Council Examines Annual Objectives
During the year's concluding session, Interim City Manager Cornell Knight presented the City Council's 2025 goals for consideration.
"These goals are effectively the same every year, falling in four or five broad types," Councilor Thomas Klepach, D-Ward 3, said.
The objectives encompass areas such as income disparity, housing challenges, taxation approaches, and public infrastructure development.
Recent Challenges and Shifts
This year's initiatives concentrated on housing analysis and rental regulation conversations.
All municipal work was impacted by reductions in federal support from the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
"These changes created a lot of uncertainty going into budget season," Klepach said.
Simultaneously, Klepach noted that Northern Light Inland Hospital declared its impending closure. This development redirected council attention toward paramedicine and emergency medical services, which are anticipated to stay as key concerns moving forward.
Waterville aims to establish its paramedicine initiative as a blueprint for Maine and other rural regions.
Leadership Instability Concerns
Alongside these interruptions, inconsistency in the city manager position has hindered goal achievement.
Knight has "done a fantastic job," Klepach said, "but we've had six different city managers in the five years I've been on the council, and that makes long‑term planning difficult."
Another significant concern involves restricted capacity. The municipality requires expanded personnel to handle its development.
"The number one goal for next year needs to be setting up the city manager for success," Klepach said. "Everything else is predicated on making sure Nick Cloutier is set up with all the resources he needs to actually get things done."
Looking Ahead
Cloutier finalized an agreement in November to assume the city manager role in Waterville.
Currently serving as Scarborough's town assessor and director of special projects, the 41-year-old is expected to start his new position at Waterville City Hall on January 5.
With increased stability in this leadership role, the objective is enhanced supervision across administrative functions, especially grant applications and revisions.
Previous year's difficulties resulted in financial reductions, but Klepach expressed optimism that examining the budget in the coming year would assist in "switch out of austerity mode into maintenance mode."
The council plans to establish its 2026 goals in early January and formalize them later that month.
