With extra evening daylight and snow melting away, we're seeing signs of spring all around. At Town Hall, some clues are the Assessing office organizing tax assistance applications, giant Easter eggs at parks around town (thanks to Community Services!), and the sign on the main entrance door saying "Beach passes available May 1". Read on for the full gamut, and have your pen handy for some useful "save the dates" on upcoming deadlines, program event dates, and more.

Our website is your best source for up-to-date meeting links, applications, making online payments and more. 

FY2026 Municipal Budget Presented March 26

The Process

The Town of Scarborough fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. In the spring, the Town and School begin the annual budget process to prepare for the upcoming fiscal year. The review process provides opportunities for the Town Council and Finance committee to learn more from individual departments and make any adjustments. It also creates space for public participation and input in the budget. The budget process typically concludes in early June to adopt the budget for the following fiscal year. 

What to Expect

Budget information is compiled into a single document for each fiscal year. The document provides a high-level summary by the Town Manager of the Town’s financial position and vision for the coming year. It also includes an itemized account of the budget by department, and the strategic goals and objectives to provide services to Scarborough residents. This will be presented by the Town Manager and School Superintendent in a special Town Council meeting on March 26th and available on our website after it's presented.

Budget Considerations

Last year, the FY2025 budget was largely considered a "level services budget", intended to maintain and retain our existing facilities, services, programs and staff while exercising restraint on advancing new initiatives. The Town expected a decrease in some non-property tax revenue from the State and increased expenses associated with a competitive labor market and the need to settle contractual agreements. On top of that, a property tax revaluation was expected to impact final tax bills for residential tax payers, a factor which the Council kept in mind. 

While the FY2026 budget is still in its formative stage, residents can expect some similar themes and objectives. The proposed budget will likely seek to maintain existing essential services and selectively advance some strategic initiatives from the multiple plans and studies called for in the comprehensive plan and completed over the last few years. They are specific to transportation, open space, flood risk vulnerability and parks and facilities. More details will emerge once the budget is presented by the Town Manager and Superintendent of Schools on March 26.

Scarborough Leader to Become Digital Only

The media company Maine Trust for Local News (MTLN) announced last week that the weekly Scarborough Leader will become digital only. Its last print edition is Friday, March 28. MTLN operates the Portland Press Herald, Lewiston Sun Journal, Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel and more than a dozen weekly papers including the Scarborough Leader. They will be eliminating or reducing print publications of weekly newspapers and focusing on digital platforms.

The Town of Scarborough has long relied on the Leader to be a source of Town-specific news for our community. A 2023 community survey found that 76% of respondents used the Scarborough Leader newspaper as their primary source Town of Scarborough information (followed by the Town's website and email newsletter). The Town runs a weekly column in the Leader, rotating between an "In the Know" article with timely updates and a Council Corner article contribution from our Town Councilors.

With the elimination of the weekly paper, we encourage the community to subscribe to this Town Newsletter for the most extensive source of timely updates from the Town of Scarborough. The Leader will also continue to make its articles available to all online.

Town Monitors Local Impact of Federal Funding

With the change in federal administration, Town of Scarborough leadership and elected officials are diligently monitoring any potential impacts to local funding. Currently, the most notable effect has been on applications that were recently submitted for two USDOT grants as well as a Department of Energy grant, all of which are now paused. Other potential municipal exposure initially identified based on funding for the programs coming directly from the federal government include the Child Care Subsidy Program, administration of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, and the possibility of a reduction in Medicare payments for EMA services. The estimated impact of these federal funds (excluding USDOT grants) is approximately $1.5 million, but have not been affected to date.

The School Department receives federal funding for special education and its School Nutrition Program with the USDA. The estimated impact of these federal funds is $1.6 million.

The Scarborough Town Manager intends to carefully monitor the potential impacts to municipal funding. The Town is also in communication with local partners, Scarborough Economic Development Corporation (SEDCO), Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG), and Cumberland County Government, to monitor any changes that may have a local or regional impact. 

Recent Council Meeting Highlights

Open Space Plan Workshop

Watch Presentation (14:25-1:07:15)

The Open Space Plan is a document being developed ensure the Town’s approach to land conservation is done in a way that serves the whole community and protects natural resources. With it nearing completion, representatives from Viewshed (project consultant), staff, and members of the Ad Hoc Open Space Committee presented the Plan to the Town Council in a workshop last week. A major takeaway came from their work of conducting an inventory on existing open space in Scarborough. It was found that of the 30,528 acres of total town area, 23% is protected. An additional 7% would need to be protected by 2030 in order to meet the Town's "30x30" goal.

Adoption of Amended Beach Fees

In their second reading and vote, the Council approved the proposed amendments to beach pass fees by a vote of 6-1. This sets a $20 flat rate for daytime parking (non-passholders), raises non-resident beach passes to $200 (formerly $150) and places a limit of 350 non-resident beach passes issued (formerly no cap). It also adds a free Active Duty Military Resident Pass and a Resident Income Restricted pass (Adjusted Gross Income below $60,000). The proposed changes were originally brought forward by the Community Services Advisory Board after a review of recent years' data. Beaches page

The new Sustainability Reserve Account may be used for projects like installing solar arrays on municipal buildings, like this one on the Community Services maintenance building.

Town Council Approves Sustainability Reserve Account

The Town Council unanimously approved a resolution to create a Sustainability Reserve Account at its March 5th meeting. The account will help fund energy efficiency and sustainability projects in Scarborough, such as adding solar arrays on municipal buildings, offsetting the cost of equipment upgrades, delivering community education and outreach, and providing matching funds for grant proposals. It will be funded through a portion of electrical permit fees and fees in-lieu collected from developments that are unable to meet the Town’s EV charging requirements. The Town Council will approve all expenditures from the account.

The Town’s Energy and Sustainability Plan called for the creation of the reserve account. Members of the Sustainability Committee met with the Finance Committee in January 2025 to discuss the goals, uses, and funding structure for the account. The Finance Committee was very supportive of creating a Sustainability Reserve Account and indicated they would recommend the Town’s FY26 budget include an initial “seed” investment. Scarborough has made several investments in sustainability in the past, most notably establishing a staff position to focus on these efforts. The creation of the account will help Scarborough do more even more to reduce the Town’s energy use and costs.

Council Adopts New CEA Policy on Affordable Housing

Last month the Town Council adopted an amendment to the Credit Enhancement Agreement (CEA) Policy to provide a more relevant process for evaluating requests from developers for housing projects. The previous policy was intended to evaluate economic development CEAs, but lacked an appropriate process and evaluation criteria for affordable housing projects.

The Finance committee, staff, and the Housing Alliance worked to draft the amendment to the current policy that would establish a different process for affordable housing projects, while maintaining the current one for economic development projects. With its adoption, the new process will likely be used within the next few months as the Council considers a proposed affordable housing project in the Dunstan area.

Spring Fun with Community Services

Park Hop Egg Hunt Ends March 31st!

Get Map

It's egg hunting time! The Easter Bunny visited Scarborough and dropped eggs all over town. Can you retrace the Bunny’s tracks and help find the eggs? Visit the 6 locations on the coloring map and draw the design on each egg. Once complete, drop it off at the SCS Hub or email it to comserv@scarboroughmaine.org to be entered into an EGGCITING drawing! Six participants will win a basket full of goodies. Deadline for submissions is Monday, March 31!

Bunny Breakfast

Saturday, April 12

9:00-11:00am, Wentworth Cafeteria

Buy ticket; $10 per family

Join us for a yummy breakfast with our favorite special guest... The Easter Bunny! The menu includes pancakes, sausage, hash browns, and fruit, along with all of the fixings. Don’t forget to bring your camera for a photo op with the Bunny! Registration for this event is only $10 per family thanks to our sponsors Empeople Credit Union.

Plovers Spotted on Our Beaches!

Seeking Volunteer Beach Monitors for Summer

Spring is near, and piping plovers have already been spotted on our beaches! Piping plovers are endangered shorebirds that are protected by both State and Federal laws. In the spring and summer months, Scarborough’s beaches are home to several pairs of piping plovers. In fact, they’re our official town bird.

Scarborough has prime piping plover habitat. They love to lay their eggs in our soft sand and raise their chicks on our beaches. During the nesting season (roughly April – August), it’s important that beachgoers know to steer clear of plover nests – that’s where our volunteers come in!

Photo by Missy Mans

Each summer, volunteer monitors visit our beaches to educate beachgoers about the birds and to keep an eye on their nests. If you can spare a couple hours each week to walk our beaches, talk with visitors, and monitor plover nesting areas, we’d love for you to volunteer with us!  

Ideally, we're looking for a regular, weekly commitment, but we also know summer in Maine is precious. You can still volunteer even if you know you will only be able to help sporadically or if there are weeks when other plans will take you away from our beaches.

Volunteers are expected to:

• Talk and interact with the public

• Attend an annual volunteer training and orientation

• Educate beachgoers about plovers and beach rules meant to keep the birds safe

• Track volunteer time and complete written observation forms 

If you have any questions about becoming a Volunteer Beach Monitor, please contact Jami Fitch, Sustainability Manager, at jfitch@scarboroughmaine.org or 207.730.4035. 

Upcoming Deadline: Tax Relief Applications Due April 1

The Assessing Department oversees property tax relief programs and exemptions for eligible individuals and properties. Most programs are administered through the State, while others are applied at the local level. See all Programs on the Tax Relief page of our website. All applications must be filed on or before April 1st unless indicated otherwise. Please check the application for the appropriate deadline date. All applications are available online or in the Assessing office, located on the lower level of Town Hall (come through the back entrance of Town Hall). Please contact their office at (207) 730-4063 if you have any questions.

Police Officers Start Wearing Body Worn Cameras

This past week the Scarborough Police Department implemented body worn cameras, which were approved during the FY2025 budget process. Cruiser cameras will be installed by the end of the month. This technology will better protect and serve our community, as the cameras will maximize public safety, increase transparency, and improve situational awareness. It will also have additional benefits:

• Officer Safety: With GPS capabilities and live streaming, dispatch and other patrol units can see and check in on officers remotely and send appropriate assistance

• Training: Using video from officers and from their cruisers to use during training exercises

• Civil Liability: Protects the department from civil liability to show what happened at that scene

• Criminal Prosecution: Increase the probability of a successful criminal prosecution by having an objective point of view. 

Beyond the cameras, the contract agreement comes with software to support the devices. It includes: 

• Unlimited cloud storage for both device footage and evidence received from the public. Officers are able to provide individuals or groups an email or text link to submit documents, images and videos directly to a case file. 

• AI-driven redaction software to assist in the ability to release video, when available, to the public

• Quick and transparent evidence sharing between police and prosecution

• Computer Aided Dispatch Integration, device GPS overview, live streaming and bidirectional communication between officers and dispatch

• Automatic camera activation triggers 

Thank you for your support and be safe!

Vulnerability Assessment StoryMap is Live

See Areas of Scarborough Likely to Flood

An interactive Vulnerability Assessment StoryMap is now live! The Map includes a summary of data used in the Assessment and identifies Scarborough’s areas and infrastructure that currently experience coastal flooding or will be likely to flood in the future. The Map will be updated with recommended adaptation strategies later this spring. 

The StoryMap is a public resource and living tool for Scarborough-specific vulnerability and resilience information. It will be updated as new information becomes available and as adaptation strategies are implemented.

Please reach out to Jami Fitch, Sustainability Manager, with questions about the Vulnerability Assessment. 

School Building Committee Reviews Survey Results

The School Building Advisory Committee (SBAC) thanks everyone who participated in the school building survey! We appreciate you taking your time to make your voice heard. Survey results are being reviewed by the committee now, and a summary of the results will be available in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

What Happens Next?

The SBAC will be voting to reduce to two preferred building options at their committee meeting on March 24th. This meeting is open to the public for those who wish to attend or watch via Zoom.

When: March 24th at 6:00pm

Where: Town Hall Council Chambers (and Zoom) 

What Informs the Preferred Options?

• Benchmarking Metrics: Identified by the SABC, these include security priorities, programming priorities, and facility priorities. See the benchmarking matrices for the 5 initial options.

• Community Survey Feedback

• School Board Priorities: Board of Education guidance on the benchmarking metrics.

• $70-130M Project Budget: Supported by the community in the June 2024 survey. The majority of respondents said they would support an annual tax impact of $200-400.

Other Upcoming Public Engagement Opportunities

• April 2nd, 7:00pm Joint Town Council/School Board Workshop

• April 8th, 6:00pm Community Forum on the 2 Preferred Options

Get Involved: Board & Committee Vacancies

The Town of Scarborough has several active boards and committees making a difference in our community. They rely on citizen volunteers with time, expertise, and interest. We are currently seeking applicants for:

• Parks and Conservation Land Board

• Coastal Waters Committee

Applications are accepted through an online form on our website and reviewed by the Appointments and Negotiations committee on an ongoing basis.

June Election Preparations

Pick Up Board of Education Nomination Papers

A local election on Tuesday, June 10 will include the election for three Board of Education candidates (3-year terms). Nomination papers for the Board of Education are available to pick up in the Town Clerk's office and must be returned by close of business on April 5th.

Request Your Absentee Ballot Online

The Town Clerk's office is now accepting absentee ballot requests for the June 10th election (School Budget Validation Referendum Election and the Board of Education Election). Make the request in person, via phone (730-4020), or through this online form.

School Board Hosts Dinner on April 8th

Town Council Corner: My Return to the Council

By Bill Donovan, Town Council

Hello Scarborough. It is nice to be back serving on the Town Council. The last 5 years have found me not far away, happily supporting the Scarborough Public Library. SPL is one of Scarbrough truly venerable institutions with a stellar Trustee Board, and an (almost) new Library Director and senior staff, both second to none. 

Today’s Town Council represents new faces for me. Those I served with from 2013-2019 are no longer here. I’ve thus had a chance to assess Councilors and the Council’s work from a new perspective. And what is most pleasing to me is to conclude that this crop is the hardest working group with whom I’ve had the honor to serve.  

So what perceptions have I made? Our agendas are packed full and long meetings are the rule of the day. The agenda and the accompanying packet of detailed information is now available through the Town’s website. Leadership is strong. Our Chair, April Sither, has all of the skills you’d want in a leader. And I’d swear that several Council members consider this a full-time job (I’m looking at you, Jon Anderson).

Our Administration has new faces as well. While not truly “new” we have several people I’m just getting to know and appreciate their skill, including Planning Director Autumn Speer, and Assistant Town Manager, Liam Gallagher. But the constant is one of Maine’s best Town Managers, Tom Hall. I do not blithely express this commendation. Having chaired Portland's regional planning organization, Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG), I’ve seen all of the area town managers and, as good as they are, Tom stands out.

I expect most readers of Councilor Corner have noticed that the Council’s recent efforts have covered an array of critical issues and concerns. The Council just recently released a carefully drawn document entitled “2025 Town Council Goals”. It is chock full of goals and tasks assigned to councilors and Town Committees.  And just a word on Town Committees. Sure, we all know about our citizen-run Planning Board and Zoning Board, but you may not realize it but Scarborough has a dozen other citizen-staffed committees. They are the workhorse of planning new and amended ordinances and programs to address our needs and make Scarborough better. The proudest moment for me in this new tenure was the Council’s adoption of a wetlands protection ordinance that came about in large part because of the tireless work of committees beginning with the Conservation Commission 18 months ago. You can. We can. Make a difference.

If you reflect for a moment, what’s important to you as a community member? And you might give several answers:

Public Education. Few issues rise to the top more than providing children with a quality education. The U.S. is a democracy dependent upon everyone having a chance and that chance starts with a public education. Kids crowded into portables is substandard and we need a solution NOW. Every week for many months now, April Sither and I have represented the Council at the School Board’s planning committee (SBAC2) studying solutions. Final recommendations are in sight. Much more to come.

Improved Traffic and Transportation. We’ve all said it. Whether it’s traveling around Payne Road or Oak Hill or North Scarborough, traffic can be tough. The Council has commissioned a Town-wide transportation study which is nearly ready for Council approval. Again, more to come. Help is on the way.

Advance Workforce and Affordable Housing Initiatives. We all benefit when each person in our community is able to have a place to call home. And we all benefit when our teachers and public safety workers can afford it. The Town Council is fortunate to have a member who is a state-wide leader here, Cory Fellows, and a dedicated town committee, the Scarborough Housing Alliance, to help lead the way. Again, more to come.

As a final word, thank you to those members of the public who remain engaged and thoughtful and are “regulars” at our Council meetings. The Jim’s and Nina’s and Alyson’s, you know who you are.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Scarborough Town Council.

Scarborough Town Council

April Sither (Chair) • Jonathan Anderson (Vice Chair) • Don Cushing • Scott Doherty • Bill Donovan • Cory Fellows • Karin Shupe

Town Council meets the first and third Wednesday of each month. Visit our Town Calendar for links to attend and view agendas.

Programs at Scarborough Public Library

Healing Begins with Truth: Understanding Colonization

With Wabanaki REACH

Wednesday, March 19, 6:00pm-8:00pm

Register; This is an online-only event

Explore the differences between the worldview and culture of Indigenous peoples and settlers (and their descendants). Using historical and present-day examples, participants will examine the deliberate strategies of colonization and resulting impacts on Indigenous people, land, and culture, including the domination culture that maintains systemic racism and oppression. This program is intended to serve as a safe space for participants to join with peers and identify strategies to support healing in relation to each other and to the land.

Book Donation Drive

Saturday, March 15, 9:00am-4:00pm

We'll be taking book donations all day! Bring us your books in good condition. Be kind to the library staff and drive your donations straight to the shed only during the drive hours. We appreciate the spirit of giving, but please only bring sellable books. If the book is torn, written in, or smells like mildew, it will be recycled.

Board Game Night for ALL AGES

Friday, March 21, 5:00pm-7:30pm

Register

Bring the whole family, a couple of friends, or come on your own for this intergenerational party! Either way, plan to play games with anyone. This is a great way to have some fun and maybe make a new friend. Pizza and snacks provided! (You can also bring your own dinner if pizza doesn't work for you.)

This year marks a major milestone for Scarborough Public Library as it celebrates its 125th anniversary!