9031-R3_CC_Hollis_2023-2024_AnnualReport_Web

Town of Hollis Select Board Annual Report July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024

During the Fiscal Year of July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024, the Town of Hollis Select Board continued to be an integral part of decision making related to the highly anticipated new Town Hall. The goal to construct a new Town Hall building without obtaining any long term bonds or increasing the taxes to the residents of the Town of Hollis was actualized. This work included finalizing approval for the $2,000,000 Federal Grant awarded and overseen by the Maine Rural Development Agency, and amending the Town’s Tax Increment Financing Agreement (TIF) to be able to utilize those funds towards a new Town Hall. In addition, we also hired an Owner Representative to guide us through the building process. Members of the Select Board continued to coordinate the recruitment of additional staff as the staffing needs of the Town changed to include a new Code Enforcement Officer (Duane Hanson - hired July 5, 2023); a new Assessing Agent (John O’Donnell & Associates - hired February 2024) and exploring additional resources for the Animal Control Officer position. We also increased the Fire & Rescue Department to a total of six (6) full-time staff, a full time administrative assistant, and allowance for the Fire Chief to respond to the increased number of calls for both medical and fire assistance. Members of the Select Board have attended and actively provided input towards the proposed Bar Mills Dam Decommissioning project of Brookfield White Pine Hydro, and also to the Maine Department of Transportation regarding the following projects: update of Route 202 through Hollis; installation of a light at the intersection of Routes 35/4-A and 202; and proposals for traffic control during the update of the Salmon Falls Bridge. The Select Board has worked closely with available resources for grants and funding, and has received support from Narragansett Number One Foundation; Wilkinson Foundation; and Poland Spring/BlueTriton Foundation. We also actively participated in fund-raising activities for both the Lewiston Mass Shooting and Hollis Community Day. We thank those agencies for their generosity to the Town of Hollis and their continued support. The Select Board participated in the arbitration process with Brookfield White Pine Hydro LLC concerning the over taxation of both the Bonny Eagle Dam and West Buxton Dam to reach an agreement with Brookfield on the percentage of each dam owned by the Town; value of each dam; and taxes that were owed for each year. Select Board member David McCubrey submitted his resignation unexpectedly in August 2023. We thank David for his input and dedicated work for the Town, and wish him and his family well in the future. In the fall months, the remaining Select Board members worked hard to complete the tax commitment, address assessing issues in collaboration with our Tax Collector, and pursue hiring a new Assessing Agent to ensure improvement in our tax assessment process. We

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