The Saco City Council met on Monday, November 17, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. with all councilors present except Councillor Berman (excused). Deputy City Administrator Emily Prescott was in attendance. The meeting included public comments, action items on funding procedures, general assistance, street acceptance, and contract zones, an administrative update, council announcements, and an executive session.
Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the Sarko City Council meeting for Monday, November 17th, 2025, at 6.30 p.m. Would like to make note of all counselors present this evening, with the exception of Councillor Berman, who has been excused. And with us tonight, we do have Deputy City Administrator Emily Prescott, excuse me. Would you please join me for the Pledge of Allegiance? Moving on to item number four this evening. There is nothing under General. Item number five, committee correspondence to council. Are there any counselor members wishing to speak? Councillor Hewitt. Tickets are available for $25. Guests will receive five raffle tickets and drink ticket and refreshment and more. Tickets will be available to purchase online beginning November 1st. If you're planning on attending and buying tickets in advance, that will help them plan for the food. Tickets will also be available at the door. Thank you. Anyone else? Okay, not seeing anyone seeking recognition. Moving on to item number six, that is public comment this evening. If there are any members of the public wishing to speak, please step forward, state your name and address for the record, and you will have three minutes to address the council. Good evening. My name is Inga Brown. I live at 161 Simpson Road. Good evening. This evening I'd like to just make a couple comments. The action item one reading resolution regarding contract zones. I'd like to simply state that I agree with the letter submitted to counsel from Michael Dalum as well as Kelly Archer. I do believe that there are some edits that need to be perhaps entertained by counsel on this resolution. And I also would like to underscore that this council had asked for public review of individual contract zones and why they have been determined to be in certain categories, and that was something that council had requested. I do believe that public inclusion and review in that process for full sunshine is required. There are too many questions on these contract zones that your constituents that taxpayers are affected by, and I believe that that review should be in full public disclosure. Lastly, I'd like to make some comments this evening about item 10, your executive session. I would like to simply note that at the November 4th planning board meeting, an applicant publicly disclosed that the intercreditor agreement was between the ecology school and the city of Sacco. And I would like to for a moment talk about partnerships. Teamwork, transparency, full disclosure, good negotiation, and not self-serving goals. That's what a partnership means to me. I would ask that in your discussion, you remain clear-eyed and level-headed about what a partnership between the city and an applicant means, what it looks like, and what the citizens of SACO should or should not be asked to carry on their shoulders. This item has been a folly from the start. It has been problematic from the start. Numbers are numbers, facts are facts. And words count. Thank you. Thank you. Sorry, I thought I was good evening. I um you did receive a couple of emails over the weekend, quite lengthy, quite detailed. And I want to reiterate, reemphasize a couple of items. One is on the contract zone, and I I deserve answers to these questions. The citizens deserve answers. Someone please do so. I'm going to repeat in the bulleted items that you received. Unanswered at the workshop meeting was the question of the current status of the contract zoning agreements that had been entered and approved, followed by we have researched the issue and have found no case law.