Visiting Freeport Doing Business in Freeport Directions Maps Wolfe's Neck State Park Winslow Park and Campground Bustin's Island Local Organizations Churches Moving to Freeport Library Newspapers Weather Citizen of the Year Town Charter Town Reports Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Ordinances & Codes TIF Planning Sessions Files & Forms Community News Municipal News Meetings & Minutes ADA Employment/Forms Directory of Officials / Boards Town Council Board & Committee Documents Paper Streets / Discontinuance Schools in Freeport Departments Index Hours & Contact Information Administration / Manager Assessor Codes Enforcement Emergency Preparedness Employment Engineering Finance Department Fire / Rescue Freeport Community Television Freeport Public Schools General Assistance Harbormaster Library Planning Police Department Public Works Recycling/Landfill Facility Regional School Unit #5 Shellfish Conservation Town Clerk Town Council Boat Re-Registration Vehicle/Trailer Re-registration Snowmobile Re-registration Dog Licenses Hunting & Fishing Licenses Online Burn Permits Town Events Mailing List Town Events RSS Feed Home Documents/Budget Municipal News News Detail Back to Municipal News February 3, 2010 Freeport Town Council Goals 2010 Budget and Spending  Control taxes and limit spending growth. Closely examine all spending requests recognizing a municipal tax increase would pose a significant hardship on many Freeport residents in the current economic environment. Actively consider service consolidation wherever possible.  Establish two‐way communication with officials of RSU 5 for regular information flow throughout the budget development process. Actively encourage public participation in both the municipal and RSU budget processes. Tax Increment Financing  Adopt clear guidelines and criteria for the use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) in Freeport through cooperation with the Freeport Economic Development Corporation (FEDC).  Promote public understanding of TIFs. Encourage broad participation in TIF discussions by residents, businesses, service organizations, non‐profits, and other interested groups with a goal of achieving the most creative use of TIFs for the broadest community benefit. Communications  Continue improving internal and external communications. Recognize the importance of the local access channel in disseminating Town Council proceedings as well as those of other municipal boards. Recognize high‐quality presentation and output will encourage greater viewership and improve information flow.  Pursue implementation of new information distribution/interactive technologies, including but not limited to on‐demand video streaming, thus creating more opportunities for interaction and communication with the public. Planning, Business Interaction, Vision  Work with the Planning Board and town staff to update the Comprehensive Plan. As part of this effort, create a clear vision of future business and residential development. Points of key focus include expansion of the commercial tax base, more mixed use housing opportunities, and infrastructure planning.  Promote full functionality of the Greater Freeport Chamber of Commerce. Work cooperatively with other business entities including the Freeport Merchants Association (FMA) and FEDC to promote marketing and other essential business services.          ...................