York Town News
Town to take close look at possible police station site
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK - When the Budget Committee met last week, the discussion turned from whether plans will move forward for a new Town Hall to the continuing search for a site for a public safety complex.
Although "budget season" in town ended with the annual May referendum, the Budget Committee is continuing to meet monthly, as required by the charter, in an effort to more closely examine town and school funding needs and plan for the fiscal year ahead.
When the board met last Thursday, June 21, committee member David Lincoln provided a review of town finances. Lincoln and newly-elected Budget Committee member Charlie Steedman serve as the board's liaisons to the town.
"There's no activity on a new Town Hall, but activity has been diverted to investigation of a new police station, the land for which is under inspection with a possible conclusion within the next month," Lincoln told his fellow committee members.
The Town Hall proposal was defeated at the polls in May, although purchase of a parcel of land in York Village for just such a use won strong voter support one year earlier.
The Board of Selectmen has previously stated they will reexamine the proposal for the Town Hall and look to bringing a new plan to the voters in the future.
When asked about the two capital projects this week, Town Manager Rob Yandow said he spoke with Lincoln about an ongoing effort to determine whether a particular site being reviewed would work for the town's public safety needs.
"We have had preliminary talks with the property owner and now a site visit needs to be conducted," he explained Tuesday morning. "It may well be that the decision will be made within the month. The (Municipal) Building Committee needs some new members and when that happens, along with the police station siting, the committee will get back together to discuss both projects."
In the meantime, the Budget Committee is discussing such issues as policy items from the town that come with budget implications, and the committee's role in having oversight over all town and school funding requests for the annual vote.
Newly-elected member Steve Samborski said the committee needs to look at the issues from a perspective of needs-based versus "wants-based" budgeting.
"One of our most essential roles is to separate those two," he said.
The Budget Committee's regular meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the York Public Library and are aired on York Public Access Channel 3.
