ROCKLAND — The City Council gave unanimous approval Monday evening, March 13 to place a ballot item on the June 13 election for the purchase of a new fire truck.
That was one of many items acted on March 13 by the Council.
The June 13 referendum asks voters if they support borrowing up to $385,000 and to transfer up to $415,000 from a previously approved bond for broadband expansion to pay for the new truck.
At a January meeting, Fire Chief Christopher Whytock said the state of the current fire department fleet is OK, but it takes two to three years to receive a truck once you decide to buy it. The oldest pumper in the fleet is a 1991 model. The company that manufactured it has gone out of business, the chief noted.
The Council also gave final approval March 13 to a reorganization and streamlining of city zoning laws. The city planner and code office have made it the top policy priority for the past year. This is the first comprehensive overhaul of zoning ordinances since 1984, City Planner Rhett Lamb said at a previous meeting.
The changes make information easier to find and are user friendly, the planner has said.
The current Chapter 19 in the city’s zoning ordinances are overly complicated and unnecessarily confusing and there are no substantive changes to zoning and no changes to zoning maps, the planner has said.
There are tables as opposed to text after text, he said, and a searchable table of contents. This would allow the public to look up what they can do with their properties from the comfort of their homes than coming into the city offices.
The Council also gave preliminary approval at the March 13 meeting to a zone change to allow the building at the intersection of Myrtle and Union streets to have all residences on the street level. Owner John Frye informed the City Council he wants to convert the space in the WIC office building into two residential apartments.
The Council also gave preliminary approval to extending the prohibition on loading and unloading on Main Street. The current ban is from noon to 1 p.m. but would be extended to 2 p.m. under the proposed ordinance change. A final vote would be held next month. The ban does not apply to Sundays or holidays.
The Council also unanimously approved authorizing the city manager to sign an opioid agreement as recommended by the city’s attorney who is handling the class action lawsuit against drug manufacturers and others. The amount of the money the city will receive has not yet been determined.
