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ROBERT HASCH, Boothbay Harbor Police Chief, explains his reasons why the town needs an additional full-time officer during discussion on the topic at Saturday’s town meeting at Boothbay Region Elementary School.            Staff Photo/Kevin Burnham

 

 

 

 

 

TOWN MEETING INSTRUCTIONS? Boothbay Harbor Fire Chief Glenn Townsend sits in front of an instructional poster in the BRES gym during the town’s annual meeting there on Saturday, May 2.Staff Photo/Kevin Burnham

 

 

 

 

 

 

By SUE MELLO

Staff Reporter

Four hundred fifty-five of Boothbay Harbor’s 2,068 registered voters turned out for last Friday’s municipal election. Robert Splaine was re-elected to his selectmen post with 43 percent of the vote (191 votes). Stephanie Hawke won the CSD School Committee seat with 160 votes (37 percent) and Gary Tilton was elected to the CSD Board of Trustees with 64 percent (270) of the votes cast. On the Harbor Communications Center question, voters chose to close the local dispatch center, by a margin of 57 to 43 percent. In the uncontested water and sewer district trustee races, Ken Marston and James Stormont were returned to their trustee posts.

At Saturday’s town meeting, less than one hundred voters approved a $4,103,906 municipal budget and 17 of the 21 proposed ordinance changes in a meeting that ran just under four hours. The approved budget is $18,698 less than last year’s budget. Of the 60 budget articles considered on Saturday, there were only seven where selectmen and budget committee recommendations differed.

The most controversial budget question of the day was the police department budget. The selectmen recommended that the department’s proposed budget be reduced by $40,000; the budget committee endorsed the town manager’s budget of $717,211. Debate on the issue ensued for over 45 minutes with eight people speaking in favor of the budget committee’s recommendation, four people speaking in favor of the selectmen’s recommendation, and both Chief Robert Hasch and Town Manager Tom Woodin providing additional explanation. Those in favor of cutting the police budget spoke of rising police costs, a larger local police force versus other communities, and a desire to rely more on county police services. Those in favor of the budget committee recommendation spoke of high local crime incidence, an understaffed police department and overuse of overtime. Ultimately, the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of the budget committee’s recommendation.

Other areas of debate included foam for fighting fires (voters approved expenditure), $5,200 for part-time counter support for the town office (voters approved expenditure), the Cemetery District budget request (voters approved full budget request), and $1,000 to upgrade the emergency management command center (voters approved expenditure).

On multiple occasions, individuals asked the board of selectmen whether the budget expenditures approved at town meeting would be honored. Sarah Sample first raised the issue during the firefighting foam debate. At that point, selectmen Bruce Engert responded, "If it’s the will of the people, then yes, we will." Later, when the police department budget was discussed, Daren Graves asked, "Are we going to get the seventh police officer (included in the budget)?" Ross Maddocks then asked what guarantee the voters had that the approved budget would be spent as proposed. Engert then replied, "Respectfully, you have no guarantee. What you are voting on is a budget, a dollar amount … I’m sure the board of selectmen will take your concerns under consideration when, and if, that issue arises."

Relative to proposed ordinance changes, voters rejected adoption of the International Property Maintenance code and an ordinance to establish maximum lot coverage as too restrictive and overreaching. Voters also rejected an ordinance that would prohibit plowing snow onto a public way and one that would further clarify transfer of building permits to family members only. Ordinances approved included an exemption for certain organizations from peddling and soliciting prohibitions, establishment of harbor channels and anchorage areas, a prohibition on commercial shellfish license holders from obtaining recreational licenses and clarifications of several building code ordinances.