The Rangeley Board of Selectmen and Planning Board held a public hearing for Chapter 38 the Town of Rangeley Zoning Ordinance on March 21st.  Linda Dexter, the Dark Sky Application Coordinator for the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, attended the hearing to discuss portions of the lighting standards in the Ordinance.  Results of the discussions were a brightness reduction in exempt outdoor lighting from 1800 lumens to 1600 lumens and new restrictions on upward pointing lights.  Linda commended the Board members for their commitment to rules that support dark sky initiatives.
     Chapter 38 now includes a section on Accessory Dwelling Units and many updates to definitions.  The zoning appeals process has been clarified as well as the lot setbacks and coverage tables.
The Sign Ordinance section has been left as is and will be dealt with as a separate issue later this year.  A vote on the sign section is expected to be in November 2023.
This new Chapter 38 Draft is posted on the Town’s website in its entirety.
The first public hearing on the FY23/24 Town Warrant was held on March 23rd.  The Town received nineteen requests from non-profit organizations asking to have their donation requests placed on the annual Warrant.  Ten of the organizations took advantage of the opportunity to explain the reasons for their requests.  The nineteen requests total approximately $220,000.00 with the three largest being the Chamber of Commerce at $50,000.00, the Snowmobile Club at $50,000.00 and the Rangeley Public Library at $44,581.00.  The Selectmen do not make recommendations on donation requests.  They place them on the Warrant as presented and let the voters decide which ones they want their tax dollars to fund.
This Draft Warrant is posted on the Town’s website for review.  The Department budget costs contain current wages and will not be updated until union negotiations are completed.  The total Department budget figures for FY23/24 will be calculated once the new wage information is available.

A Short Term Rental Ordinance (STR) public hearing was held at the RLRS School gymnasium on March 27, 2023.  This well attended hearing was an opportunity for everyone to provide information, ask questions, listen to others and offer edits.  The hearing was run orderly and comments were delivered in a civil fashion.  Approximately two dozen attendees opted to speak.  Several of the speakers were opposed to any ordinance that dealt with STRs in any manner.  Some speakers suggested putting the ordinance on hold until the State of Maine adopts a statewide ordinance.  Some speakers supported the ordinance as a good method for the Town to gather data on STRs.  One speaker suggested that STR occupancy limits were needed to match the septic system capacity to prevent risks to water quality.
The public comment period on STRs was extended through Wednesday, March 28th.  The meeting lasted approximately ninety minutes and this topic is expected to be discussed further at the Selectmen’s next meeting.