Rockport’s municipal budget, as proposed by the Rockport Select Board, is about $12,600,000.  Our 2023 municipal budget was about $7,700,000. This new proposal is about a stunning 63% increase over the budget four years ago, a trend we oppose.

Compare Rockport's increase to other  area towns over the same time frame:

Rockport 63%

Camden 52%

Belfast 32%

Rockland 24%

Costs, in general, have increased over this time frame and contribute to everybody's expenses, towns’ included. We believe, however, that a larger cost-driver for Rockport, compared to other towns, is our current town government’s  philosophy for Rockport to manage town services on its own, rather than cooperate with neighboring towns.  

Examples include our own EMS system at an annual town expense of over $1 million (which also had the effect of raising costs for the other area towns that previously shared the service, because Rockport was no longer contributing) and the expensive failed attempt last year to build our own wastewater treatment system, that would have added another $33 million. 

While we know the issues surrounding these examples are thorny, we believe sharing these services with neighboring towns brings benefits to both communities, at lower cost for both.  

We currently share educational, health, and solid waste services with Camden, which also had thorny beginnings, and we all benefit from these past efforts. 

It is encouraging to us that both Camden and Rockport are currently anticipating an agreement to share wastewater treatment for the next 5 years.  We hope this ushers in a time where we can find more areas in which to cooperate. 

Taylor Allen and Martha White live in Rockport