BELFAST — The Belfast City Council will hold its regularly scheduled public meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. and address an agenda that includes discussion about the Wight Street Reconstruction Project, and criminal forfeiture, among other items of municipal business. 

According to Belfast City Manager Erin Herbig’s report, the Council meeting will include discussion about the Wight Street Reconstruction Project, which would involve infrastructure improvement for the entire length of Wight Street. Improvements would also be made to the adjacent section of Congress Street.

The infrastructure improvements are something the Council has been discussing for the past year and the Council has received funding from three different sources, meaning the project is now possible. 

The total project cost is currently estimated at $2,555,000, which would be covered by the three funding sources. Those sources include $690,000 from the Community Block Public Infrastructure Grant; $972,000 from a Transportation, Housing and Urban Development earmark; and $893,000 from the Wight Street Affordable Housing Tax Increment Financing District. 

“These funding sources ensure that the project is completely covered without the need for any additional tax revenue from the City of Belfast,” the manager’s report states. 

A work session was held June 13, with Olver Associates Engineer Many Olver, to discuss various improvements for Wight Street, including: reconstructing the road base, installing a sidewalk, installing storm drainage, installing curbing, installing pedestrian crossings, installing a bicycle lane, and incorporating traffic calming measures, the report states.

“The primary improvement that is being considered for Congress Street is an extension of the sewer lines,” the report said.

An important aspect of the project is the increased pedestrian activity that will accompany the completion of the project.

The City of Belfast has already seen an uptick in pedestrian activity as a result of previous affordable housing development projects in the City, and the activity is projected to increase as new housing development projects continue into the future.

“The Belfast City Council recognizes the importance of pedestrian activity in the city and intends on doing everything that they can to ensure the accessibility and safety of pedestrians in Belfast,” the report said.

Another agenda item is a discussion with Belfast Police Chief Bobby Cormier regarding forfeiture of assets. According to the report, the item was tabled at the July 5, regularly scheduled Council meeting. Mayor Eric Sanders and Councilor Neal Harkness requested the item be placed on the agenda. 

According to the report, the last time the Council accepted the forfeiture of drug funds the Council “expressed interest in discussing how these funds could be utilized before accepting any additional drug forfeiture money.” The conversation was paused due to the search for a new police chief, a role filled by Cormier in May. 

Criminal forfeiture is defined by Cornell Law School as “an in personam proceeding brought by the criminal prosecution against an offender, resulting in the forfeiture of the offender's property, assets, and proceeds directly or indirectly obtained from the criminal activity.”

The Director of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, Roy McKinney, provided guidance regarding the legal parameters placed on funding from this source.

McKinney reportedly stated that “allowable uses for drug forfeiture money were established under federal guidelines, to supplement but not supplant resources of the receiving state or local law enforcement agency,” the report notes. 

Some of the impermissible uses include: use of the forfeited property by non-law enforcement personnel, the creation of endowments or scholarships, uses contrary to state or local laws, personal or political use of shared assets, and extravagant or wasteful expenditures and entertainment, and transfers to other law enforcement agencies, among others.

Belfast City Council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. Meetings are conducted online using Zoom and can be streamed on the City of Belfast website. They also air live on BEL TV and on Belfast Community Radio at WBFY 100.9. 

Comments can also be submitted by emailing the Council during the meeting. Comments will be presented to the Council.

An oral comment can also be submitted during the meeting via Zoom webinar. Information for this method can be found on the City website.

Information and documents related to this meeting are available on the City’s website. 

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com