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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Biddeford City Council Meeting - January 6, 2026

City Council & Committees — Tuesday, January 6, 2026

BodyBiddeford, Maine

SessionCity Council & Committees

DateTuesday, January 6, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

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Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:00

Appointments with mayoral appointments and city council appointments to committees.

0:06

I will read the names.

0:08

We are nominating Councillor Brad Cody, Ward 7 to the Recycling and Waste Management Committee to replace Councillor Les Hard.

0:15

Nominating Councillor Roger Beaupre, Ward 3 for the BSU, Bedford Socco Lurcher Beach Transit Committee, and our city manager, Chuck Deaver, to the main service center coalition.

Speaker 2

0:26

Motion the nominations be accepted.

Speaker 1

0:30

All those in favor?

0:33

That is unanimous.

0:34

Thank

Unassigned speaker

0:34

you.

Speaker 1

0:37

Next item on the agenda is mayoral appointments to citizen committees, beginning with Preston Bowden, Ward 2 for the Wastewater Management Commission.

0:46

Eric Conrad for the Recycling Ward 2 for the Recycling and Waste Management Commission.

0:51

Norman Belanger, Ward 6 for the Policy Committee.

0:54

Marie Potlin, Ward 1 for the Policy Committee.

0:57

Drew Gild, Ward 7 for the Traffic Committee.

1:00

Ricky Doyon, Ward 6 for the Traffic Committee.

1:03

Lucian Belanger, Ward 3 to the Cable Television Committee.

1:07

Joshua Lessard, Ward 4, to the Zoning Board of Appeals as a voting member.

1:12

Carolyn Schmidke, Ward 7 to the Zoning Board of Appeals as a voting member.

1:17

Leah Schaefer, Ward 5, to the Planning Board as a voting member.

1:21

Catherine Griffin, Ward 7, to the Cable Television Committee.

1:25

Elizabeth Martin, Ward 1 to the Citizens Advisory Committee.

1:28

Julie Ann Larry, Ward 7 to the Historic Preservation Commission as a voting member.

1:33

Richard Rames, Ward 3 to the Cable Television Committee.

1:36

Ann Morrison, Ward 7 to the Diversity Equity, Inclusion Committee.

1:40

Jonah Regal, Ward 4, the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee.

1:43

And Dominic DeShambo, Ward 5, to the Capitol Projects and Operations Committee.

Speaker 2

1:47

Motion the nominations be accepted.

1:49

Second.

Speaker 1

1:52

All those in favor?

1:54

That is unanimous.

1:55

Thank you.

1:56

And thanks to all those present.

1:57

Catherine Griffin, Marie Potman, Eric Conrad, Carolyn Schmidke, for your service.

2:02

There are still several openings on committees, and I'm going through a series of applications and interviews.

2:07

So if you're interested in any of the additional vacancies, please reach out and take a look at the application.

2:17

Next item on the agenda is public addressing the council.

2:21

Three minute limit per speaker.

2:24

Please state your name and ward.

Speaker 3

2:46

Rick LaFrance, Ward 5.

2:48

I just thought I'd come in and thank you all for your service and congratulations on your election and your victory.

2:55

A lot of times I tend to come in here and more or less lack a little bit of political correctness.

3:03

And with that being said, I just wanted to apologize in advance with the limit of only eight minutes due to a person.

3:10

It's kind of hard to spit out all you have to say sometimes.

3:12

So with that said, I tend to be a little direct, and uh I just want you to know even through a lot of the differences.

3:19

I still respect you, your opinions and all you get going for you.

3:22

And with that being said, I I like to come here and talk about the shit side of things more so than uh political correctness and blessing you all because I do respect your services for what you do.

3:36

I realize it takes a lot of your time and takes a lot of thought and process.

3:40

And uh with that being said, uh thank you all and uh good luck.

3:44

You got a good two years ahead of you there to fight a battle that we're fighting every day.

3:50

Thank

Unassigned speaker

3:50

you.

Unassigned speaker

3:51

Thank

Speaker 1

3:51

you, Mr.

3:52

LaFrance.

3:53

Any other public comments?

3:58

With that, I will close the public addressing the council.

4:01

There will be another one at the end of the meeting.

4:04

Moves us to 8A, consideration of the minutes for the December 16th, 2025 council meeting.

Speaker 2

4:10

Motion to be accepted.

4:11

Second.

Summary of Proceedings

Biddeford City Council Meeting - January 6, 2026

The Biddeford City Council met on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers and via Zoom. The meeting opened with a Martin Luther King Jr. Proclamation read by Mayor LaFountain and staffing updates. The council unanimously approved appointments and minutes. Major discussions included a joint Computer Aided Dispatch/Records Management System (CAD/RMS) agreement with Saco, a review of open staff positions, and a proposed strategic restructuring.

Consent Calendar

Roll Call: All members present.
Appointments: Unanimous approval of Mayoral Appointments to Council/City Manager committees and Citizens Committees.
Minutes: Unanimous approval of the December 16, 2025 council minutes.

Public Comments & Testimony

Rick LaFrance (Ward 5): Congratulated the new council and wished them well. Later, he advocated for city hall to remain open five days a week and questioned the necessity of certain equipment purchases, including a new excavator.
Sterling Roop (Ward 7): Abutter to the York County Judicial Center, expressed frustration over the center's non-compliance with its contract zone and lighting requirements. He called for the city to enforce the contract zone through fines and coordinated action.
Jesse Faber (Ward 7): Abutter to the judicial center, supported Mr. Roop's comments, describing ongoing issues with building lights and urging a resolution.

Discussion Items

Second Reading: Council Rules (Item 9.a): The council unanimously approved amended council rules. Councillor Boston thanked those who contributed to the revisions.
Parking Change at 93 Alfred Street (Item 10.a): The council unanimously approved changing two-hour parking to no parking to accommodate the existing bus stop. Councillor Boston asked about the reason; Council President Beaupre explained the traffic committee's review. Councillor Woods requested a review of similar issues at other bus stop locations.
Motorola CAD/RMS MOU (Item 10.b): Police Chief Fisk detailed the need for a new dispatch/records system, as the current system is nearly 30 years old and unsupported. A joint subscription with Saco was recommended after an 18-month search. The annual subscription is $133,500 (locked for 10 years), with additional costs for a fire interface ($13,290) and fiber connection ($2,700 annually, split 50/50 with Saco). Startup costs of $111,000 were previously appropriated in the CIP. Several councilors commended the collaborative effort. The MOU was approved unanimously, pending Saco's ratification. Implementation timeline is 12–18 months.
Public Works Auction (Item 10.c): The council unanimously approved auctioning surplus equipment. Councillor Lessard explained the process; Councillor Boston asked about a generator that was never used.
Adoption of Robert's Rules of Order (Item 10.d): The council unanimously approved adopting Robert's Rules of Order. Councillor Kurtz successfully moved to amend to specify the 12th edition; the amendment and main motion both passed unanimously.
City Manager Report: City Manager Truc Dever provided recruitment updates: the COO position is reposted as Deputy City Manager; new Deputy Finance Director Nate Kolpitz started; the Economic Development Director search is ongoing, with two council volunteers requested for the interview panel. A council workshop is set for January 13. Councillor Lessard requested a detailed staffing update and asked about the process for posting and changing job descriptions.
Committee Updates: Councilor Beaupre announced Veterans Committee meeting Jan 26 at 4:30 PM, Policy Committee Jan 26 at 6:00 PM, and Traffic Committee Jan 27 at 6:00 PM.
Mayor's Address: Mayor LaFountain thanked Brian Phinney for his service, highlighted Age Friendly Biddeford's need for volunteer drivers, and noted the Recreation Commission is seeking a council liaison. He also mentioned the opportunity to review open positions.
Staffing Structure Discussion: Council President Beaupre proposed a committee-of-the-whole discussion to review open positions (Deputy City Manager, Economic Development Director, Facilities Manager, HR Deputy Director) to consider potential restructuring. After discussion about process and concerns about halting the HR Deputy recruitment (in final stages), it was agreed to add the topic to the January 13 workshop agenda.

Key Outcomes

Approvals (all unanimous):
- Appointments to committees
- Council meeting minutes (Dec 16, 2025)
- Amended Council Rules
- Parking change at 93 Alfred Street
- Motorola CAD/RMS MOU (joint with Saco)
- Public Works auction items
- Adoption of Robert's Rules of Order, 12th edition
Directives:
- Staffing structure discussion placed on the January 13 workshop agenda.
- Council volunteers (Woods, Doughty, Boston, and others) for the Economic Development Director search committee.
- Councillor Woods requested a citywide review of parking at bus stops.
Executive Sessions:
- Entered at 7:04 PM for hardship abatement (36 M.R.S. § 841); exited at 7:09 PM; approved a confidential document from the City Solicitor.
- Entered at 7:09 PM for legal matters and personnel matters; exited at 7:45 PM. No votes taken.
Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 7:45 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Appointments with mayoral appointments and city council appointments to committees. I will read the names. We are nominating Councillor Brad Cody, Ward 7 to the Recycling and Waste Management Committee to replace Councillor Les Hard. Nominating Councillor Roger Beaupre, Ward 3 for the BSU, Bedford Socco Lurcher Beach Transit Committee, and our city manager, Chuck Deaver, to the main service center coalition. Motion the nominations be accepted. All those in favor? That is unanimous. Thank you. Next item on the agenda is mayoral appointments to citizen committees, beginning with Preston Bowden, Ward 2 for the Wastewater Management Commission. Eric Conrad for the Recycling Ward 2 for the Recycling and Waste Management Commission. Norman Belanger, Ward 6 for the Policy Committee. Marie Potlin, Ward 1 for the Policy Committee. Drew Gild, Ward 7 for the Traffic Committee. Ricky Doyon, Ward 6 for the Traffic Committee. Lucian Belanger, Ward 3 to the Cable Television Committee. Joshua Lessard, Ward 4, to the Zoning Board of Appeals as a voting member. Carolyn Schmidke, Ward 7 to the Zoning Board of Appeals as a voting member. Leah Schaefer, Ward 5, to the Planning Board as a voting member. Catherine Griffin, Ward 7, to the Cable Television Committee. Elizabeth Martin, Ward 1 to the Citizens Advisory Committee. Julie Ann Larry, Ward 7 to the Historic Preservation Commission as a voting member. Richard Rames, Ward 3 to the Cable Television Committee. Ann Morrison, Ward 7 to the Diversity Equity, Inclusion Committee. Jonah Regal, Ward 4, the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee. And Dominic DeShambo, Ward 5, to the Capitol Projects and Operations Committee. Motion the nominations be accepted. Second. All those in favor? That is unanimous. Thank you. And thanks to all those present. Catherine Griffin, Marie Potman, Eric Conrad, Carolyn Schmidke, for your service. There are still several openings on committees, and I'm going through a series of applications and interviews. So if you're interested in any of the additional vacancies, please reach out and take a look at the application. Next item on the agenda is public addressing the council. Three minute limit per speaker. Please state your name and ward. Rick LaFrance, Ward 5. I just thought I'd come in and thank you all for your service and congratulations on your election and your victory. A lot of times I tend to come in here and more or less lack a little bit of political correctness. And with that being said, I just wanted to apologize in advance with the limit of only eight minutes due to a person. It's kind of hard to spit out all you have to say sometimes. So with that said, I tend to be a little direct, and uh I just want you to know even through a lot of the differences. I still respect you, your opinions and all you get going for you. And with that being said, I I like to come here and talk about the shit side of things more so than uh political correctness and blessing you all because I do respect your services for what you do. I realize it takes a lot of your time and takes a lot of thought and process. And uh with that being said, uh thank you all and uh good luck. You got a good two years ahead of you there to fight a battle that we're fighting every day. Thank

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