Auburn City Council

Jan. 9, 2017

Auburn Hall

Appointments

What happened: Mayor Jonathon LaBonte, Councilor Robert Stone and state Rep. Bettyann Sheats were appointed to represent Auburn on the project advisory team for the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority.

What it means: Auburn and Lewiston councils are appointing three representatives each to serve on the team that will look at the feasibility of implementing a passenger rail service among Lewiston, Auburn and the Amtrak Downeaster service.

What’s next: Once the advisory team is in place, a meeting will be held in mid-January to decide on the next steps.

City audit

What happened: The Auburn City Council received a presentation of its financial audit results from the 2015-16 fiscal year.

What it means: Runyon Kersteen Ouellette, a South Portland accounting firm, finished the report on Dec. 2, and presented generally favorable results. The audit found no weaknesses or significant deficiencies in internal financial controls, but Mayor Jonathan LaBonte questioned the controls in place in response to some departments that were overbudget.  

Pownal Road

What happened: The council held a second reading of a potential zone change to a parcel at 1863 Pownal Road but voted against it 2-3. The first reading failed by a 1-5 vote on Dec. 19.

What it means: An ongoing issue for roughly six years, the parcel is not considered large enough to be issued permits in the agriculture zone. The land was once part of a larger parcel next to it. Owner Gary McFarland is looking for the city’s help in resolving the issue in order to improve the aging Victorian mansion, but other residents disagree that a zone change is necessary and believe it could set a negative precedent. 

What’s next: City staff has discussed a new option of reducing the affected area for the rezone and are allowing time for the property owners to meet and discuss.