Boothbay overwhelming approved all 35 articles May 3 on the town meeting referendum ballot. Voters approved  $2,232,190 in municipal spending which represents a 1.88% increase. Three hundred eighty-five voters participated in the annual election held at the Boothbay municipal building. Boothbay officials were able to limit municipal spending due to savings and coronavirus-related budgeting. “The change to LED (light emitting diode) street lights is saving about $26,000, and we are able to achieve smaller savings in several other accounts,” Town Manager Dan Bryer said in the April 29 Boothbay Register.

Residents approved municipal spending in the following accounts: General Government, $568,530; Public Safety, $510,787; Public Works, $798,975; Capital Improvement, $140,000; General Assistance, $8,000; Service Account, $153,697; and Insurance Account, $52,200. Voters also approved funding for the following non-profit agencies: Boothbay Region Cemetery District, $15,000; Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library, $65,000; Boothbay Harbor Fireworks Fund, $10,000; Boothbay Region Refuse Disposal District, $515,524; Boothbay Region Ambulance Service, $343,255; Boothbay Region Community TV, $30,000; Charles Sherman American Legion Post No. 36, $500; New Hope for Women, $960; Boothbay Region Community Resources, $7,500; The Community Center, $7,000; Boothbay Region Seniors Citizens Club, Inc., $1,000; Boothbay Region Health Center, $7,000; Boothbay Region Historical Society, $2,000; Harbor Theatre, $1,050; Spectrum Generations, $665; Lifeflight of Maine, $780; and Lincoln Dental, $3,000. 

Voters authorized appropriating $53,000 from the Commercial Development Omnibus Municipal Tax Increment Financing District and Development Program No. 3 for landscaping and street light repair within the TIF.  Voters authorized  raising and appropriating $50,000 for engineering and design costs for municipal water and sewer lines to Hardwick Road. Bryer explained this project was initiated several years ago, and selectmen want an updated version of the project’s potential costs. Boothbay accepted Boothbay Harbor Country Club’s gift of public restrooms near the Boothbay Common.

In the municipal elections, Selectman Dale Harmon received the most votes in a five-way race for two seats with three-year terms. Harmon garnered 244 votes. Selectman Steve Lewis also earned reelection with 229 votes. Teresa Bryer received 89 votes; Erik Ward, 88; and Lester Spear, 78. Other municipal candidates ran unopposed for three-year terms. Community School District Trustee Troy Lewis received 313 votes; Superintending School District School Committee member John Bertolet, 315; Boothbay/Boothbay Harbor Cemetery District Trustee Kim Pinkham, 327; and Boothbay Region Water District Trustee Nell Tharpe, 330.