CAMDEN — The Camden Opera House was nearly filled Wednesday night, June 15, for the annual Camden Town Meeting, and although there was some back and forth about the budget, Article 11, voters ultimately passed all the amounts recommended by the Select Board.

And after approving the individual expense lines for General Government; Public Safety; Highways, Streets and Bridges; Health and Welfare; Leisure Service; Cemeteries; and Debt/Capital/Contingency, Camden voters approved a total budget of $7,404,141.

Following seven meetings of budget figure reviews and discussions, the Camden Budget Committee's recommendation was a budget of $7,364,591.

Town Manager Pat Finnigan told the audience that the $39,550 difference between the Budget Committee's recommended total budget and the Select Board's was predominantly due a difference in opinion about across-the-board town employee pay raises, often referred to as a Cost of Living Allowance.

When she presented her budget earlier this spring, Finnigan had included a 2 percent raise for town employees. After discussing the issue at their meetings, the Budget Committee ultimately voted to recommend a zero percent increase, and the Select Board came out recommending that Finnigan's request remain in the budget.

Finnigan also said that an update to the technology budget in the General Government line was responsible for about $6,900 of the total difference.

During discussion of some the individual lines, ahead of the final vote, Finnigan was asked if Snow Bowl staff were included in the Leisure Services budget, which is also comprised of Parks and Recreation staff.

She said that while there are full-time staff on the Parks and Rec crew, their salaries are divided in half, with six months charged to the Snow Bowl budget and six months charged to the Parks and Rec budget.

Sharon Gilbert, a former member of of the Parks and Recreation Committee, said that for many years the committee thought it was "very unfair" for the Snow Bowl staff expense to be split evenly over the year.

"We got it changed to five months [to Snow Bowl] and seven months [to Parks and Rec], so when did that change to six and six?" said Gilbert.

Finnigan said, "Three years ago."

Next up was Article 12, which was to see if the town would increase the property tax levy limit established by state law to cover the municipal budget just approved. Finnigan said that since the budget total fell below the state mandated tax cap, a vote on the article was unnecessary as the question did not apply.

Article 13 had to with capital projects, which included $150,000 for Harden Avenue drainage; $100,000 for sewer line replacement; $105,000 for inner harbor floats; $75,000 for the town clock/steeple replacement; and $70,000 for air compressor equipment.

The total for Article 13 was $500,000. An initial motion was made to vote on the items individually, but it failed by majority vote. Another motion, to amend and remove the $75,000 town clock/steeple replacement line also failed.

That amendment came after residents stood up and spoke for and against supporting funding for the town clock that has resided in the steeple of Chestnut Street Baptist Church since 1868.

Jeff Dodge was the first to speak on the issue, and when he was told that the town owned the clock and church owned the steeple, he said, "I don't think the town should pay for the church steeple. If you do it for one church, you may have to do it for others."

Meg Barclay spoke on behalf of the Historic Resources Commission and said that the Commission had advised the Select Board to support paying to maintain the steeple.

"Back in the Civil War, there was a public-private partnership between the town and the church to house the clock, as opposed to in another building," said Barclay. "We are being asked to chip in about 15% of the half-million cost, and the rest of the work is being paid by the church. The clock has been the official town clock since Ulysses S. Grant was president, and imagine if the town office was built before the church, in the old style. The town today could be on the hook to pay the whole half-million and instead we are being asked to chip in 15% of the cost, which is about $4 per taxpayer."

Camden resident Charles Jepson and his husband, Allan Junker, both spoke up against the funding line.

Jepson said, "I am a gay man with a husband and that church does not welcome us, and talks about us. It may be $4, but that's $4 too much."

Junker said, "That pastor spent five minutes talking about us. That clock and that steeple are a finger in my eye. They embarrass me as a citizen of Camden."

Another man stood up and said that the funds being asked for to fix the steeple "are separate from the mission of church." He said they were there to vote on the structure that holds the town clock, and that it was not a question of theology, but a question of town history and beauty.

Steve Melchiskey asked the town attorney if was a violation of the First Amendment to take public money and use it to repair a church.

Attorney Bill Kelly said, "No."

Melchiskey then made a motion to amend the Article and "delete the town clock/steeple repair for $75,000."

That motion failed, and ultimately the original motion, for $500,000 for Article 13, was called back for a vote and it passed.

Also:

• Article 15: To see if the voters will authorize the Board of Directors of Mid-Coast Solid Waste Corp. to enter into a 20-year contract for the disposal of municipal solid waste for $70.50 per ton...with Ecomaine... FAILED

• Article 22: To see if the town will authorize the Select Board to dispose of tax acquired property in any manner the Select Board deems in the best of interest of the town of Camden, provided however that the Apollo Tannery property...shall be disposed of subject to the requirements of Article 10 of the June 10, 2008, Annual Town Meeting Warrant... PASSED AS AMENDED BELOW.

To see if the town will authorize the Select Board to dispose of tax acquired property in any manner the Select Board deems in the best of interest of the town of Camden. However the Apollo Tannery property...shall be disposed of subject to the requirements of Article 10 of the June 10, 2008, Annual Town Meeting Warrant..and require a town vote.

• Article 25: Parker "Chip" Laite Jr. was elected from the floor to serve on the Board of Trustees of the W.H. Pascal Fund for a term of three years.

• Article 26A: Kristen Lindquist, Morgan Laidlaw, Tia Anderson, Chip Laite, Leamon Scott, Ed Collins, James Francomano and Kathy Young were elected from the floor to serve on the Budget Committee for three-year terms, to expire in 2019.

• Article 26B: Paul Cavalli and Nancy Laite were elected from the floor to serve on the Budget Committee for two-year terms, to expire in 2018.

• Article 27: Richard Thackery, Kate Bates and Steve Melchiskey were elected from the floor to serve on the Budget Committee Nominating Committee for a one-year term, to expire in June 2017.

Related stories:

• Camden Select Board approves 2 percent wage hike for town employees (April 22, 2016)

• No town employee raises this year, says Camden Budget Committee (April 6, 2016)

• Camden committee moves to recommend $7.3 million FY17 budget (April 6, 2016)