With 2024 squarely behind us, we’re looking ahead to the projects and priorities anticipated to be a prominent part of the year ahead. Some of these efforts are a continuation of work that is already in progress, and others like the budget occur every year. The town of Scarborough encourages public participation whenever possible — have your voice heard by emailing the Town Council (towncouncil@scarboroughmaine.org), checking agendas on the Town Calendar on our website to see what’s coming up, and attend meetings (in-person or virtually). Here is some of the work expected for the coming months:
Transportation Network Study: The town is finalizing a study which looks Scarborough’s transportation system and provides direction and focus for the town’s future capital spending related to traffic and transportation needs. The Town’s transportation committee is reviewing the public feedback that came in from the draft and it will go before council for adoption by spring. View the current draft on our website.
Open Space Plan: The Open Space Plan is a document that provides the town with a comprehensive set of strategies to ensure the town’s approach to land conservation is done in a way that serves the whole community and protects important natural resources. It will aid the town in its 30×30 goal (to conserve 30% of land by 2030) by outlining a set of conservation priorities. The draft, which was published in late December, identified that 23% of Scarborough is currently conserved. View the current draft on our website.
Municipal Budget: The municipal budget is presented, reviewed, and approved by the Town Council each spring from March-June. The school budget process follows a similar timeline, starting earlier in March and concluding with voter approval in the June election. The FY2026 budget will be largely driven by council goals and continuing to maintain quality service to the community. The proposed municipal budget will be presented by the town manager on March 26.
Vulnerability Assessment: The Vulnerability Assessment is well underway, with the consultants having completed data analysis, field visits at vulnerable sewer pump stations, and a drone assessment of Pine Point and Higgins Beach. The consulting team is developing an interactive StoryMap showing flood vulnerabilities throughout town. It will also include general adaptation strategies for areas and infrastructure to make Scarborough more resilient to flooding. The team will identify pilot projects and more in-depth recommendations for the selected projects. This information will be used to seek grant funding or develop future capital projects. The Vulnerability Assessment work is scheduled to wrap up this summer.
K-8 School Solution: A second phase of the School Building Advisory Committee (SBAC) convened last fall and is working with consultants to find a final option to go to referendum this fall. There are seven initial options, which will be narrowed to two after further public input and cost analyses. A community survey is coming in February for feedback on the initial options. The SBAC remains committed to selecting a project within the $70M-$130M budget range that came out of last year’s survey question about community-supported tax impact.
Capital Planning: While there is general consensus that investing in our schools is the priority, we will continue to conduct thorough capital project planning to ensure that the community center and library expansion remain important elements in the discussion.
New & Continued Town Council Goals: The Town Council set an ambitious agenda of goals for 2024, with key themes ranging from financial management, to residential growth management, traffic and transportation, and more. The year 2025 is expected to serve as a continuation of these efforts, which are largely ongoing and will take time to see through. Council goals can be viewed on the Town Council page of the website under Council Outlook.
To stay regularly updated on these topics and more, sign up for the town of Scarborough’s twice monthly email newsletter at scarboroughmaine.org/stay-connected.
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