In Damariscotta’s annual meeting, which will occur in two parts on two separate days, voters will consider the town’s $4.5 million municipal budget and the purchase of a ladder truck for the Damariscotta Fire Department.
After electing municipal officers and considering a handful of funding articles at the polls on Tuesday, June 10, voters will gather in Porter Hall at Skidompha Public Library on Wednesday, June 11 to discuss articles 14-52 of the annual town meeting warrant.
Many of the articles make up the town’s municipal budget, which is proposed at $4,559,057.05, an increase of $499,538.14 or 12.31% from last year.
Estimated revenue to reduce the tax commitment is proposed at $747,130, an increase of $15,030 or 2.38%. Funding to be taken from the town’s undesignated fund balance to help reduce the tax commitment is proposed at $150,000, the same as last year.
Additionally, town officials are looking for approval to appropriate $24,500 or any amount received from the Maine Department of Transportation’s Local Road Assistance Program to reduce the tax commitment. The program was established to provide financial assistance to communities for use in improving and maintaining roads, according to mainelegislature.org.
After accounting for revenues, taxpayers will be responsible for raising $3,637,427.05, up $484,508.14 or 15.37% from last year.
Damariscotta will contribute $2,791,260 in required local funds and $2,030,391.05 in additional local funds for a total of $4,821,751.05, an increase of $536.521.80 or 11.42%.
Town Manager Andy Dorr said some notable increases in the municipal budget are in the town’s winter maintenance contracts and the Great Salt Bay Sanitary District’s water rate. Additionally, there is a 9% increase in employee health insurance across the total budget.
The town’s winter maintenance contracts are included in the public works budget, which is proposed at $882,070, up $102,292 or 13.12% from last year.
According to Dorr, the town’s downtown plowing contract payment is up $32,300 or 20.81% from last year, and the payment for the highway plowing contract is up $68,090 or 31.76%. For the 2026 fiscal year, the total payment made by voters will be $475,000.
In 2022, the Damariscotta Select Board approved two contracts with Hagar Enterprises Inc. that were set to expire in 2026. However, the town and Hagar Enterprises Inc. mutually ended the agreement in March 2024.
The town signed a three-year agreement with McClintick Foundations Inc, of Nobleboro, in September 2024. The agreement will expire in May 2027.
A recent increase in the Great Salt Bay Sanitary District’s water rate is raising the town’s hydrant fees budget by $69,897 or 44.49%, totaling $227,000.
Hydrant fees are included in the public safety budget, which is proposed at $534,305, an increase of $98,639.99 or 22.64%.
Additionally, the town’s contract with Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service is set to increase by $7,252.99 or 7.32%, totaling $106,280.
The public safety budget also includes the Damariscotta Fire Department’s operational budget, which is proposed at $181,695, an increase of $20,460 or 12.69%.
The department is now budgeting for three sets of turnout gear, or protective clothing, per year rather than two sets, increasing its clothing and uniform budget to $12,600, up $6,600 or 110%.
Station modifications to create additional space to assist with cleanliness and cancer mitigation procedures are included in the supplies and maintenance portion of the fire department’s budget, which totals $8,250, up $5,000 or 153.85%.
Elsewhere in the municipal budget, the general government cost center is proposed at $1,186,955, up $73,659.10 or 6.62% from last year.
Aside from employee health insurance, the increase can be attributed to the addition of a seasonal intern to the town office staff, a contracted increase for the town manager’s retirement, and an increase in tax collector salary to align closer with the statewide average.
Additionally, the budget for solid waste is up $11,675 or 6.53% due to the town’s contract with the Nobleboro-Jefferson Transfer Station.
The transfer station board approved a budget of $635,361, a decrease of $45,071 or 6.62% from last year, during a meeting in January. Damariscotta’s contribution to the transfer station’s budget totals $182,213.66, up $7,804.63 or 4.28% from last year.
The Damariscotta Police Department’s budget is $907,000, an increase of $83,860 or 10.19%.
Health insurance for police department employees is budgeted at $157,305, an increase of $40,725 or 34.93%.
The police department’s budget for mileage reimbursement is up $2,600 or 650% from last year, totaling $3,000. This is due to a newly hired full-time officer in the department, who will be traveling to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro for 18 weeks, according to Dorr. Additionally, town officials expect a second officer will be attending the academy in the 2026 fiscal year.
Other increases include anticipated personnel changes for two patrolmen, vehicle maintenance, and computer software.
While the police department’s total budget is up from last year, the seasonal parking enforcement position was cut, which was budgeted last year at $14,385.
The capital reserve budget is $751,000, an increase of $121,000 or 19.21% from last year. The largest allocations requested are to the town’s paving reserve and fire truck reserve, which are both proposed at $150,000.
According to Dorr, there is an estimated $8.9 million worth of road improvements to complete in the town in the next 10 years. Paving costs run about $150,000 per mile, he said. However, additional costs for drainage work raise the cost per mile to nearly $200,000.
The fire truck reserve will support the purchase of a replacement ladder truck, if voters authorize the purchase later on in the June 11 meeting.
If approved, the town will purchase a ladder truck not to exceed $1.9 million and will authorize Treasurer Cheryl Pinkham and Dorr to take out a bond not to exceed $1.3 million to help pay for the purchase, with interest rates and payment dates to be determined.
The town’s current ladder truck has been in operation since 2005, according to Damariscotta Fire Chief John Roberts. The department hoped to operate the truck for 30 years before replacing it, he said. However, with rising manufacturing costs the department had to rethink its plan, opting to put the decision in front of voters as soon as possible.
The fire truck capital reserve account balance is estimated to total about $508,425 at the end of the 2025 fiscal year, according to documents provided by the town.
Also in the capital reserve budget is the highway facilities reserve, which is proposed at $100,000, up $50,000 or 100% from last year. This increase accounts for the future replacement of the town’s salt and sand shed, which is located on Heater Road.
The budget for debt service is expected to remain the same as last year, totaling $201,975.
The only cost center the Damariscotta Select Board and Damariscotta Budget Committee did not agree on is the community service and betterment budget.
The select board’s proposal is $95,752.05, an increase of $20,087.05 or 26.55%, and the budget committee’s proposal is $93,252.05, an increase of $17,587.05 or 23.24%.
The recommended budgets reflect a difference of $2,500. The recommendation by the select board includes a contribution to support the Fourth of July fireworks and annual maintenance at Riverside Park.
The majority of the community service and betterment budget makes up articles four through 13 of the annual town meeting warrant, which will appear on the ballot on June 10, as funds to support provider agencies come from the town’s general fund.
The proposed allocation to provider agencies is $93,252.05, an increase of $20,587.05 or 28.33%.
The remaining portion of the community service and betterment budget will be considered during the open portion of the annual town meeting on June 11, as it will be raised by taxpayers if approved.
The referendum voting portion of the annual town meeting on June 10 will also have voters deciding the outcome of two contested races for municipal officers.
Incumbent Andrea Keushguerian and residents Darryl Day and Stephen Wicks will compete for two three-year terms on the Damariscotta Select Board. The board’s other incumbent, Josh Pinkham, is not seeking reelection. (See related article in this edition.)
Jessica Hoppe is challenging incumbent Amy Guptill for a three-year term as a Damariscotta representative on the Great Salt Bay School Committee. (See related article in this edition.)
Due to the Maine Department of Education’s approval of the formation of RSU 48 in November 2024, the school committee will be known as the RSU 48 Board of Directors beginning on Tuesday, July 1. At the polls on June 10, voters will consider adopting amendments to the town’s charter to reflect the formation of RSU 48.
The only uncontested race on the ballot, Alan Wells is seeking election to a three-year term on the Great Salt Bay Sanitary District Board of Trustees. Lewis Cameron is not seeking reelection for the seat.
Voters will also validate RSU 48’s inaugural budget at the polls June 10. (See related article in this edition.)
Bremen, Damariscotta, and Newcastle voters approved a budget of $13,162,140. The budget reflects an increase of $698,694.95 or 5.61% from the total amount the three towns paid toward education for the 2025 fiscal year.
Damariscotta will contribute $2,791,260 in required local funds and $2,030,391.05 in additional local funds for a total of $4,821,751.05, an increase of $536.521.80 or 11.42%.
Aside from RSU 48’s budget, voters will be asked if they would like to continue the budget validation referendum voting process for the next three years. If approved, voters from Bremen, Damariscotta, and Newcastle will continue to gather for a district budget meeting, where they will approve a proposed budget. Then, voters will validate the budget on a ballot in a referendum.
Voters can cast their ballots on Tuesday, June 10 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Damariscotta town office, at 21 School St.
The open portion of the town’s annual town meeting is at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11 in Porter Hall at the Skidompha Public Library, at 184 Main St.
