Hollis Select Board Transparency Archive

016901dd0eed4395c630cac15290

RE: Jan 21, 2026 SB minutes

From

• Bennet Flinner <[email protected]>

To

• Daniel Yarumian <[email protected]>

Date

Wed, Jul 8, 2026 · 11:20 a.m. ET

• 01.21.26 SB Minutes.pdfNot posted

  The original PDF is not in this public copy. The words copied from it are below.

  Read from the file

  Select Board Mins 1.21.2026 Page 1 of 5 TOWN OF HOLLIS, MAINE MINUTES FOR SELECT BOARD MEETING Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026 - 6:00PM at the Hollis Meeting Room, 34 Town Farm Road. Attendees: Select Board members - Mary Hoffman, John Rogala, Roger Hicks, Dan Yarumian, Michael Harnois; Town Manager Dick Morin; Bar Mills Dam Decom missioning Committee members - Terry Walters, Jim Boutin; Select Board Office Asst Bennet Flinner; Broadcasting - Ken Knudsen, Kyle Morgan; Public - Phil Finnemore, Becky Bowley, Tom Witkowski; Zoom - Martha Huff, Kristy Duncan. 1. Call to Order & Roll Call - Meeting called to order at 7:00 by Hoffman. All Select Board members are in attendance for roll call. 2. Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all in attendance. 3. Remembering M. "Tootsie" Johnson – Celebration of life event on Sunday, Feb. 1st 1 - 4pm at the Town Meeting Room. We hope you can join us. 4. Public Comment for items not on the agenda - Resident Phil Finnemore raised concerns about transparency in the town's decision - making process, particularly regarding warrant articles, and proposed a set of measures to enhance public education and transparency. Becky Bowley highlighted the existing timeline for municipal elections and public hearings, while Phil emphasized the need for clear accountability and adherence to established procedures. Hicks indicated that the Board presents the warrant for the annual town meeting with 2 public hearings prior to the vote. Special town meetings do not require a public hearing. Terry Walter s and Jim Boutin briefly mentioned issues related to contractor selection and transparency, introducing a contractor application document as a potential solution. Tom Witkowski discussed the purchase order process for services and suggested developing a ve ndor application system to streamline contractor approvals and maintain a list of approved vendors that can also be available for residents. Select Board indicated that a supporting policy in conjunction with this process would need to be developed. 5. New Boat Access Proposal – Terry Walters & Jim Boutin (Bar Mills Dam Decommissioning Committee) Terry spoke about partnering with Brookfield to develop a new boat launch site behind the town hall, which would include an access road, parking lot, picnic area, and carry - in boat launch. the boat launch on 4a would no longer be serviceable. Construction of this new boat launch would be in conjunction and part of the Bar Mills dam removal. Project will have a subcommittee to review design and consider/bargain continued maintenance, road repairs with Brookfield. On the motion of Harnois and Hicks, the boar d voted all in favor to authorize the Bar Mills Dam Decommissioning Committee to partner with Brookfield to establish and design a

  Select Board Mins 1.21.2026 Page 2 of 5 new boat launch and recreation area behind the town hall, pending final contract details. Passed 5 - 0 - 0. 6. Chief Chris Young – Fire & Rescue Dept. 2025 Year - end Report. Chief Young presented the 2025 Fire and Rescue department statistics, highlighting a total of 877 responses with 648 EMS and 229 fire responses. The department achieved a 26% overlap rate in incidents, demonstrating increased demand on resources, and provi ded mutual aid 130 times while receiving aid 43 times. Response times showed 76.2% of trucks en route within 2 minutes, and the department maintained full staffing of 3 people, 93% of the time with over 36,000 hours worked. New initiatives included swift water rescue training with an NRS rescue boat, a brush forestry truck, and the recruitment of th ree new junior EMTs aged 15 - 16 who are participating in a high school vocational program. 7. Old Business: a. Minutes for 12.3.25, 12.12.25, & 12.17.25. On the motion of Yarumian and Harnois, the board voted 3 - 0 - 2 (Rogala and Hicks absent) to approve minutes for Dec. 3 and Dec. 12, 2025. On the motion of Hicks and Harnois, the board voted all in favor 5 - 0 - 0 to approve minutes for Dec. 17, 2025. b. New Municipal Town Office Update - Rogala reports that the water system is still in process of being established - water flow meter will be installed on Monday by the control contractor in conju n ction with Ward Water. c. Carryforwards - Hicks reports that budget carryovers are approximately $292,974 remaining from the 2024 - 2025 operations fund -- he proposes reallocating $269,000 to cover the cost of the upcoming 2026 revaluation rather than adding it to property taxes. On the motion of Hicks and Hoffman the board voted all in favor carryover $269,000 for the 2026 revaluation project. Passed 5 - 0 - 0. Martha Huff raised concerns about the process of transferring funds between accounts, suggesting that it would be more transparent to let the money lapse into the general fund and then seek specific appropriation through a warrant article, special town mee ting. The board agreed to consult with the Town's auditor to determine the best approach for handling account deficits and carry - forwards. 8. New Business a. New Meeting Time – 6:00PM. The board discussed changing their meeting time from 7pm to 6pm, which is not only an earlier slot, but will also allow most town employees to address the board with any issues during their work time, not personal. No further discussion or public comment. On the motion of Harnois and Hicks, Select Board voted all in favor to change meeting time to 6:00PM. Passed 5 - 0 - 0. b. Automobile Graveyard 2026 renewal for Trident Auto Sales, 544 Hollis Road. Discussion: Select Board received verification from Code Enforcement that there has been no change in the

  Select Board Mins 1.21.2026 Page 3 of 5 property, and there is an additional owner should anything happen to the current owner, Gary Stevenson. On the motion of Hicks and Harnois, the Board voted all in favor to renew the Automobile Graveyard permit for Trident Auto Sales. Passed 5 - 0 - 0. c. Proactive resident communication strategy and independent case - study result - Tabled d. Window blinds for Town Hall and Meeting Room - On the motion of Yarumian and Hicks, the Select Board voted all in favor to hire Budget Blinds for window treatments in the town hall and meeting. Passed 5 - 0 - 0. It was the lower - cost option at $7,800 over the other quote that came in @ $13,415. e. Community Building Sign - Board agreed to have it looked into to have the Parks & Rec paint a sign for the community building. e. Policy #2 2026 Holiday Schedule update – one of the corrections not made, will review and sign at next meeting. f. Tax Map Maintenance proposal with CAI Technologies - On the motion of Hicks and Rogala, the board voted all in favor to renew the tax map maintenance agreement with CAI Technologies for $2,800. Passed 5 - 0 - 0. g. Boston Post Cane – Shirley Walker. Select Board will reach out to Shirley to schedule the cane presentation. h. Town Manager Updates – Dick Morin. Signs posted in Town - Morin discussed residents concerns he has received about business signs posted in town, on the roadsides and telephone poles, noting that while the town cannot legally remove signs, they can ask for their removal. The town manager shared that signs on DOT property can be removed d ue to safety concerns. Announcement will be made that will give sign owners 30 days to remove them or they will be removed and destroyed. Morin asks that for snow/road challenges on the weekends, residents please call Road Commissioner Rob Hanson at 207 - 727 - 2999 to ensure your concerns are addressed. i. Appointments – ACO, Comprehensive Plan Committee. On the motion of Hicks and Harnois the board voted all in favor to appoint Sean Cabral as ACO, and Veronica Hartman, Butch Gannett and Ruth Leavitt as members of the Comprehensive Plan Committee. Passed 5 - 0 - 0. j. Terry Walters re: Policy #5, Closure of Municipal Buildings. Terry expressed that the current policy, which ties closures to school closures, is outdated and no longer appropriate for Hollis. He highlighted that while town employees provide essential services, the town hall is only open 27 hours a week and closes during minor weather events, despite other businesses and institutions remaining open. The Select Board agreed to review the policy, with Hicks and Rogala volunteering to work with Dick Morin on developing an updated policy that better reflects current service needs.

  Select Board Mins 1.21.2026 Page 4 of 5 k. Payroll and Warrant Totals - Payroll week of Dec. 22 - $38,101; Payroll week of Dec. 29 - $39,014; Payroll last week $34,294; Payroll this week $37,894; Warrant week of Dec. 22 - $130,403; Warrant week of Dec. 29 - $76,021; Warrant last week $616,949; Warrant this week $107,765 l. Purchase Orders: #4571 to Sharper Events and Tents for deposits on community day tents/courses not to exceed $4,507.80 under Comm Day acct; #4572 to Sumerian Irrigation for expansion of irrigation system to accom m odate 2 new pollinator gardens not to exceed $2,918 under Sports Complex acct; #4608 for Inclusion Solutions for various election equipment not to exceed $3,752.63 under elections acct; #4609 to Ward Water for water flow meter, water testing, plumbing insp ection, permit, due to arsenic issue problems with the new T own Hall & Comm unity Building well, not to exceed $4,708 under TIF acct; #4648 to Innovative for 4500 gallons of Magic Minus Zero solution for road salt, not to exceed $8,685 under TIF acct. m. Correspondence & Announcements: • Pre - K and Kindergarten Registration for MSAD 6 is now open! Kindergarten is open until March 31, 2026; and Pre - K until April 17, 2026. Registration must be done on - line and not through the Town Hall. Visit www.bonnyeagle.org for more information. If you do not have access to the internet, please call the registration office at 929 - 2326. • A reminder that applications for Homestead & Veterans property tax exemptions must be submitted before April 1, 2026. • Another reminder for residents to please check the status of your heating fuel tanks early in the week. • We have received a notice of intent to file an application with the Saco River Corridor Commission from Patrick & Debra Poirier to install 200 ft of fence on their property at Dennett Road. • A special thank you to the Sjulander Family for their recent generous donation to our Heat Fund. • 2025 Dog Licenses have expired! Please come to the Town Clerk's Office with a current rabies certificate, or you can mail a copy with a check to the Clerk for license renewal. Spayed or neutered dog fee is $6.00 and unaltered dogs are $11.00. • It’s not too late to sign up for the Emergency Medical Subscription Plan for 2026. Applications are available at Town Hall and on our website, or by calling Bennet Flinner at 207 - 929 - 8552, ext. 26. • A reminder that public sand is still available for residents behind the Town Hall by the salt shed. Stay left as you enter the municipal complex to reach the sand pile. • We are still looking for volunteers to join the Saco River Joint Cable Committee - The committee’s purpose is to negotiate a Video Service Provider (Cable) renewal contract

  Select Board Mins 1.21.2026 Page 5 of 5 in accord with updated Maine state laws. Meetings are expected to start later this month, and will be mostly over e - mail. Please contact the Select Board if you are interested. 9. Other Business: Salt Expenditure - Discussion: Hicks reports that due to conditions we are using more salt - 180 tons so far with 160 more coming. Under state statute municipalities can spend 15% over budget on snow/ice control. $35,000 add’l expenditure is for salt only. The board must all be in favor of the expenditure, provide the decision i n writing and request approval from the Finance Committee. On the motion of Hoffman and Hicks, the board voted all in favor to sign a letter approving an additional $35,000 expenditure for salt purchase, which must be presented to the Finance Committee for approval. Passed 5 - 0 - 0. 10. Executive Session - None 11. Upcoming Town Committee and Board Meetings: • Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday, January 27th at 6PM • Planning Board meeting and public hearing on Wednesday, January 28th at 7PM • Select Board meeting on Wednesday, February 4th at 6PM • Planning Board meeting on Wednesday, February 11th at 7PM • Sports Complex Committee meeting on Thursday, February 14th at 7PM • Select Board meeting on Wednesday, February 18th at 6PM • Conservation Commission meeting on February 19th at 5:30PM 12. Public Comment - Becky Bowley reminded residents that the Hollis Lions will be having a Food Drive for the food pantry, this Saturday, Jan. 24th from 11AM to 5PM. Donators will receive a free bowl of chili with corn bread! 13. Adjournment - Select Board adjourned the meeting at 8:10PM. Minutes submitted by Bennet Flinner, Select Board Office Asst.