Calais City Council
Jayna Smith
On Thursday, June 12, 2025, the Calais City Council met for its regular meeting, with Mayor Marcia Rogers presiding over Councilors Elery Beale, Pete Foster, Bill Quinn, and James Macdonald. Councilor Mike Sherrard was absent from the meeting.
What follows is a brief summary of the meeting, with the full meeting available for viewing on the City of Calais’s Facebook page.
All items on the consent agenda were approved at the start of the meeting before City Manager Mike Ellis delivered his report, which included a proposal to the council to shift to a summer schedule of one meeting per month. Meetings will be held on July 17 and August 14.
Ellis also extended his thanks to City Assessor Andrea Walton for her recent public presentation explaining the upcoming citywide property revaluation.
During committee reports, Councilor Beale shared that the Public Safety Committee met prior to the full council meeting. The committee is reviewing updates to the city’s traffic control ordinance and will work to revise the two-hour parking signage downtown. Suggested changes will be presented at a future meeting.
Councilor Macdonald reported that the School Liaison Committee met earlier in the week to discuss the upcoming school year budget. Superintendent Mary Ann Spearing is scheduled to present the proposed budget to the council during a budget workshop on June 17.
The council briefly addressed the vacant council seat, which will remain unfilled until the municipal election in November.
In new business, councilors unanimously supported nominating Finance Director Crystal Gallina to represent the city at the caucus to fill a seat on the County Budget Committee.
Also receiving full council support was the purchase of a new parks and recreation department truck for $40,383 from Pratt and approval for Assessor Andrea Walton to apply for a scholarship to attend the International Association of Assessing Officers annual conference in September.
Economic Development Director Denise Barker and City Manager Ellis were granted permission to apply for a Maine Trail Program grant to support improvements to the waterfront walkway.
Lastly, Walton, also serving as the city’s Code Enforcement Officer, received approval to begin dangerous building proceedings for three properties: 489 South Street, 82 South Street, and 3 Garfield Street.
The next regular Calais City Council meeting is slated for Thursday, June 26, 2025, beginning at 6 p.m. These meetings are held in the council chambers at the city building and are open to the public. They are also live-streamed on Zoom and the city’s Facebook page.
