Voters sort through Rockport’s complicated town ballot, approving all articles
ROCKPORT — In addition to the Maine Senate, House and Gubernatorial races, Rockport voters were also picking a U.S. Congressional candidate, clearing up a procedural issue with a school budget article left over from June, and nine municipal warrant articles, some of them long and complicated. In total, 2,170 voters cast their ballots, in person and via absentee ballots.
Some municipal warrant articles were left blank.
MUNICIPAL ARTICLES
Article 2:
Shall the following amendments to the Town of Rockport Coastal Waters & Harbor Ordinance, Section 502.3 be enacted?
Large Vessel Location Limitation: Vessels of forty feet (40’ LOA) or greater will not be assigned a mooring location in the Inner Harbor. ADDED LANGUAGE: Vessels of fifty feet (50’ LOA) or greater will not be assigned a mooring location in the MiddleHarbor.
YES: 1,729
NO: 321
Article 3.
Shall the following amendments to the Town of Rockport Land Use Ordinance, Section 803.1.5 be enacted?
Added language: To assist in considering these factors related to off-street parking, the CEO or Planning Board may order a study of such factors, paid for by the applicant, pursuant to Section 1302.
Language struck from the existing Land Use Ordinance: Amendment to 5. Parking Location. No off-site or shared parking, or waiver of parking requirements, shall be approved unless it is supported by an independent traffic study prepared by a qualified professional, hired by the reviewing authority, and paid for by the applicant, which establishes that the parking facility is adequate for the proposed use and any shared use(s) will not cause undue burdens on traffic or parking in the vicinity, and will not cause safety concerns. Notwithstanding 1 M.R.S. section 302, this amendment shall apply to all land uses and all off-site parking facilities that have not received final approval as of 45 days prior to the enactment of this amendment.
YES: 1,491
NO: 484
Article 4.
Shall the following amendments to the Town of Rockport Land Use Ordinance, Section 917.G.9 be enacted?
9. No more than 40 (forty) rooms, in the aggregate, shall be permitted at Inns/Hotels in the 913 zoning district.
Language struck from the Land Use Ordinance: No single inn or hotel, nor any combination of such uses located on the same lot, shall have more than 20 guest rooms.(Notwithstanding 1 M.R.S. Section 302, subsection G. Notes 9 shall apply to all hotels and inns that have not received Planning Board approval and all required building permits as of March 1, 2020)
YES: 1,410
NO: 616
Article 5:
Shall the following amendments to the Town of Rockport Subdivision Ordinance, Article 11.6.A.1 and 11.6.B.1 be enacted?
A. Public System
1. Any proposed subdivision within the area designated in the comprehensive plan for future sewage disposal service shall be connected to the public system proposed shall conform with applicable provisions of the Rockport Sewer Ordinance.
B. Private Systems
1. When a proposed subdivision is not within the area designated for public sewage disposal service in the comprehensive plan, connection to the public system shall not be permitted. Where public sewage disposal service is not available, Sewage disposal shall be a private subsurface wastewater disposal system or a private treatment facility with surface discharge shall be used for sewage disposal.
YES: 1,718
NO: 269
Article 6:
Land Use Ordinance, 1302 Administration:
Within fourteen (14) days of receiving an application, the Planning and Development Director shall review the application for completeness. If found incomplete, the applicant shall be notified of the specific material needed to make the application complete. The Planning and Development Director may conduct a site visit of the proposed activity before deeming the application is complete. The applicant shall be responsible for providing the additional material to make the application complete. In no case shall a complete application take longer than 60 days to be placed on the Planning Board agenda.
YES: 1,630
NO: 258
Article 7
Shall the voters of the Town of Rockport, Maine adopt the Second Amendment to the Rockport Downtown Municipal Development and Tax Increment Financing Development Program that extends the term to 30 years and adds project costs to be permissible uses of tax increment financing revenue?
YES: 1,376
NO: 536
Article 8
Shall the voters of the Town of Rockport, Maine approve the Route 90 Municipal Development and Tax Increment Financing District which will include various parcels along Route 90 and a total of more than 230 acres, and adopt the Route 90 Development Program relating thereto?
YES: 1,404
NO: 490
This article changes the rules by which the town conducts its town manager search, as outlined in the municipal charter.
Section 2 Appointment Process
The procedure leading to the appointment of a Town Manager shall be as follows:
- The Select Board shall circulate an advertisement for no less than fourteen (14) days to seek applicants for the position of Town Manager.
- The Select Board may establish a Search Committee consisting of five (5) residents to review the applications and provide a group of finalists for the Select Board to interview. All meetings of the Search Committee shall be held within Executive Sessions and all information and discussions are confidential to the extent
- allowed by law.
- TheSelectBoardshall,asagroup,interviewinpersonin
- executive session, each of the finalists for the position of Town Manager.
- Appointment of a Town Manager requires a majority plus one vote of the Select Board, all members being present
- If the office of Town Manager becomes vacant for any reason within one year of the appointment of the Town Manager, the Select Board may choose a new Town Manager from the list of finalists in the previous search.
Language stricken from the charter:
- The Select Board shall consult with the Maine Municipal Association regarding recruiting procedures and may make use of any services the Maine Municipal Association might have available. This information shall be made available to the Search Committee.
- A Search Committee of not less than five (5) and not more than seven (7) Town residents shall be appointed by the Select Board within 30 days of the office of Town Manager becoming vacant or within 30 days notice to the Select Board that the office of Town Manager will become vacant. One member of the Select Board shall serve as an ex-officio member of the search committee.
- All meetings of the Search Committee shall be conducted as Executive Sessions and all information and discussions are confidential to the extent allowed by law.
- The Search Committee shall choose from its members a chairman who is responsible for running the meetings and conveying to the continued Select Board the progress of the search.
The Search Committee shall also choose from its members a vice- chairman who shall act in the event the chairman is absent or unable to carry out his or her duties.
The Select Board shall present to the Search Committee a job description for the position of Town Manager.
The Search Committee shall review all applications received for Town Manager, assuring that the minimum standards set out in state law are met and that the applications meet the requirements of the job description. A copy of each application for Town Manager shall be given to each member of the Select Board.
The Search Committee shall present to the Select Board a semi-final list of candidates for the position of Town Manager. By a majority vote the Select Board may add to the list of semi- finalists, the name of one or more applicants taken from the list of all applicants.
The Search Committee and the Select Board together shall prepare a questionnaire which all semi-finalists must complete in writing and return to the Town Office. Responses to the questionnaire shall be distributed to both the Search Committee and the Select Board.
After reviewing the questionnaires, the Search Committee shall present to the Select Board a list of finalists, not to exceed five.
By a simple majority vote, the Select Board may add to the list of finalists additional finalists from the original list of semi-finalists, not to exceed two.
The Select Board shall, as a group, interview in person in executive session, each of the finalist for the position of Town Manager.
Appointment of a Town Manager requires a majority plus one vote of the Select Board, all members being present.
12. In the event the Select Board is unable to meet the requirements for appointing a Town Manager, the position shall be advertised again and the search re-started.
If the office of Town Manager becomes vacant for any reason within 90 days of the appointment of the Town Manager, the Select Board may choose a new Town Manager from the list of finalists in the previous search.
YES: 1,600
NO: 359
Article 10.
Shall the following amendments to the Town of Rockport Charter, Article 7 Section 4, be enacted to read as follows?
A. Number of Votes. Every voter shall be entitled to vote for as many candidates as there are vacancies to be filled.
- Plurality. Election shall be determined by plurality vote. In case of a tie for all elected positions except for Select Board and School Board, a run-off election of those who tied shall be at the November election. Select Board reference: Article II, Sec 10 E; School Board reference: Article I, Sec 5.
- Write-In Candidacy. Write-In candidates for municipal and school offices must file their intention to serve for the office they are elected to in writing to the Town Clerk prior to the opening of polls on the day of the election. Failure to provide a timely written intention results in ballots cast in that candidate’s name to be null and void.
YES: 1,590
NO: 309
