ROCKLAND, Maine — The Rockland City Council has scheduled a series of closed-door meetings for next week to discuss a variety of matters including the pending negotiations with the YMCA about operating the city’s recreation programs.
The council is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall. Three executive sessions are the only items on the agenda.
City Manager James Chaousis said that one item concerns the possible leasing of the recreation facilities to the Penobscot bay YMCA.
The YMCA was the sole bidder to operate the city’s recreation programs. The YMCA proposal calls for the organization to rent the Rockland Recreation Center building for $1 per year. The city would pay for utilities and other building-related costs, with total expenses projected to be less than $50,000 for the year. The YMCA plans to run the program through its existing staff but that if new positions were needed, existing Rockland recreation employees could apply. The city department has two full-time employees as well as three year-round part-time workers.
The city has turned to seeking an outside operator in an effort to save money.
Chaousis said he asked for the executive session to have the council give him specific directions when he begins negotiations.
Another closed-door session will be held to discuss negotiations with the city’s labor unions, and the third session is for a performance evaluation of the manager as required by his contract with the city.
The manager has previously informed the council that he is seeking changes in the union contract that could save the city significant money over the long term. One concession being proposed by the city is to have employees represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters shift from their current health insurance to a Maine Municipal Association plan. The Teamsters represent the police, public services and clerical workers.
The council also will meet to consider final adoption of the 2015-16 municipal budget at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The proposed $10.8 million budget would not require any additional property tax dollars over the current year. The budget cuts the city-run recreation department, eliminates Sunday hours at the library, leaves a police patrol officer position vacant, and leaves the fire chief position vacant for a second consecutive year.
Also on that Wednesday evening agenda is approval of contracts with two outside commercial hauling companies to allow them to dispose of demolition debris in the city landfill quarry. The proposed contracts are with Troiano Waste Services Inc. of South Portland and Jeffrey A. Simpson Inc. of Sanford.
Under the proposed three-year contracts, the companies could dispose of sorted wastes at $31 per ton for the first year, with the fee rising to $33 in the third year of the deal.