South Bristol’s voters passed every article on the warrant during the annual town meeting the evening of Tuesday, March 11.
Among the 46 articles passed were the education and municipal budgets, along with updates to the
harbor ordinance, which hadn’t seen any changes since its inception in 1989.
The bulk of the discussion of the night came during the vote for article 30, the beginning of the education budget, when residents such as Don Carrigan asked for
explanations of the education budget increases.
“I’m a graduate of this school, so I’m a big supporter of it,” Carrigan said. “Before we start the vote can there be an explanation of what’s going on?”
South Bristol School Committee Chair Sara Mitchell and South Bristol School Principal Laurie Stiles explained the budget increases were largely due to factors outside of the school’s control, such as rising secondary education tuition for South Bristol high school students and increased costs for the school’s share of the AOS 93 central office budget.
On Jan. 22 in a public meeting in the Nobleboro Central School gymnasium, AOS 93 voters within voted to accept the 2025-2025 AOS 93 central office budget with an altered cost-sharing formula.
The altered cost-sharing formula, and increased town responsibility, is the effect of the withdrawal of the towns that make up Great Salt Bay Consolidated School District – Bremen, Damariscotta, and Newcastle – from AOS 93. The consolidated school district will reform as RSU 48 on July 1.
The responsibility of each town’s share of the AOS 93 budget manifests
in budget line items throughout the education budget.
Overall, South Bristol’s responsibility of the AOS 93 central office budget $209,587.37, an increase of $134,309.35 or 178.42%.
Amy Rice asked to table the vote for the education budget until the town or the school had received an audit.
“I went looking for an audit, where is it?” Rice said. “I move that we table any discussion of the school budget until we have an audit.”
Mitchell said the school was still waiting for multiple audits from the town and school’s auditor, William Brewer.
The issue of being behind schedule on receiving audits is not exclusive to South Bristol. Nationwide there is a shortage of auditors, Mitchell said.
“We’ve provided everything they need to perform an audit,” Mitchell said. “We’re at their mercy.”
Rice withdrew her motion to table the vote until the audit came in and a new motion to reword the language of the article to include the passing of the budget contingent on receiving the audit, failed. Article 30 ultimately passed as written.
The written ballot vote for article 42, asking whether the town should raise and appropriate additional local funds for the education budget, passed 73-13.
The approved harbor ordinance includes the prohibition of houseboats from mooring or anchoring in South Bristol waters unless in a marina with specific provisions, including a connection to a public water supply; connection to a public sewage system; a year round supply of electricity; and a permanent float, dock, or slip from which the houseboat may be directly boarded from land.
The issue of houseboats had come up periodically for South Bristol select board members as residents have brought concerns pertaining to the aquatic living quarters over the last two years. While no houseboats have taken permanent residents in town waters, the select board sought to address the issue while updating the ordinance, according to South Bristol Select Board member Adam Rice.
The ordinance also calls for the prohibition of floating residential structures, which is defined as “intended for human habitation and docked or moored in one location and cannot be used as a means of transportation on water.”
The definitions section of the document has increased from five in the 1989 ordinance to 29 in the proposed draft.
Other changes in the ordinance include indentifying town landings; the prohibition of gifting, renting, or subletting of a mooring space; and fines for those in violation of town landing use regulations.
During the meeting, voters elected Matt Poole to serve a five-year term on the town’s budget committee.
According to South Bristol Town
Clerk Jill Barbera, 113 residents were in attendance for the town meeting.
Barbera said 59 people voted in the municipal elections at the town office the day prior, with Bruce Farrin Jr. winning an uncontested
reelection to the select board for another three-year term, receiving 58 votes.
Casandra “Sandy” MacPhee won her uncontested reelection to the school committee for another three-year term, receiving 56 votes.
