This November three capital requests may be on the local ballot: Body-worn and in-car cameras for the Police Department for about $1 million, a fire truck replacement for approximately $1 million and a request to replenish our land bond fund for $6 million.

Anderson
Under the Town Charter, it is the Town Council’s responsibility to put these items on the ballot for our community to decide if these are investments we would like to make. Public hearings will take place on Aug. 21 during our regularly scheduled 7 p.m. council meeting, with a second reading on Sept. 4 that will officially send these referendum items to the ballot for you to vote on this November. Additionally, we will be hosting a Council Corner Live for the land bond on Wednesday, Aug. 7, at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall. If you cannot make a meeting, you can always email the council to share your feedback at towncouncil@scarboroughmaine.org.
The council held a workshop on July 17 to review these items. Below is a short summary of what I learned during our workshop.
Police body-worn cameras
We are the only town in Cumberland County that does not have body-worn cameras or cameras in our cruisers. Cameras are common today and an essential tool in modern law enforcement. Some of the key benefits that were highlighted include officer safety and training. The cameras will allow officers to work with dispatch directly in real time and increase the flow of information to ensure overall safety for them and the public, particularly in a dangerous situation. It will also help management to review cases to determine where there are training opportunities for officers. The evidence provided by these cameras will be instrumental in courtroom procedures, and it is now a common expectation by the District Attorney’s Office that recordings are available to pursue successful prosecution.
Fire truck
The Fire Department has a long history of managing an Apparatus Replacement Plan. This request was eligible for ballot last year, but was deprioritized to purchase an ambulance. The apparatus eligible for replacement was purchased in 2004 and is becoming costly to maintain – in the past five years, nearly 25% of the original purchase price has been spent on maintenance. Following the replacement schedule is critical for operational effectiveness and safety. As apparatuses age, their out-of-service time increases. We need them to be available at a moment’s notice to support our community. There is significant time needed to build a new apparatus, which can take longer than 24 months, and the purchase price will continue to increase the longer we wait. From a fiscal perspective, adhering to our existing Apparatus Replacement Plan provides financial stewardship and minimizes risk to service quality and performance.
Land bond
Councilor Karin Shupe provided a Council Corner article on the $6 million land bond, “A path to continued land conservation,” that I encourage you to read. The Parks and Conservation Land Board is a town advisory committee that evaluates land purchases to support conservation. The $2.5 million land bond approved in 2019 is near depletion. The town has set a goal to conserve 30% of our land by 2030 and is developing an Open Space Plan to target specific areas for conservation.
The land bond request is unique compared to the other two items proposed for the ballot this November. Both the fire truck and police cameras will be bonded immediately, but with the land bond we are asking voters if they will extend up to $6 million of credit to the town that will be spent when new conservation opportunities are presented and evaluated by the PCLB and subsequently approved by the council. Any use of the land bond funds must go through an additional public process with a first reading, public hearing, and second reading where residents can provide their input on the use of the land bond funds to support the purchase of properties.
The biggest partner the town has worked with in using the land bond is the Scarborough Land Trust. From 1996 to 2024, the town has provided $5.1 million through land bond funds to the SLT, while they’ve raised $5.8 million in funds from other funding sources including private donations to acquire 1,209 acres in Scarborough for conservation. That equates to roughly $4,200 per acre contributed by the town for conservation in partnership with the SLT. By partnering with the SLT, the town avoids the cost to maintain the properties and any investment provided by the SLT that makes them enjoyable for our community. In Scarborough, we are lucky to be home to so many beautiful natural resources, including the Scarborough Marsh. As we continue to grow, it is important in parallel that we take action to conserve land to protect our environment and natural resources. The land bond is one of the tools available to us to do so.
Be on the lookout for more informational communications from the town so you can make your decision at the polls.
Jon Anderson is a member of the Scarborough Town Council. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Scarborough Town Council.
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