Camden turned out at the polls June 10 with approximately 2,400 residents casting ballots (almost 800 of those were absentee ballots) on a variety of proposals. With preliminary numbers reported at the polls by town staff, residents approved a proposal to remove the Montgomery Dam at the head of Camden Harbor, voting 1,391 to 995. 

Voters also elected Christopher Rheault to fill one empty seat on the Camden Select Board vacated by Tom Hedstrom. Rheault received 1,162 votes while his opponent, Bobbi Oxton Blake, received 1,007.

Four candidates competed for two open seats on the School Administrative District 28 (Camden-Rockport K-8) and the Five Town CSD (Camden Hills Regional High School) boards of directors. Rebecca Flanagan and Sarah E. Smith were elected with 1,021 and 962 votes, respectively.

Rafi Baeza received 936 votes and Taylor Pohlman, 349.

Voters also approved the town's 2026-2026 $15 million budget, as well as the $18.5 million Five Town CSD, and the  $21.5 million SAD 28 budgets.

And, they approved other warrant articles that included private residential treatment facilities in certain residential zones to increase the number of beds from 12 to 18. That passed with a vote of 1,595 to 527.

This arrived before voters at the request of Borden Cottage, a residential drug, alcohol, and co-occurring behavioral health treatment facility on Bay View Street, to make room for more clients.

Camden voters approved clarifications and revisions to its accessory apartment rules, pesticide regulations, and the municipal ownership of the Elm Street School, formerly owned by School Administrative District 28.

SAD 28 had plans to convert the historic school building into housing but costs proved 43 percent higher and the district chose, instead, to abort the project and return the property to municipal ownership.

Read about the Camden municipal budget in depth, courtesy of a report issued by Town Manager Audra Caler.

All Camden ballots, the municipal budget and warrant articles, as well as the Five Town CSD and SAD 28 budgets, can be found here. 

Camden's 2025-2026 $15 million municipal budget has increased 19 percent over the current $12.9 million budget, with increases attributed primarily to insurance costs, information technology, fire and EMS services, and municipal debt for capital equipment purchases and infrastructure replacement.

Camden intends to reduce the taxpayer load of the overall budgetary increase with the use of $1.15 million in surplus funds to help pay for them, as well as using $997, 850 in tax increment financing money tp help pay for Camden Opera House improvements and other projects. Read about the budget in depth, courtesy of a report issued in late February by Town Manager Audra Caler.