AUGUSTA — Creating more safe housing at all levels remains a clear goal for the coming year for city councilors, including potentially working with partners to expand emergency shelter options for unhoused people, for up to 24 hours a day.

But they also want to prioritize beefing up the city’s economic development and code enforcement staff to meet growing demands; completing some planning, including for what to do when the city’s landfill fills up; and studying the need to make major repairs to the Augusta Civic Center or, alternatively, consider getting rid of it.

City councilors gathered Saturday for their annual goal-setting session and listed off more than 30 goals they, individually, had for the coming year. But by the end of the session, councilors were able to reach consensus on several shared goals.

They include analyzing the need for major repairs at the city-owned Augusta Civic Center, which is celebrating its 50th year in 2023. Or, even considering shedding, or at least sharing, ownership of the property with an auditorium and several conference rooms that hosts events year round.

Ward 3 Councilor Michael Michaud, referring to a report on the building’s needs from city staff, said as the facility ages it will need major repairs including a new roof and new flooring, and suggested the city consider whether it should continue to be the sole owner, or consider whether it should, or could, be replaced with a new building.

“Does the city really have the resources, or would the citizens have the will, to put $50 (million) or $100 million into replacing this building?” he said. “There are things that need to be done today and we shouldn’t put those on the back burner again. But I think we should also explore alternatives. Whether it’s a new owner or a major rehabilitation of this building, or a new building.”

Other councilors suggested perhaps the county would consider some form of joint ownership, so the city would retain some control of the building while sharing expenses.

Like at last year’s annual goal-setting session, the lack of housing remains a concern for city officials, and several goals discussed Saturday would seek to help address the housing shortage.

That included seeking to, with partner organizations, expand services offered to unhoused people beyond the creation of the Augusta Overnight Emergency Warming Center which opened last year at South Parish Congregational Church.

At-Large Councilor Courtney Gary-Allen said the city and community should be proud to have risen to the occasion to open the shelter, which is scheduled to be open for the cold winter months, and which she said is full to capacity most nights. The center is currently open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. She said she’d like to see, by next winter, a facility in Augusta that could house homeless people 24 hours a day, and provide services to help them, while there, address issues that could prevent them from finding stable, safe, longer term housing. She said the city, as it did with the overnight emergency shelter operated by South Parish Congregational Church, should continue to partner with other entities, not fund such a facility with only city funds.

The city contributed $124,000 from its share of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to help pay for the overnight center’s creation and operations this winter.

City Manager Susan Robertson said while the goal is for the center to secure enough funding from other sources so that it will not need direct city funding, it’s unrealistic to expect the center to be able to do that already. She plans to recommend using some additional city ARPA funds to help run the center over the next one or two years.

Councilors, with improving the housing offerings in the city in mind, also want to require rental properties to be registered and inspected. They would like to add staff to the city’s code enforcement office to help oversee that and other housing-related initiatives, and help expand opportunities for housing development.

Ward 1 Councilor Linda Conti, whose term expires this year and who was first elected in 2014, said having safe, affordable, attractive neighborhoods for people to live in has been a goal of hers since before she was even on the council. To do that will require more workers in the codes office where, she said, “they have too much work and not enough people.”

All councilors agreed a goal set by Mayor Mark O’Brien, to complete the long-delayed finalization and adoption of a new comprehensive plan, should be a top priority, as should completing underway studies of the city’s facilities and recreational offerings.

Several councilors also wanted the city to have a goal of stabilizing the tax rate, and seeking to expand the tax base by, again, adding housing, but also encouraging business development.

Councilors also agreed supporting education should be an ongoing goal.

Robertson and local consultant Frank O’Hara, who ran Saturday’s goal-setting session, plan to meet to review the goals discussed by councilors, work to consolidate and prioritize them, then bring them back to councilors for review and approval.

“When we have a group with input, it’s going to reflect some compromises, but usually the product is a good one,” O’Brien said of the annual goal-setting process. “I think we’ve set ourselves up for a successful year.”

 

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