With the turning leaves also come some changes at the Town. There are staff promotions to celebrate, retirement announcements, and job opportunities open. The Town Council will look a little different after the November election votes on open seats, and they are actively seeking resident input to inform future decision making (hear more on the community survey from Councilor Ken Johnson below). Plus, we're gearing up for new senior programs and feeling "bright" about our newly acquired solar arrays. Read on for details!

Indigenous Peoples' Day is on Monday, October 11. Town offices will be closed. Trash/recycling collection will remain on schedule. There are no changes to the curbside collection schedule for the week of October 11-15.

General Reminder: Stopping in to the Town Hall's Revenue office? We ask that you please arrive at least one hour prior to closing for the following transactions, as they take a bit more time:

• New registrations

• New to the State of Maine

• Private sales

• Vehicles bought out of state

Click Here for more on vehicle registrations.

Fall tax bills are on Friday, October 15, 2021. The second half will be due on March 15, 2022. Pay Online, In-Person in the Revenue Office at Town Hall, or by mail to Tax Collector, 259 U.S. Route 1 / P.O. Box 360, Scarborough, ME 04070.

The Senior Property Tax Assistance Program is available to eligible residents who need assistance with their property taxes. If your annual property tax burden exceeds 5% of household Adjusted Gross Income, you may be eligible for a return of up to $750 at the end of the year. For residents who rent, rent is considered as part of your tax burden.

- Applicant is age 62 or older as of the application deadline

- Applicant has been a Town resident for at least 10 years as of October 15, 2021

- Applicant’s household Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) is not more than $50,000

Senior Property Tax Assistance Program applications are available online or in the Assessing Office. The deadline to apply is October 15, 2021. When submitting your application, we need to see identification and proof of income, either your 2020 Tax Return or your 2020 Social Security Benefit Statement if you don’t file taxes. If you rent, we also need a statement of rent paid between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.

Visit our Assessing department to learn more about this program and other forms of tax relief available to residents.

The State Referendum Election and the Scarborough Municipal Election will be held on Tuesday, November 2, 2021.

• Location: Scarborough High School, 11 Municipal Drive, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

• Early Voting by Absentee Ballot: Available beginning on Monday, October 4th at Town Hall, Chamber B during regular business hours.

• Candidates Night (virtual) was yesterday evening, September 30. Click Here to watch back on YouTube.

Register to Vote. Review the State of Maine Voter Guide and complete a Maine Voter Registration Application.

Request an Absentee Ballot. Submit an electronic request form, or print the form and submit to the Town Clerk no less than one week before election day. All absentee ballots must be received no later than 8:00 p.m. EDT on Election Day. Or Vote in Person at Scarborough High School on November 2.

Click Here to learn more about requesting an absentee ballot, either electronically or printing out a form.

The ballot will include a question on issuing up to $1.9M in funding to replace the turf track and field in the High School Sports Complex. This did not pass in the 2019 election and has further exceeded its lifespan. A new webpage goes into detail on the project need, condition, impact if addressed (or left unaddressed), and answers to frequently asked questions.

Another question on the November 2 referendum asks Scarborough voters if they are in favor of authorizing up to $725,000 in bonds to fund the cost of a new fire truck. According to Fire Chief Mike Thurlow, there are three primary reasons that drive the replacement of fire apparatus:

• A broad category of condition which factors the age, shape, and reliability of the truck.

• The cost of maintenance which generally increases with age, usage, and availability of replacement parts.

• Safety, which as with any other vehicle or mechanical device, is affected by age and use.

The Town of Scarborough has compiled key information into a centralized Voter Guide on our website. Head here as you begin making your voting preparations and diving into details. This page will continue to be updated.

"[This September] I was honored to complete my 20th year of service as Scarborough’s Fire Chief. After over 45 years of total service to the department, and 40 years as Scarborough’s Emergency Management Director, it feels like the right time to announce my retirement. I can’t begin to describe how honored I am to have served the citizens of Scarborough for all these years. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to work with some of the best town managers, department heads, and public safety personnel anywhere, and I’m very proud of what we have accomplished together."

Joe Thornton, Public Safety

Congratulations to Joe Thornton who was recently promoted from Lead Dispatcher to Emergency Communications Manager. He has worked for the Town of Scarborough for 11 years. When not at work, you can find Joe watching sports—he is a loyal fan of the Boston Bruins, Maine Mariners, Cheverus hockey and the New York Yankees—or spending time with his family, fiancée Elizabeth, her daughter Amelia, son Austin, and their dog Tuukka.

Kristie Bradbury, Finance Department

Congratulations to Kristie Bradbury who was recently promoted from Accountant to Deputy Finance Director. Kristie started working for the Town of Scarborough recently after serving as the Director of Finance for South Portland Housing Authority for 3 years. Prior to that she was Deputy Finance Director for the City of South Portland for 9 years. Outside of work Kristie is a "Pets for Vets" volunteer and lover of animals, especially her dog Hazelnut.

The Town is now the proud owner of two solar arrays installed on the Engine 5 fire station, located on Saco Street, and the Community Services maintenance building on the municipal campus. The arrays were installed in 2014 through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with ReVision Energy. Through the PPA, the Town incurred no upfront costs for the installation of the arrays, owned by ReVision. The Town paid ReVision for the energy produced, which was less than what would have been paid to CMP for the electricity.

The PPA gave the Town the option to buy the arrays outright seven years after installation, the first opportunity being this year. The Sustainability Committee conducted an analysis of the upfront purchase cost, the arrays’ projected energy output, the buildings’ current electricity usage, and anticipated maintenance costs, and recommended the Town purchase the arrays. ReVision offered them for $72,000, below the $76,000 estimated value. The Committee estimates the Town will have a net savings of approximately $168,000 over the remaining lifespan of the arrays, in addition to the nearly $20,000 saved in electricity costs since installed in 2014.

Click Here to view full calendar.

Over the Phone: Call us at 207-730-4150 and pay by debit or credit card

In Person: Stop by the Hub at 418 Payne Road from 10am-2pm, Monday-Friday, to register and pay in person. We accept debit, credit, cash, or check in person.

Paper copies of the brochure are available at the Hub and Scarborough Public Library. Save the Seniors page of our website for seasonal updates.

We have kids programs, too! Learn more in the Fall Community Services digital brochure, updated regularly. Click Here to view a flip-through version of the digital brochure.

Municipal elections don’t get the publicity that presidential elections get, but their impact on citizens is more direct. Scarborough has over 19,000 registered voters—Democrats, Republicans, Green and Unenrolled. In general election years, Scarborough voter turnout is upwards of 75%. In off-year elections the turnout is much lower, but the results are just as important to Scarborough residents. The same is true of our school budget referendum in June; just 8% of the registered voters cast ballots on this year's school budget. Scarborough makes it easy to vote in any election with flexible voting times and methods (Click Here for details). Every election is determined by those that vote. Let’s come together and exercise our right and responsibility to vote at this year's municipal election on November 2, 2021.

Sometimes, instead of using a formal ballot vote to determine a specific outcome, elected officials conduct surveys to gauge the preferences of the residents in order to make informed decisions. Scarborough is currently conducting a community survey, beginning with the mailing of 4,200 paper surveys to randomly selected households in town in the next three weeks. The survey may arrive in your mailbox and will have the Town logo on the envelope and a postage paid return addressed envelope. By taking 10-15 minutes of your time to complete the survey you can have a positive impact on future policy decisions.

You will be able to give your Importance/Satisfaction rating on a variety of topics, including the public library, schools, growth, traffic and transportation, environmental topics as well as our parks and beaches and many more. Understanding your satisfaction with Town services, departments, and issues is critical to helping us better serve you and will inform us of areas for improvement. We value your opinion and greatly appreciate your willingness to share your feedback for the benefit of our community.

Our survey consultant, ETC Institute, will collect and process the anonymous surveys and provide a final report with key findings available on the Town website for all to review. We'll use this newsletter to track the progress of the survey and share links to participate in the online survey when available (shortly following the mailing phase) if you do not receive a mailed paper copy.

Scarborough Town Council

Paul Johnson, Chair • Don Hamill, Vice Chair • Jonathan Anderson • Jean-Marie Caterina • John Cloutier • Ken Johnson

Town Council meets the first and third Wednesday of each month at 7 PM. Visit our online calendar for links to attend and view agendas.

See our current board/committee vacancies. Complete an online application or print one to return in person to the Town Clerk's Office. Or, visit the Town Calendar for links to view/participate.

• Camera/Board Operators

• Before & After School Counselors

• Before & After Care Program Site Supervisor

• Part-Time Bus Driver

• Parks Maintenance Worker

• IT Field Technician

• Engineering Technician

• Patrol Officer

• Maintenance Worker/Plow Truck Driver

Friends of Scarborough Marsh is pleased to offer maps of the marsh to those interested in viewing recreational sites and points of interest along the five rivers that merge into the marsh. Maps are available in the Clerk’s Office at the Scarborough Town Hall. Stop in during Town Hall hours to pick one up!

This was one bit of news shared in the Friends of Scarborough Marsh Fall Newsletter. Click Here to view their full newsletter and learn more about their work in the conservation, protection, restoration, and enhancement of the Scarborough Marsh.

The Friends of Scarborough Marsh and the Library present Dr. Phillip deMaynadier to introduce us to the butterflies of Maine, including those we can expect to see in Scarborough. He has been studying at-risk wildlife and their habitats as a wildlife biologist with Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for 22 years! Registration is required.

The Bicentennial Quilt will be hung at Town Hall during the early voting period. In Fall 2019, 50+ quilters from our community created individual squares representing themes related to our town and its history. The Scarborough Bicentennial Series was made possible through the financial partnership of the Scarborough Public Library and Scarborough Historical Society, and through a grant awarded by the Maine Humanities Council.

Monday – 9am to 5pm • Tuesday – 9am to 7pm • Wednesday – 9am to 7pm • Thursday – 9am to 7pm • Friday – 9am to 5pm • Saturday – 9am to 5pm • Sunday – Closed

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