Damariscotta residents approve an article during the annual town meeting on Wednesday, June 10 at Skidompha Public Library. (Emily Bracher photo)
Damariscotta residents discussed wants and needs of a municipal budget during the annual town meeting on Wednesday, June 10.
The first 10 articles were voted on at the polls on June 9, leaving the rest for voters to discuss at Skidompha Public Library. After an hour and a half, voters passed every article, with some amendments.
The originally proposed budget was $4,917,854. After the changes, the new total is $4,901,064, an increase of $336,123.95 or 7.3% from last year.
One of the changes is reflected in Article 13, the public safety budget. The select board recommended a budget totaling $544,360, an increase of $10,057 or 1.88%.
Larry Sidelinger, a member of the Damariscotta Budget Committee, made a motion to accept the budget committee’s recommendation of $539,600. When asked about the lower recommendation by the budget committee, chair Richard McLean said the group spent a lot of time discussing wants and needs, trying to keep the budget as low as possible.
Compared to the select board’s recommendation of $11,055 for animal control, the budget committee recommended $9,000. Damariscotta contracts with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office for animal control services.
For the Damariscotta Fire Department, the select board recommended $186,705 and the budget committee recommended $184,000.
Most of the ensuing discussion circled around the fire department’s budget, with McLean said the budget committee did not feel like paying for the organization’s appreciation supper.
Damariscotta Fire Chief John Roberts said last year, the department requested $800 and this year they are requesting $1,000. He said the dinner itself costs around $2,500, the rest of the money coming from fundraising efforts.
“The annual dinner is something that is one of the few things that is a symbol of appreciation for the efforts of the volunteer, we’re 100% volunteer based,” Roberts said.
The other portion of the budget impacted by the budget committee’s recommended cuts are from the training line.
Sandi Day made a motion to amend the article to keep the select board’s recommendation for the fire department’s budget and go with the budget committee’s budget for animal control. Residents approved the amendment and the new total of $542,305.
Even with the lesser figure for animal control, the town will still need to pay the full amount requested by the county. Damariscotta Select Board members are currently figuring out how to assess where the money will now be coming from, Chair Daryl Fraser said in a later conversation.
As it does most every year, Article 15 regarding the $2,500 community service and betterment budget, garnered a fair amount of conversation. The budget committee recommended $0 for this cost center, which provides a donation for the Fourth of July fireworks.
Fraser said the sum generated by the town is only a fraction of the full price for fireworks.
“That goes back with the budget committee discussion to what is a want or a need,” Sidelinger said.
Resident Shari Sage mentioned concerns about the environmental impact of the fireworks and said if the people really want them, they should “reach into their own pockets.” Sage voiced her worries for the water pollution and resident wildlife possibly affected by the sound and light.
Chris Roberts, who is the fireworks committee, said the total cost this year for fireworks is $15,000, a sharp increase from previous costs of $8,000. Most of the money for the fireworks comes from local businesses, he said.
“I really think that Fourth of July is something to celebrate,” Chris Roberts said. “(The money) does help a lot, and it’s hard to get people to donate that type of money and develop the support of the town.”
The article passed 15-14.
Residents in attendance questioned the purpose of the reserve articles.
Article 18 is the fire station reserve, which totals $142,000, an increase of $92,500 or 185%. John Roberts said the money requested is for necessary repairs on the driveway’s asphalt, which he described as “crumbling apart.”
The station also has an original septic system from 1996, which needs updating. Other issues include what John Roberts called “midlife challenges” that need addressing.
“While this is a lot of money, fire stations that are being installed now in the state are going for multimillion dollars, so this is a small investment to keep what we have serviceable instead of letting it deteriorate to the point where we need to replace it,” John Roberts said.
For a lot of the issues, Town Manager Andy Dorr said the department has been utilizing grant funds to cover the costs.
Voters then passed the article.
Article 20, the fire truck reserve, passed in the amount of $150,000, the recommendation of both the budget committee and select board. John Roberts said the current plan is for the funds to go toward the purchase of a fire truck that has already been authorized.
John Roberts said his initial recommendation was $185,000 this year, $190,000 next year, and then $100,000 the following year. Right now, the department has four trucks and the budget can only replace three of them.
With four trucks, if something goes wrong with one, the vehicles can still covers most needs, John Roberts said, adding this would not be the case with only three trucks. Since the number being voted on is less than what he recommended, he said the department will adjust by relying more on mutual aid.
“This is a fundamental difference in how we’re planning on going forward, and it’s to try to be better stewards of the taxpayer dollars,” John Roberts said.
For the Damariscotta Police Department reserve, the $25,000 recommended by the budget committee was approved 17-13. The select board recommended a $35,000 budget for this article.
McLean said the budget committee didn’t believe it was an appropriate amount to spend or set aside for a patrol car. Sidelinger added the budget committee also saw the $70,000 increase in the police department budget and felt it shouldn’t continue to rise.
“We felt we tried to hold the line somewhere, maybe stretch out another six months or a year,” Sidelinger said.
Fraser said the original request from the department was $45,000. When the select board was working on budget deliberations, he said it looked at the numbers with the purchase of a police car, what was in the reserve, and what would be left with a reduction. This is when the board decided to reduce its recommendation to $35,000.
With the purchase of the car and the select board’s recommendation, a little under $10,000 would remain in the reserve. With the budget committee’s recommendation, $0 will remain.
Dorr said the police department is comfortable switching from a truck to a SUV, a recommendation of the budget committee, however, the reserve is used for all of the department’s needs,, including the replacement of body cameras, dashboard cameras, bulletproof vests, and guns. Without money in the reserve, he said it will be hard to be prepared for maintenance emergencies and replacements.
“Leaving that at zero, in some ways it’s a significant risk,” Dorr said.
Residents also approved the budget committee’s recommendation of $28,500 for the highway truck reserve instead of the select board’s recommendation of $33,250.
John Roberts asked the board if they would have a different recommendation since the town purchased a highway department vehicle in May.
“I think the board would revisit the number for recommendation,” Fraser said.
For Article 26, the $200,000 paving, drainage, and maintenance reserve, Dorr said the number is a ballpark of what will be needed for future projects. Paving is a lot of money, Dorr said, so the town is working on finding grants so it can cover more ground.
Article 28 is the $30,000 for the property revaluation reserve. Damariscotta is at a point where the town must do a revaluation by law, Dorr said. The revaluation has been planned for four years and the reserve for it has been accumulating over that period of time.
Dorr said the town has contract to complete the work is $235,000, which is $30,000 less than the second bid it received. The work is scheduled to begin this year and finished in July 2028. Fiscal year 2029 will be the final payment on the contract.
There is currently $165,000 in the property revaluation reserve.
Article 31 passed, which means the town can appropriate excess revenue from the operation of the electrical vehicle chargers to the parking lot and waterfront improvement reserve at the end of this fiscal year.
Questions surrounding the chargers and the revenue collected from them appeared throughout the meeting. Dorr said the town is not losing money from the chargers and they are paying for themselves. January was the first month they were in operation, and he said the town has not seen negative revenue from the chargers.
Select board member Tom Anderson said the chargers might see more users with the summer months.
The budget committee’s recommendation of $125,000 from the undesignated fund balance to be applied to reduce the fiscal year 2027 tax commitment passed. The select board recommended $105,495.
Dorr said the select board’s recommendation is a closer number to maintaining the recommended “three-month level” in fund balance, meaning having three months of operating expenses on hand.
“It was a matter of principle, I think, and how I recommended it,” Dorr said.
Article 41 passed, which asked the town to authorize the select board to enter multiyear contracts that do not exceed 10 years for the lease or purchase of goods and services and the lease of real property or buildings. Sidelinger made a motion for the time to be reduced to five years, but the amendment failed to pass 16-9.
All other articles passed with either little discussion or just clarification questions.
Martha Dodge was nominated for a three-year term as a cemetery trustee. Sidelinger, Connie Magistrelli, Leah Puckey, Susan McAlister, and Jenny Begin were all elected for terms on the budget committee.
Damariscotta residents passed the first 10 articles of this year’s warrant, which included uncontested elections and appropriations for provider agencies, at the polls on June 9.
Damariscotta residents voted 579-121 to validate the RSU 48 education budget.
Bremen, Damariscotta, and Newcastle residents approved the $14,054,124.27 total education budget at an open town meeting on May 13. The budget is an increase of $891,984.27 or 6.78% from last year.
Incumbents Daniel Hunter and Fraser were both reelected to the select board. Hunter received 458 votes and Fraser received 571 votes.
Samuel K. Belknap III was reelected for his third three-year term on the RSU 48 Board of Directors.
John D. Gallagher was elected for his 11th three-year term on Great Salt Bay Sanitary District Board of Trustees.
For more information, call 563-5168 or go to damariscotta.maine.gov.
