Boothbay Harbor Selectmen's Chair Wendy Wolf said the Housing Committee on Sept. 19 designated a subcommittee to examine Boothbay and Boothbay Harbors' comprehensive plans for language relevant to affordable and workforce housing.

Also at the board’s Sept. 24 meeting, Wolf said the group would be speaking to the planning boards on this issue and that these efforts obviously surround a longer term strategy, since the business of changing ordinances is a long one, but the group has found areas each town can examine and possibly change. She said group members have reached out to local businesses to determine what people need, and the group will investigate this in more detail “to have guidance from the people who might live in new units as to what they would prefer to have in this region so that we are building the appropriate things for the desired need.”

The Housing Committee meets every third Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m. in the Cochran Meeting Room at St. Andrews Urgent Care Center.

The board briefly discussed the Sept. 19 CSD meeting which brought the two CSD boards and towns of Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor to the table to talk about potential infrastructure spending. Wolf said she felt it is pertinent to look at the charter between Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor and take seriously the discussion about a vision for the future of the schools. While Selectman Mike Tomko felt the discussion is still in the information gathering stage without a detailed and prioritized list of projects and their costs, Trustee Steve Lorrain reminded the board it will cost $60,000 to hire a consultant to get that information.

Tom Woodin also reminded the board that in the 11 years he has been town manager, the charter has been reviewed at least three times and despite agreeing there is quite a bit of dated language that needs to be changed, the hangup between Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor always ends up being the cost-sharing.

The board held a public hearing about adopting the local general assistance ordinances and yearly appendices. Financial Officer Julia Latter explained, Maine Municipal Association develops an ordinance which determines towns' maximums according to federal poverty level limits.

“Annually they adjust the amounts in which the general assistance administrators for those towns are to use for determining whether or not a client or applicant is eligible … ,” said Latter.

The board accepted the ordinances and appendices unanimously.

The board also unanimously agreed to buy a new 2019 Ford Interceptor from Quirks Auto Group for $28,326; $20,000 had been set aside from last year and this years' budgets each for a total of $40,000. Latter explained the remaining $11,673 will be used to outfit the vehicle as a police cruiser.

Woodin had a slew of announcements in his first board meeting since falling ill. He started with a good news/bad news set of announcements:

The town received a letter from MMA's Executive Director Stephen Gove for winning the supreme award for the town report. “I would remind everyone that all of the photography in the town report was Julia (Latter)'s,” Woodin said as the board congratulated her and the entire town staff for putting the report together and making it an award winner.

The bad news is Boothbay Region Water District Manager Jon Ziegra has notified Boothbay Harbor the municipal water bill will be going up “roughly $163,000,” said Woodin. The change takes effect Jan. 1, which Woodin said will put the town about $80,000 over budget for the first half of the year since the town runs on a fiscal year and the district on a calendar year. Ziegra offered to come before the board to take questions and board members agreed they would like that opportunity at the next select board meeting.

In other announcements, Woodin said Crooker Construction expects to finish paving Lakeview Road, Williams Street, Reed Road, and the pickleball and basketball courts before colder weather sets in. Barney Baker from Baker Design Consultants has notified Woodin that Dan Bannon, who has presented improvements to the footbridge, is moving on and Baker and someone else from the firm will be "picking up the slack" on the project.

The new website design will soon be presented to the board for final tweaking before going live within the next month, Woodin hopes. Woodin warned against speculation that future developments on Atlantic Avenue would pull in significantly more tax dollars. Acknowledging that future projects will likely bring more money into the town, Woodin said it will likely not be by nearly as much as some have speculated.

Latter said the town’s revenue and expenses, year to date, total $4,201,264 and $1,811,256, respectively. The total accounts payable, including the fire truck are $514,074.29 and the bank balance is $4,705,831, she said.

Selectmen meet next at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9 in the town office.