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A MESSAGE FROM THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR
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Dear Saco Citizens,
The City of Saco has completed the Annual Report for the 2017 calendar year. This report highlights the goals of the Council and each municipal department, city achievements, and measurable outcomes from 2017.
I hope that you can take the time to review all the exciting things that have occurred in our city and the important work accomplished by our city employees over the past year.
You can find the annual report
here
, on our website.
Sincerely,
Kevin L. Sutherland
City Administrator
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Transfer Station, Waste Disposal, and Recycling Updates
A new fee schedule/system has been
adopted at the Saco Transfer Station. With this new system in place,
permits/cards are no longer required (just proof of residency). You can
learn more and view the fee schedule for household waste, electronics, appliances, and other bulky items
here
.
As a reminder, household trash should be placed in the GREEN bin provided by the City and placed curbside by 6:00 AM on the day of your scheduled pickup.
Please only use the
BROWN or
BLUE bin (if your house still utilizes a blue bin) for recycling of paper, cardboard, tin cans, glass and Plastics #1-7. No other item should be placed in these bins. Attempting to recycle non-recyclable items will contaminate a full load of recycling and increase disposal costs. Visit
EcoMaine's website for more information.
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FY 2019 Tax Bills
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Finance Clerks: Nancy, Jennifer, Claire, Kimberly, and Denise
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The property mil rate (tax per $1000 of assessed value) remained flat between FY2018
and FY2019 at $19.38. We were able to cover the needs of the City and the schools
without raising the mil rate because of a 4.7%, or $100,591,593, growth in our total property value. New development accounted for about 20% of this growth and a valuation increase on existing properties accounted for about 80% of this growth.
Tax bills will be sent by the third week of August 2018. If you have a question regarding tax payments, please contact the Finance Department at (207)282-1032.
If you have questions regarding valuations, tax abatements, or exemptions, please contact the Assessment Department at (207)282-1611.
If you need any more information or help regarding the payment of taxes please visit our friendly team of finance clerks at City Hall, pictured here.
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FEMA & Floodplain Management
In order to qualify for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), the City must adopt or show evidence of having floodplain management measures in place. The proposed flood hazard determinations, if finalized, will become the basis for the floodplain management measures. However, before any new or modified flood hazard information is effective for floodplain management purposes, FEMA will provide community officials and citizens an opportunity to appeal the proposed flood hazard information presented on the preliminary revised FIRM and FIS report.
The Code Enforcement Department has paper copies of the Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps and the Flood Insurance Study. These documents are also on the Code Enforcement Department's page of the City website.
During the 90-day appeal period, any owner or lessee of real property in the community who believes his or her property rights will be adversely affected by the proposed flood hazard determinations may appeal to the City of Saco's Director of Code Enforcement. The 90-day appeal period is anticipated to begin on August 1, 2018 and end on October 30, 2018. This appeal period is statutory and cannot be extended, and appeal data must be submitted within the appeal period. It is important to note that the sole basis for such appeals is the possession of knowledge or information indicating that the proposed flood hazard determinations are scientifically or technically incorrect. Only appeals of the proposed flood hazard determinations that are supported by scientific or technical data and that are submitted within the 90-day appeal period can be considered before FEMA makes its final flood hazard determination.
Please call Karen Audie, Administration Assistant for the Code Enforcement Department, at (207)284-6983 to schedule an appointment.
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Beach Passes and Dogs on the Beach
Beach passes are available at the Finance Department located in Saco City Hall. For FY2019, a beach pass is $10.00 for Saco residents and Saco property owners. Disabled Veterans and residents over 62 years of age can receive one free pass per household.
You will need to present your car registration as proof of residency to receive a pass.
Saco property owners who are not Saco residents will also need to present their car registration. A pass is assigned to a vehicle and will not be able to be moved from vehicle to vehicle. For additional information, please call the Finance Department at (207)282-1032.
During July and August, dogs on Bayview Beach and Kinney Shores must be leashed between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The City Council is currently reviewing the ordinance to be in compliance with the Beach Management Plan. The City Council will be holding a public hearing on August 6th to review the proposed changes to Chapter 64. Under the drafted ordinance, dogs must be on-leash at all times from April 1-September 30, on Bayview Beach and Kinney Shores.
Ferry Beach State Park does not allow dogs on the beach from April 1 to September 30, but from October 1 to March 31 they are allowed on-leash. Please always be sure to clean up after your dog and dispose of waste in the proper receptacle.
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New Paramedics at the Fire Department
Congratulations to Saco's two newest Paramedics. Career Firefighters Logan Doak (right) and Cam Stephenson (left) both graduated from SMCC's Paramedic program in May and recently completed their written and practical boards, becoming Nationally Registered and Maine licensed Paramedics.
Firefighters Doak and Stephenson have been with the department since last summer, and have spent the past year working a full-time schedule and taking a full load of courses
and clinical rotations for their Paramedic education.
You should both be extremely proud of your accomplishments.
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Real Estate Tax Abatement
REFERENCE: 36 M.R.S. ยงยง 583, 706, 841-849, AND 1118
Our Assessment Department has received several inquiries regarding tax abatements. Our City Assessor, Nick Desjardins, has provided the following information to help answer some of these questions. According to Maine Property Taxation Law Article IX, section 8 of the Maine Constitution provides that "all taxes upon real and personal estate, assessed by authority of this State, shall be apportioned and assessed equally according to the just value thereof."
The term "just value" has been interpreted by the Court to mean market value. Article IX, also provides an exception to the requirement to assess property according to the just value when a property is classified as a farm, open space, forest lands, and working waterfront - which may be valued from their current use. While assessors are required to assess most property from just value, the constitutional requirement is not that property be assessed at just value, but rather that is be assessed in accordance with just value.
Assessors must adjust the assessed value for any property whenever the value is found to be inequitable. Please note that an assessor is not required to give notice of periodic valuation changes to the taxpayer.
An increase in valuation from one year to the next is not, by itself, grounds for an abatement of tax. Prior to requesting an abatement of tax, the property owner must determine that the property in question has been significantly overvalued, compared to assessed values of other comparable properties in the same municipality, or that the assessment itself is illegal or void. The fact that a property tax is high, by itself, is not grounds for abatement. The taxpayer is responsible for proving the assessed value is unreasonable.
Property Tax Bulletin No. 10 from Maine Revenue Services outlines the Property Tax Abatement and Appeals Procedures.
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Saco's employees take on an extremely important role in providing quality government services to the members of our community. We take pride in our reputation for providing excellent customer service and delivering services to the public both effectively and efficiently. Municipal jobs are some of the most satisfying and rewarding work anyone could choose to do. Click below for available positions.
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UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS
Check out the Community Calendar for upcoming meetings and events.
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Upcoming Committee Meetings
City Council Meetings and Workshops
August 6, August 13, and August 20 at 6:30 p.m.
City Council Chambers
Planning Board Meetings
August 7 and August 21 at 5:00 p.m.
City Hall Conference Room
Energy Committee
August 7 at 10:30 a.m.
City Hall Conference Room
School Board Meetings
August 15 at 7:00 p.m.
City Hall Auditorium
Conservation Commission
August 27 at 6:30 p.m.
City Hall Conference Room
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National Night Out 2018
National Night Out is a community-police awareness event that promotes community collaboration, crime prevention, and public engagement. This event will be held on August 7th by the Saco Police Department on Memorial Recreation Fields behind CK Burns School.
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"Music in the Park"-ing Lot
Thursday Evenings
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Join Saco Main Street for a great night of Music, Food and Fun in the parking lot between the Dyer Library and Saco Museum.
Bring a friend, a chair or blanket, and enjoy one of our favorite ways to celebrate summer in Saco.
Check out the schedule of performers below:
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4th Annual Saco River Trash Drive
September 9, 2018
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
The Saco Salmon Restoration Alliance and its network of partners and volunteers will once again round up the trash and debris in the lower Saco River and a number of its tributary streams to dispose of it properly. SSRA is currently seeking volunteers to participate in this 4th Annual Trash Drive.
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Bayview Beach Accessibility Improvement
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
August 15th at 11:00 AM
Age friendly Saco recently received an AARP Community Challenge Grant, designed to make communities more livable for people of all ages. These funds will be used to install ADA-compliant beach mats and devices to allow those in wheelchairs or walkers to enjoy the beach-not from a distance, but all the way to the high-water line. Join the City and Age Friendly Saco, as we unveil these new accessibility measures on Bayview Beach!
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EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
The Employee spotlight for August features a new addition to the City Administration Team, Torie Gorman
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Name:
Torie Gorman
Title:
Executive Assistant to the City Administrator
What she does to help Saco
:
Torie Gorman is the newest member of the City of Saco Administration team. Torie assists the City Administrator, Kevin Sutherland, and the City Administration team in staying organized. She also handles
administrative duties, schedules city meetings, and prepares City Council agendas and supporting documents.
More about Torie:
Torie, a Haverhill, MA native, moved to Saco with her family three years ago from New Hampshire. Torie, her husband, two dogs, and two children have enjoyed living near the ocean and being a part of the friendly Saco community. In their free time, her family likes to go camping and hiking. You may recognize Torie from local events, as she was previously a Program Coordinator at Saco Main Street.
Have a question for Torie? Send her an email.
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