotely if ill or otherwise unable to attend.

POND TESTING, JUNETEENTH

Town Manager Michelle Flewelling said in her report Tuesday night that she had spoken with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection about testing the fish ponds near Industrial Road for PFAS.

Children younger than 16 can fish without a license and take fish from those ponds, Flewelling said, so the department wants to confirm there is no contamination.

“They’re going to double-check those just to see what is going on with that,” Flewelling said.

The testing is part of a broader investigation by the state DEP into the contamination of well water in the area. PFAS, which stands for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, is a group of chemicals often called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down in the environment or the body. The chemicals have been linked to a number of negative health issues in people.

The Town Council also approved a medical marijuana dispensary license for Cannabis Cured Dispensary and renewed adult-use marijuana licenses for Cannabis Cured Cultivation, Full Spectrum Solutions and Mainely Baked.

There was a brief discussion about adopting Juneteenth as a holiday for the municipal calendar. Although the holiday has been adopted by the state and federal government, it is not automatically adopted by municipalities.

The matter is to be put to a vote when the Town Council meets next, although councilors voted Tuesday night to cancel their next meeting, scheduled for Aug. 11.

The cancellation was prompted by a few reasons, including that Flewelling would not be able to attend the Aug. 11 meeting because she is scheduled to be at the Maine Town, City and County Management Association Institute. Also, Town Council Chair John Picchiotti said he had a scheduling conflict that prevented the meeting from being moved up a week.

Councilors said they opted to cancel their next meeting because nothing urgent is on its agenda.

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