Council Meeting Summary

Financial

  • Received $675,000 in grant funding from the Maine Department of Transportation to assist with pedestrian improvements along the Broadway corridor.
  • Accepted what will amount to a few hundred thousand dollars in funding from a class action opioid lawsuit settlement. These dollars are restricted in use.
  • Accepted the recommendation from the Community Development Advisory Committee as to how to spend the City’s $595,900 of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for 2023. Funding includes:
    • Redbank Community Center Improvements ($65,000)
    • Westbrook St Shared Use Path ($374,330)
    • Preble St Food Hub ($36,000)
    • Through These Doors: Domestic Violence Support Services ($9,595)
    • The Opportunity Alliance: The HUB ($17,595)
    • Southern Maine Agency on Aging: Meals on Wheels ($7,095)
    • Greater Portland Family Promise: Homeless Prevention and Housing Stabilization ($15,095)
    • Middle School Ski Club: Ski Equipment and Lessons ($7,095)
    • South Portland Recreation Dept: Summer Camp Scholarships ($7,095)

 Proclamations

  • Adopted a resolve condemning anti-Semitism.
  • Passed a proclamation recognizing March 8, 2023 as International Women's Day in the City of South Portland.

 Council Goals

  • Council adopted goals for the year from the February 14, 2023 Goal Setting Workshop. Broadly, the ten goals are (in no particular order): Increasing Housing; Improve Social Services and Social Justice; Be Fiscally Responsible; Advocate for City Priorities; Complete Existing Initiatives; Prioritize and Strengthen Workshops; Improve Communication with Residents; Support City Staff; Support Committees; Focus on the Environment

 Ordinance Amendments

  • Passed first read of ORDINANCE #17-22/23 - Amending Chapter 12, "Housing", regarding the adoption of Rent Stabilization regulations. The second reading will be scheduled for March 21, 2023. Highlights of this ordinance include: capping annual rent increases at 10% for tenants of landlords who own 15 or more units, with certain exemptions such as new housing units as of 5/27/23; not allowing housing services provided by a landlord to be reduced as a way to pass along costs to a tenant; and sunsetting the ordinance in 2033
  • Passed first read of ORDINANCE #20-22/23 - Amending Chapter 5, "Buildings", Article VI, adding small-scale shelters to the list of properties that may constitute a "disorderly house". The second reading will be scheduled for March 21, 2023. This ordinance ensures that small-scale shelters are subject to the same disorderly house requirements as other residential properties.
  • Passed second read of ORDINANCE #7-22/23- Amending Chapter 3, "Animals and Fowl," regarding text amendments to enable and regulate small farm animals in select residential zones for the purpose of providing food or animal products. This will go into effect 20 days from approval.

 Clean Air Advisory Committee Report

  • Adopted the Clean Air Advisory Committee's Report. Staff will work to implement recommendations, with flexibility as per the Order language. Some of the recommended actions in the report include:
    • Adding two new air monitoring stations to Pearl St and Front St (using City funds/grants if DEP unable to fund)
    • Keeping the existing air monitor at Cash Corner in place but remove others as they have collected three years’ worth of data
    • Collect meteorological data alongside these monitoring stations
    • Conduct a burst emissions study focused on fenceline neighborhoods
    • Collect additional data from tank farm operators voluntarily related to burst emissions. Seek a State Law to require such information if not obtained voluntarily, or a local ordinance if the State does not pass such a law
    • Partner with a research institution to conduct a health study via a grant to obtain more health data differentiating between residents closest to the tank farms and the rest of the city
    • Co-locate Purple Air monitors with the VOC stations to better understand transportation emissions
    • Install monitors in the two Portland locations to test the correlation with napthalene levels from transportation emissions
    • Create a standard complaint form that will assist in receiving and tracking odor complaints and obtain info from the tank facilities related to their operations during the complaint period
    • Enact a state law or local odor ordinance if unable to voluntarily collect data from the facilities

 

To get information about any of these items, visit the BoardDocs agenda on our website at:

http://go.boarddocs.com/me/sport/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=CKCN775CBC0D

The video of this Council Workshop will be available at:

https://videoplayer.telvue.com/player/NzN-Z2CpIDNbXMWB16nIzGKjRlHJozGq/home?autostart=true&showtabssearch=true