About 50 Damariscotta voters made quick work of the annual town meeting, approving all 44 warrant articles in less than 90 minutes June 13.
The only close votes of the evening came during consideration of requests from non-profit organizations.
The voters approved a $1981 request from Kno-Wal-Lin by just a single vote, 20-19.
“Is there anyone here to speak on behalf of this agency?” Damariscotta resident John Roberts asked prior to the vote.
Roberts said all agencies should dispatch a representative to town meeting to explain the agency’s work “out of respect for the residents of the town.”
The ElderCare Network of Lincoln County asked for $5000, an increase of $3000 or 150 percent more than what they requested and received in 2011.
The organization operates Hodgdon Green in Damariscotta, as well as six village care homes across the county, all with the goal, according to its website, of providing options to residents unable to afford private assisted living.
Neil Genthner moved to amend the amount to $2000.
Damariscotta Health Officer Dr. Tim Goltz defended the original request.
“I have patients who live in Hodgdon Green,” Goltz said. “I think they do an excellent job of providing care for needy members of their community.”
“I know they’re really struggling financially and I would be in favor of keeping them at $5000,” Goltz said.
Dick and Robin Mayer volunteer at Hodgdon Green and both spoke in favor of a compromise between $2000 and $5000.
“They’re always in dire straits,” Robin Mayer said. “They get most of their money for housing through the state programs for the elderly, which have been greatly reduced.”
“They’re trying everything to raise funds independent of having to come to the town,” she said.
Dick Mayer said he helps Hodgdon Green with their computer systems. “I’m amazed at the level of effort and the fact that there’s no waste,” he said. “They’re deserving. They do a wonderful job.”
The voters rejected the amendment and Dick Mayer offered another amendment to change the amount to $3000. His amendment also failed.
Before the vote on the original amount, Roberts asked the voters “to consider that, if they’re interested in being generous to many needy organizations, it might be better for them to donate out of their own pockets than out of the coffers of the town.”
The article passed for the requested amount of $5000.
Requests from Coastal Trans, Midcoast Maine Community Action, New Hope for Women, Pen Bay Outpatient Psychiatry and Skidompha Public Library also met with scattered opposition. Ultimately, however, all requests passed by significant margins.
The only other article to elicit significant dissent was the article to authorize the town to exceed the property tax levy limit of $1.35 million established by state law.
Damariscotta will bill $1.83 million in property taxes for the 2012-2013 fiscal year, according to a town document distributed at the meeting.
The article, which requires a secret ballot, passed 33-12.
In other articles, Lorraine Faherty volunteered for and was elected to a three-year term as a cemetery trustee. Faherty will replace Mary Trescot, who stepped down this year after 15 years on the board.
Dick Mayer and Dick McLean, along with incumbent Karen O’Bryan, were elected to three-year terms on the Damariscotta Budget Committee.
A fireworks ordinance banning the use of fireworks downtown and in an area extending from the Damariscotta River to Castner Brook in the north, School Street in the east and Chase Point Lane in the south, was passed unanimously and without debate.
The voters also passed an amendment to the shellfish conservation ordinance.
The public works budget was the only municipal department budget to generate vocal concern.
Last year, when voters approved an interlocal agreement with Newcastle for joint public works operations, “We were told that we were going to save a lot of money,” Roberts said.
“I see that the budget is going up by $25,000 and I was hoping someone could provide an explanation,” he said.
Damariscotta Town Manager Matt Lutkus said the amount in the budget “is a direct result” of a “fairly aggressive” work plan.
Salaries and other costs remain about the same as last year, Lutkus said.
Superintendent of Roads, Buildings and Grounds Steve Reynolds said he and his crew are “stretching the dollars quite well” in order to complete “a long roadwork program” including culvert replacements and shoulder reconstruction.
The article passed without further debate or apparent opposition.
The citizens approved an increase in the annual stipend for members of the Board of Selectmen, from $1000 to $1500.
During discussion of the article, McLean, a selectman from 1997-2011, raised his hand.
“Any chance of it’s being retroactive?” he asked, drawing laughter from the crowd.
“It doesn’t say that in the article,” meeting moderator Don Means said. “I’m sorry.”
“I strongly recommend this,” Bob Nee, a member of the Damariscotta Budget Committee said. Nee said McLean told him he calculated the time he spent on town business and figured that he earned about $3 per hour.
The selectmen meet “at least 25 times a year while we’re at home having dinner in front of our fireplaces, our TVs, or probably our computers,” Nee said.
The article passed unanimously.
The evening also featured tributes to Selectman Dave Wilbur from Town Manager Matt Lutkus and David Atwater, the chairman of the Board of Selectmen. Wilbur’s term will end June 30, wrapping up his six-year tenure on the board.
Atwater, a baker, talked about Wilbur’s dedication and presented him with a freshly-baked cake.
“When Dave would go on vacation, he’d take his laptop with him so he could Skype into the [selectmen’s] meetings and still be in attendance,” Atwater said, referring to the video conferencing program.
Wilbur spoke about his time on the board during a short selectmen’s meeting prior to the town meeting.
“Like anything in life, it had its ups and downs, but for the most part, it’s been a very enjoyable journey,” Wilbur said. “It’s been a pleasure serving the town and I hope I’ve done it to the best of my ability.”
