At the town meeting polls on June 14, Waldoboro voters rejected multiple department budgets, the budget for upkeep of the AD Gray building and the article establishing employee benefits.
The selectmen will hold a special meeting on June 21 at 6 p.m. at the town office to discuss the rejected budgets.
These departments have not, at this time, been cut from the budget. The town will need to go back to voters with new budgets for those departments. The selectmen have the authority to decide whether to hold the new vote by referendum or open town meeting.
Voters approved the article allowing the town to use last year’s budget for three months. This allows for town officials to rework those budget items and return to a referendum vote with the new budgets.
Voters approved articles amending the shellfish ordinance and creating a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) ordinance, which allows residents to participate in a low-interest loan program for energy efficient home improvements.
The articles voted down include: the office of the town manager, the assessing department, the police department, the recreation department, planning and development, upkeep of the AD Gray building, employee benefits and an article allowing the town to exceed the state property tax limit.
The last of these articles is common in most smaller towns in Lincoln County, where town officials say it is nearly impossible to build a municipal budget that meets state requirements. In Waldoboro, this article has not been needed for several years; it has been used occasionally since the state law was created six years ago, said Interim Town Manager Eileen Dondlinger.
“Everyone’s working to figure out what comes next,” Dondlinger said. Despite rumors to the contrary, no town officials or employees have quit or been fired following the town meeting vote, Dondlinger said.
Katie Winchenbach, a founding member of the Concerned Citizens of Waldoboro (C-COW), sent an email to supporters and fellow C-COW members following the announcement of the town meeting results.
“They didn’t listen the first time, maybe they will listen this time?” Winchenbach wrote. “This is just what this town needs … let’s show them we mean business.”
