The Cape Elizabeth Town Council voted unanimously in approval of a new set of town council goals for 2023 in a meeting on Feb. 13. The vote followed workshops on the subject on Jan. 3. and Feb. 6.
There are five main categories for the goals: infrastructure, information governance, fiscal responsibility and economic opportunity, healthy and diverse community, and natural and cultural resources.
The council intends to maintain existing infrastructure while also developing and improving infrastructure for the future. This goal includes working with Scarborough on a Sawyer Road culvert, progressing on reuse of Spurwink School, creating a climate action plan for the town, and completing the solar project at the recycling facility.
For information governance, the council plans to create an ad hoc committee on information privacy and security, have efficient communication technology in place, and make sure the public has access to engage with municipal affairs.
There is also a goal to “maintain fiscal responsibility, balancing town priorities with economic realities,” according to the town’s website. This goal includes using state and federal resources, creating revenue sources, making decisions that are informed of the impact on Cape Elizabeth’s tax base and taxpayers, working with other communities, and more. The council also has a stated goal of helping support local businesses.
For a healthy and diverse community, the council wishes to continue working on affordable housing with the housing diversity committee, create opportunities for all residents through community services, discuss the development of a gathering location for gathering, creating a pesticide ordinance, and to continue working meeting the needs of town residents, including emotional and social ones. The council also wishes to create a goal for answering insecurity in food and housing.
The Cape Elizabeth Town Council also set goals to maintain and protect the town’s natural resources and to work to improving and repairing Kettle Cove. The council also intends to charge the recycling committee with creating a “Don’t Trash Cape” campaign to reduce littering.
The council plans to work with the concept of Cape Elizabeth’s comprehensive plan and One-Town concept.
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