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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-12-03 Government Operations Committee Minutes Government Operations Committee Minutes Monday, December 3, 2018 Meeting City Hall Council Chambers Council Members in Attendance: Council Chair Nichols Councilor Nealley Committee Chair Supica Councilor Tremble Committee Member Weston Committee Member Graham Staff in Attendance City Manager Conlow Assistant City Manager Cromwell Elaine Beaulieu – Public Health & Community Services Jamie Comstock – Public Health & Community Services Public Participation Sarah Starman – Representing Oceana Agenda: 1) An order accepting a $7,750 donation from the Bangor Fuel Society. This is an annual donation from the Bangor Fuel Society providing vouchers for 125 gallons in fuel assistance to those that qualify. The vouchers are issued through the Public Health and Community Services General Assistance Group. Motion made by Council Chair Nichols nd 2 by Councilor Weston 2) A resolve authorizing the acceptance and appropriation of $127,788 in grant funds for Maternal and Child Nurse Home Visits within Bangor. This is an extension of an existing contract with DHHS for calendar year 2019. The significance of the at home visits are preventative care services promoting healthy pregnancy and safe early childhood experience up to age five. Motion made by Council Chair Nichols nd 2 by Councilor Weston 3) A resolve authorizing the acceptance and appropriation of $60,000 from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, Lead Poisoning Prevention Fund. This money is used for education and activities for parents and property owners to identify lead hazards before a child is exposed or poisoned. The money for this grant comes from a .25/gallon fee imposed on manufacturers or wholesalers of paint sold in Maine. Motion made by Council Chair Nichols nd 2 by Councilor Graham 4) Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration: Seismic Airgun Blasting. This discussion was lead by Oceana Representative Sarah Starman. Sarah had spoken during the public forum at the previous Council Meeting regarding the impact of Seismic Airgun Blasting in the ocean and the potential impact on marine life. She was asking for Council support to stop the use of airgun blasting and off-shore gas and oil exploration. Council requested additional information on the impact of the airgun blasting and off-shore drilling as well as a draft resolve to review and examples of other municipality resolves. This item will go before the Council again during the next Government Operations Committee Meeting, scheduled for December 17, 2018. 5) Election Recap – City Clerk: A through memorandum was written and reviewed by the City Clerk to the Council regarding the statistics of the fall 2018 election, voter experience, and staff experience. Further discussion revolved around the voter experience and the candidates being able to access the voters freely. Council wanted to explore the ability to limit where the candidates can be when voters are entering and exiting the voting location. Council also wanted to explore the possibility of multiple voting locations (pro’s and cons of the single location vs. multiple location).