ROCKPORT — Linda Greenlaw, Rockport Town Clerk, has certified the signatures of 75 town residents who submitted a petition to the town office, stating that before entering into any sharing or combining municipal departments with other municipalities, voters of Rockport must first be asked for their approval. 

The petition appeals to the Select Board and Town Manager Rick Bates to move to town vote an proposal that combines Rockport any departments — police, fire, highway, etc. — with other municipalities.

Currently, Rockport and Camden are sharing their police chief, while maintaining separate departments. Likewise, Rockport’s assessor is working in both Camden and Rockport, but the two departments are distinct entities within their own towns.

Before entering agreements with other towns to combine or share municipal departments, the residents whose signatures are on the petition are asking that the Select Board hold at least four public hearings and adequately notify the public in the paper of local circulation at least twice within 14 days.

The petition was delivered to the town by Rockport resident Maynard Tolman, first via email to the Select Board, Town Clerk Greenlaw and Town Manager Bates on Feb. 28. The hard copy document was delivered to the town office March 1.

Tolman said the petition originated several months ago when Rockport renewed its agreement with Camden to share Police Chief Randy Gagne between the two towns.

The petition specifies that before Rockport entertains entering any agreement including interlocal agreement for sharing services, such as the combining of municipal departments, the Select Board must first present those agreements to the voters at annual town meeting, which takes place in June.

And, the petitioners have requested that Rockport’s Select Board must report to the citizens with 30 days of the status of any proposal to combine the town departments to place a full one-page advertisement in a local newspaper setting forth the town’s full report.

And finally, the petition concludes that the language of the petition, the “agreement,” does not affect the mutual aid agreement between Rockport and other municipalities.

Currently, those mutual aid agreements are established between Rockport and Camden, and Rockland, for fire emergencies and with Camden for police coverage.

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657