The Waldoboro Board of Selectmen approved the ballot for a Nov. 8 referendum special town meeting and scheduled a public hearing for Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. at the town office on Rt. 1.
The public hearing will provide residents an opportunity to ask town officials questions about the items on the ballot. The ballot has been set and will be printed soon, so items cannot be changed after the public hearing.
At the polls, voters will decide whether to refinance a water department bond, and whether to approve three changes to the town’s land use ordinance.
The bond refinancing – Article 2 on the ballot – will authorize the town to refinance a water department bond next spring. The bond will only be refinanced if interest rates are lower. It is expected to save the town more than $100,000 over the life of the bond.
Approval of Article 2 will not authorize the town to borrow any more money.
Articles 3 through 5 are changes to the land use ordinance.
Article 3 would create an ordinance governing medical marijuana dispensaries. Article 4 would create an ordinance governing methadone clinics. No applications have been filed with the town to create either type of facility. Town officials said the ordinances are a measure to ensure the town is prepared in the event that such an application is filed in the future.
Article 5 amends aspects of the town’s site plan review process to streamline it and remove redundancies, town officials said. This article has been described by several town officials as “housekeeping,” and does not add or remove any requirements of site plan review.
