The following is a report to the Rockport Select Board in advance of its Jan. 12 meeting (see agenda and packet here), and submitted by Town Manager Jon Duke.

Donations

The Town accepted anonymous donations in the amount of $5,000 and $200 over the last few weeks to support our General Assistance program, which helps residents in need of financial support for basic necessities.

In Lieu of Taxes

Many thanks to Center for Furniture Craftsmanship who contributed $6,500 in lieu of paying taxes to help assist with Town provided services. Though it is not a requirement, it is appreciated nonprofits see such value in how the Town supports them.

Town Clerk

Dog Licenses

All dogs must be licensed by January 31 to avoid any late fee charges, so now is a great time to get your dog licensed. The State of Maine has implemented a new web-based dog licensing service for town offices to undertake. Go to the state’s new website for this service and register your dog today!

Nomination Papers

Will be available on March 2 for the June Elections.

Police Department

New Hire

We would like to welcome a new Patrol Officer Dan Perez, who started on Monday, January 5. Dan comes to us after seven years in law enforcement in Maine. We are excited to have Dan join our team as we move into 2026. If you have a chance to see Dan in action, feel free to say hello!

Winter Parking Ban

The Winter Parking Ban extends through April 15 which means street parking from is not allowed midnight to 6 a.m. Illegally parked cars may be towed, at the owner’s risk and expense, in the event of a snowstorm or if the police determine the vehicles are posing a threat to public safety.

Planning and Community Development

Comprehensive Plan Implementation Task Force

Working on integrating the Comp Plan into the everyday fabric of the Town. This includes working with all other committees to incorporate Comprehensive Plan strategies into their yearly workplans. This Task Force will be connected with departments on how the comp plan will be incorporated into their yearly process as well.

Sewer Infill Project

We are finishing our Sewer Infill project with Wastewater Engineers. Currently refining the project scope to keep it as close to budget as possible. Lots of ledge was discovered during their surveying work, which increased the cost.

Rockport Commons

The Rockport Common project provided by the Lesher Family Foundation will have the Parks RFP posted this month with construction hopefully starting in the Spring.

Subdivision Ordinance

The Department is also proposing an overhaul to the Subdivision Ordinance to consolidate subdivision types, as well as to reduce the number of meetings required for review. In addition, we are working on proposing an amendment to the Municipal Road Acceptance Ordinance to align with the subdivision ordinance.

Roads/Pathways Committee

In relation to roads, this Department has been working with the Public Works Department to propose a Complete Streets Policy. It is currently in a “dry run” situation with the Warrenton St. project, and the policy will be re-reviewed before it is formally proposed to the Select Board. The goal of this policy is to get ahead of the public concern when the road is being worked on to ensure all aspects are being considered before the project is placed out to BID.

Sewer Ordinance

With the new Sewer Ordinance in place, the Equivalent User file has to be updated to reflect these changes. These are almost finished and will be placed into circulation by end of this month. The change made is how the residential units are calculated, moving from the bedroom count system to each dwelling unit is one Equivalent User.

Foreclosed Properties

This Department has been moving along with the foreclosed properties, with one sold, two offers made for consideration on others, and a third being settled up by the prior owner, and the last is pending a formal offer but has an interested party considering it.

Website

This Department’s website page has been updated to provide more clarity to the general public. Before it was a compilation of Code Notices and Planning & Development notices. Now it has three categories to choose from, Codes, Planning, and Economic Development.

Donut Festival

Well underway this year with sponsorships already coming in, and posters being submitted for consideration. We have a new website, that is still under construction but moving along nicely. The trolly option has sponsors who are very interested. This trolley will run from Bleeker and Greer to Graffam Brothers, with a few stops in between. The goal is to get visitors into our local businesses as best as possible. The buses last year did not really work out in this manner.

Finance

Department heads submitted their FY 27 budget requests prior to the Christmas holiday. Now these requests are being compiled and receiving an initial review by Finance Director and myself. These reviews often require the department head to seek more support for their request by refining quotes or seeking additional metrics which explain the need for such a request. Additionally, the December month end financials are still being compiled which will greatly aid department head support for their budget needs.

Also in support of the FY 2027 budget, a group of staff and representatives from the Budget Committee and Select Board met last month to review health insurance options available to the Town of Rockport and assorted benefit alterations. The group will meet again in two weeks to review potential alternative health insurance options which would entice employees to utilize less costly health insurance options.

Library

Programs

For information on our events, check out the library website

On January 17, at noon, the Library will host our first Camden Conference event about the Rivers of the Middle East - The Middle East is a generally arid region with few rivers. But as a result, the rivers that do flow there have an outsized importance, both physically and historically. In fact, some of these resources are listed among the great rivers of the world. This talk will focus on a few of these rivers and emphasize their geographical, historical, and current importance, including the struggle for water rights today.

On Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 1 p.m., herbalist Mo Katz-Christy will teach a class entitled, “Demystifying Tea Blending.” Part science, part sensory exploration, Katz-Christy promises that the class will be as playful as it is educational. This free program is part of the library’s ongoing “foodie series,” and is sponsored by the Friends of the Rockport Public Library.

Opera House

Events: For information on our events, please check out the Opera House website.

We also have Yoga or Dance classes several days a week.

Sponsorships

If you wish to participate in helping make these shows part of our calendar in 2026, please visit RockportOperaHouse.org/Sponsorship to learn more. Your sponsorship will make a difference and will bring even more vibrancy to our ongoing programming!

Take a moment right now to give to the Rockport ACE Annual Fund – Arts, Culture and Entertainment for all. Make a potentially tax-deductible donation of any amount to support the work we are doing to revitalize the arts in Rockport and bring the community together.

Individuals or businesses can choose to make a one-time donation or recurrent monthly contribution of any amount using the custom feature on our giving page. Businesses may also choose from already crafted levels which each include visibility for your business as a gesture of gratitude for giving.

Harbor

Holiday on the Harbor: Holiday on the Harbor was a success and had a big turnout despite the cold temperatures and the fireworks were once again a big hit. Thanks to all the sponsors that make it happen.

The boat and the remaining floats will be hauled as soon as possible and stored for the remainder of the winter and the boat will get winterized.

Abbie will be in the office on Tuesdays through February.

You can reach her by phone, email or by appointment if otherwise needed.

Mooring Bills On The Way. Bills will soon be available for moorings, but as a reminder that the bills will not be mailed, only sent by email. You may pay in person at the town office, but we are trying to encourage online payments and boat registrations to cut down on staff time at the counter.

Fire Department

Want to join the Fire Department?

Rockport Fire and EMS are always looking for individuals who want to join our crew! We are always looking for Per Diem Paramedics and Per Diem Firefighters EMT/AEMT and volunteers of all types! For those interested in learning more about joining the fire department, please contact Chief Jason Peasley at jpeasley@rockportmaine.gov.

2025 by the numbers

Below are the statistics for the fire department and EMS for the last year. Obviously our EMS year really only represents months of transporting patients, and therefore some of the annual numbers are smaller than they will appear in years to come. However, almost 600 calls for service in our first year provides at least a benchmark. It’s interesting that our call volume is relatively flat despite the traditionally busier summer bringing more visitors to Rockport. Additionally, the average response time also seems unbothered by additional traffic. One change that is worth notice is an increase in billing for mutual aid coverage of other area EMS services. The use of the backup ambulance, Rescue 23, only comes into effect if our main ambulance is in use and we are able to secure a backup crew to staff the rig. These instances allow our service to meet the needs of a given call without passing the call to a mutual aid service and thus bypassing potential revenue for our service. Importantly, our service only engages the second ambulance if it is able to be staffed quickly so as to ensure fast response for a patient in need.

Civic Ready

We encourage all residents to sign up for this, if you are interested in knowing what is happening in the Town of Rockport. What is great about this system is that you decide which types of information you will receive whether it is a reminder when property taxes are due to information on an upcoming event at the library, opera house or when a public works project is happening in your neighborhood; Civic Alert can keep you informed. Those interested can also sign up for alerts on our website.

Maine Water Assistance Program

This is a federally funded program to help support eligible households in having access to drinking water and wastewater utility services. Households will be required to have water liability to be eligible for the drinking water/wastewater program. To receive an application, you can call 888-623-6762 or email water@mainehousing.org.

Rockport Resource Newsletter

If you would like to receive the Rockport Resource Newsletter via email you can sign up through our website.

Marge Jones Fields

The fields remain close till spring, but if you would like to plan ahead and reserve the use of a field for this year, email rockportrec@rockportmaine.gov.

Reservation Policy

•Reservations can be made for a single month/month or entire season.

•Anytime when the court is not reserved it is “first come first serve play."

The usage fee will be $250 per month, up to $1000 for the entire season.

No reservations on Sundays. This day will remain first come, first serve all day.

Groups that pay the monthly or annual fee may reserve the full court area or half (one tennis court) up to three hours of court time per day each week Monday - Saturday, not to exceed 15 hours total per week. No more than three total hours in a day, and you cannot reserve the same time block for more than 3 days in one week. This allows others to utilize these time slots for first come first served.