The Presque Isle City Council proposed amending its voting rules and honored the city’s oldest former councilor on Wednesday.
The rule change addresses voting procedures when all seven councilors are not present, a subject that sparked some controversy earlier this year. Wednesday was the first public hearing on the change.
Six councilors voted 4-2 in December to approve the 2025 budget. There were only six councilors at the time because one had died while in office. But council rules require a two-thirds vote of at least five. Retired Election Warden Jayne Farrin questioned whether the vote was legal because majority guidelines differ between the council rules and the city charter.
Presque Isle’s charter states that at least a two-thirds vote of all councilors is required to approve the city budget or to suspend or terminate appointments of officials. The specific number of voters is not defined.
The council procedure ordinance specifies a majority as no fewer than four councilors and a two-thirds vote as a minimum of five. A unanimous vote requires agreement by all seven.
“There is some feedback from our citizens that suggests that maybe some of the language is still not plain enough,” interim City Manager Sonja Eyler said. “This seeks to really help us clarify if there is something out of the ordinary with the number of councilors and what ‘majority’ actually means.”
The change adds this statement: “In the event the full council is not seated, two-thirds vote shall mean no fewer than four.”
Councilor Mike Chasse said the amendment resolves the issue in the procedural document, but still differs with the charter.
“The genesis of this is our charter doesn’t call out what majority or supermajority means by an actual number, and this does,” he said. “The intent of having a certain number was to make sure that there was a significant number of the councilors on important issues, but I feel like by having it as it’s written with numbers called out, and not matching the charter exactly, there are still issues.”
The rules say unanimous requires agreement of all seven councilors, but doesn’t answer what happens if only six councilors are present, he said. He favored striking specific numbers from the amendment.
Councilor Meg Hegemann suggested removing the “two-thirds” phrase and specifying only “a minimum of five” for such votes.
The group voted to send the document back to Currier for his input. A second public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17.
In a special presentation, the council recognized Presque Isle resident Ray Lamoreau as the oldest living former councilor for his decades of public service. He was first elected to the city council in 1968, Council Chair Jeff Willette said.
“That year alone reminds us how far back his leadership reaches and how long his example has guided us,” he said. “Ray didn’t just serve the city, he committed to it, he believed in it and he gave his time, energy and heart into making it better.”
The city has a great history and promising future, Lamoreau said.
“I left Presque Isle after I sold my land back 20 years ago and lived in the south for six months and came back here for six months,” he said. “I couldn’t wait to move back here to live, which I did eight years ago. And I haven’t regretted a moment.”
Presque Isle has many features and accomplishments to be proud of, Lamoreau said. Among them are the hospital, now known as Northern Light A.R. Gould. Others include the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Northern Maine Community College, the Mark & Emily Turner Memorial Library, Skyway Industrial Park and the Sargent Family Community Center.
The fairgrounds and annual agricultural fair are notable institutions, said Lamoreau, a longtime member and director of the Northern Maine Fair Association.
The Presque Isle and Fryeburg fairs are Maine’s only two that operate independently and have supported each other, he said, adding that Fryeburg purchased one of the local fair’s new aluminum bleachers last year.
Lamoreau served on the council from 1968 to 1974 and again in 1976, and worked with a number of local organizations as well as in the farming and trucking industries.
Councilor Craig Green presented him with a plaque that stated: “Your leadership helped shape the course of our community, and your continued presence reminds us of the strength, wisdom, and commitment that guide public service.”
Lamoreau thanked the administration, city departments, council and Presque Isle residents for the honor.
The council also held the first public hearing on amendments to its local Conduct at Park and Rec Areas ordinance. Among the changes are: including “public lands” as well as parks; adding electric bicycles to the bicycle definition; prohibiting use of the parks or lands as sanitation facilities; and prohibiting cannabis and marijuana product use while on public parks or lands.
The amendments also include an updated listing of city parks and public lands.
No public comments were shared.
The second public hearing on the park ordinance will also take place on June 17.
The council’s next regular meeting is scheduled at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 2, at city hall.
