During a board of trustees meeting Feb. 11, Boothbay Region Water District (BRWD) reversed its decision to remove the district’s debt limit from its charter.  

As previously reported in the Register, the removal would have allowed any future increases to the debt limit to become an internal board decision rather than an issue brought to voters.  

“I think at this point it's just not worth the time and effort with the lawyers, or ourselves,” said General Manager Weston Alley. 

The board will instead work on officially changing the charter’s debt limit from $12 to $19 million, which voters from Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor and Southport approved in 2023. According to BRWD Accountant/Administrative Manager Marcia Wilson, the district’s current debt is $9.8 million, so the new limit should leave room for the future. 

In other business, USDA is giving out $25 million in grants and loans to areas affected by the January 2024 storms. Alley plans to gather information on the damaged mains (most of which were on Spruce Point) so that he can apply. If funds were awarded, the district would likely pursue burying the seasonal surface water mains to protect them from future damages.