CARIBOU, Maine — City councilors voted on Jan. 2 to go back to meeting twice a month as opposed to only once a month for most of the year as they did in 2018.
“Last year was the first year we tried this new schedule,” said Councilor David Martin, “and I think we had some pretty long meetings. I would rather meet more often.” He indicated that a second meeting would need to be added in June anyway so councilors could set the 2019 mill rate.
Councilor Hugh Kirkpatrick agreed with Martin’s suggestion and motioned to schedule two meetings a month, for every second and fourth Monday. Councilor Nicole Cote also suggested moving meetings that occur on holidays to the following day, adding that Veterans Day will fall on a Monday in 2019.
Councilors unanimously approved the schedule change, and City Manager Dennis Marker said the changes would be reflected on the city website. He added that any unexpected cancellations also would be posted on the municipal website.
In addition, councilors approved:
— authorizing the tax collector to accept early payments of property taxes prior to the commitment date with zero percent interest applied to prepayment amounts,
— establishing a 2019 tax club in which residents can provide 12 equal payments on their property taxes throughout the year with no applied interest in October, November, or December for club participants,
— authorizing the city manager to review and approve all treasurer warrants for the new year.
