Town Meetings 2023: Warrants, Candidates, School & Town Budgets, plus a political race in House District 45

June is when many Maine citizens weigh how much to spend on school budgets, and polls are open on Election Day for voters to cast ballots on other business, including municipal and county budgets.

The longtime tradition of a March Town Meeting was changed dramatically decades ago when education and municipal budgets adopted a July-June budget cycle. Some town meetings then went to a June schedule. Now, the scenario has changed once again, with some towns doing away with in-person town meeting altogether, or scheduling them in May, or July or even August. Every municipality has its own schedule.

The one constant remains that voters ultimately decide whether to approve the budgets, which directly affect their property taxes. And many towns are busy with a variety of ordinance amendments, policy changes and developments (should Camden approve pot shops downtown? Will Thomaston craft a future for its Town Green? Will Rockport approve a new community park and build a new West Rockport fire station?)

Appleton, Camden, Rockport and Union have done away with the in-person town meeting, which traditionally was soon after the Tuesday June elections. This means that all municipal business, from budgets to policy initiatives and changes in those towns will now be addressed at the polls on Voting Day, Tuesday, June 13. If voters ever decide to bring back their in-person town meetings, they can organize to change the policy.

This is not a year for political primaries, although voters in Waldoboro will be considering at the polls a race for the state Legislature. Republican Abden Simmons and Democrat Wendy Pieh are running for the House District 45 (Friendship/ Washington/ Bremen/ Louds Island Township/ Waldoboro ) seat, which was vacated by Clinton Collamore, D-Waldoboro.

And Waldoboro has even created a resourceful Voter Guide to help voters get informed.

Town Meetings, Municipal and School Budgets, Warrants and Candidates
Below are area municipalities holding elections and town meetings in June

APPLETON
appleton.maine.gov

Annual Town Meeting, June 13, by Secret Ballot, Appleton Fire Station, 2899 Sennebec Road, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

On May 30, Appleton will hold a public hearing at 7:15 p.m. at the Appleton Town Office to present the warrant. Read the 2022-2023 Appleton Town Report here. There will be three ballots: The municipal warrant, the $3.6 million Appleton Village School ballot, and the $13 million Five Town CSD ballot. Absentee ballots are currently available.

If you are a resident and would like to vote but are unsure if you are registered, call the Town Office. You can also register on the day of the election.

From the 2022-2023 Appleton Town Report, Select Board Report: “Proposed municipal expenditures are up 8.7% in 2024, which you will read in this report. Appleton Village School, when offset by its fund balance, proposes a 17.7% increase. Knox County Commissioners approved a 9.9% increase in the countywide budget, and the Five-Town Consolidated School District proposes a 7.7% increase for Appleton’s high school students. All in, the four combine for a proposed 12.9% increase in budgeted spending over 2022-2023. The Select Board endorses using $300,000 from Town of Appleton undesignated funds to reduce the impact on taxpayers. The result of all is an anticipated $21.70 mil rate, up $0.20 from the current assessment.”

CAMDEN
camdenmaine.gov
Annual Town Meeting, June 13, Camden Public Safety Building, by secret ballot, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

All Camden ballots, including Five Town CSD and SAD 28 budgets, can be found here.

June 13 Camden Town Meeting: Pot shops, new street/sidewalk rules and candidates

Camden ballot to include proposed transfer of Rollins Road property to land trust

On the Camden Town Meeting Warrant: land use ordinances, marijuana retail proposal, municipal budget

• Camden to place two marijuana shop warrant articles before voters

• Camden to hold public hearing on whether to allow marijuana retail shops

Camden School Board Candidates
On June 13, voters in Camden will elect two to serve on the School Administrative District 28 (Camden-Rockport K-8) and the Five Town CSD (Camden Hills Regional High School) boards of directors. There are two open seats this June, both three-year terms.

Marcus Mrowka

Jezabel (Sessa) Salas

Richard Thackeray

The proposed $19 million School Administrative District budget can be found here.

The $13.6 million Five Town CSD budget information can be found here.

******
Camden Select Board Candidates

Raymond Andresen

Alison S. McKellar

Christopher Nolan

Marc Ratner

Mary Beth Leone Thomas

HOPE

hopemaine.org

Hope has not scheduled its annual town meeting but anticipates it will take place in July. The reason is that the town is waiting for the school district (K-8) to finish its audit, and the school budget to get finalized. On Election Day June 13, however, there will be two warrants for voters to consider at the polls. One concerns uncontested seats for Hope municipal seats; the other is the Five Town CSD budget.

The $13.6 million Five Town CSD budget information can be found here.

On June 14 there will be a public hearing on four proposed ordinance amendments that, if approved, will appear before voters at the yet to be scheduled annual town meeting.

The Hope Planning Board’s public hearing will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Hope Town Office. The proposed ordinance amendments are available for review and inspection at the Hope Town Office and here:

Proposed Shoreland Zone Amendments

Proposed Official Zoning Map Amendments

Proposed Metallic Mining Activities Ordinance Moratorium

Letter to Property Owners in the Shoreland Zone (Resource Protection District)

Hope to hold public hearing on proposed mining moratorium June 14

LINCOLNVILLE

town.lincolnville.me.us

Lincolnville will start its annual town meeting June 13 at the polls, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the Lincolnville Central School, to act on warrant articles 1-4 (concerning elections of municipal officials, school board members, the Lincolnville School budget, and a proposed ordinance amendment to expand housing opportunities). Then, on Thursday, June 15, citizens will gather at the Lincolnville Central School at 6 p.m. to act upon the remaining articles in the warrant. The 2023 warrant can be read here.

The municipal ballot includes three candidates who are seeking two open seats on the Select Board. Those candidates are Jean Botley, Michael Ray and Robyn Tarantino. The municipal ballot also features open seats on various committees and boards with no candidates.

Article 4 asks voters if they want to approve “2023 Amendments to the Town of Lincolnville Land Use Ordinance to be consistent with Public Law 2021, Chapter 672, entitled, An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Commission To Increase Housing Opportunities in Maine by Studying Zoning and Land Use Restrictions.”

Read the proposed amendments here.

At the June 13 polls, voters will be asked to approve a $13.6 million Five Town CSD budget that the town shares with Appleton, Camden, Hope and Rockport to govern Camden Hills Regional High School.

Lincolnville town meeting ballots and warrants can be read here.

On June 15, citizens will consider the town’s 2023-2024 proposed $2.9 million budget and address other municipal business.

NORTHPORT

northportmaine.org

The Northport elections will take place June 17, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the town office for the election of one Select Board member for a three-year term, one School Board member for a three-year term, and one Road Commissioner for a two-year term.

The 2023 annual-person town meeting is Monday, June 19, at the Edna Drinkwater School (56 Bayside Road), at 6:30 p.m.

ROCKLAND
rocklandmaine.gov

On the Tuesday, June 13, City ballot, Rockland residents will find a request to dip into unspent bond money and then to contribute additional funds for the sake of a critical vehicle that can’t be substituted by any other in the Rockland fleet, nor borrowed from mutual aid.

Rockland voters asked to replace aging fire truck before prices, manufacturing times leap again

ROCKPORT

rockportmaine.gov

Rockport’s Annual Town Meeting will take place at the polls June 13, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the Rockport Town Office.

Voters will elect two new Select Board members, Kimberlee Graffam and Michael Thompson, both running uncontested for seats vacated by current Select Board members Michelle Hannan and Mark Kelley.

They will also vote for school board, library and budget committee members, also running uncontested. See ballot here.

Voters will also consider the Five Town CSD and SAD 28 budgets.

The municipal warrant contains a $9 million municipal budget, a number of land use ordinance amendments, as well as Articles 3 and 4, concerning the former RES parcel on West Street and the construction of a new West Rockport Fire Station. Read:

• Rockport voters to face big ticket decisions at June Town Meeting: New fire station, RES community park

• Citizen input invited as plans for new Rockport Community Park on old RES parcel take shape

THOMASTON

thomastonmaine.gov

Thomaston’s Annual Town Meeting will take place over two days, beginning June 13 at the polls, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the Thomaston Municipal Building (former Lura Libby School, 13 Valley Street) where voters will consider electing two Select Board members for three-year terms, one Board of Assessors member for a three-year term, and one RSU 13 School Board member.

There are four candidates seeing to fill two open seats: Peter Lammert, Kimberly Matthews, Christopher Rector and William Wasson.

Voters will also consider the RSU 13 budget at the polls June 13. The $37 million RSU 13 budget is available here.

On June 14, citizens will gather at the Thomaston Municipal Building at 6 p.m. for annual Town Meeting and consider a $4.86 million municipal budget and a warrant that includes three articles pertaining to the future of the Thomaston Green. There will be a public hearing on Articles 3, 4 and 5 June 1 at the Thomaston Municipal Building beginning at 6 p.m. It will be streamed live.

Thomaston has assembled budgets, warrants, ballots and information concerning the ordinance amendments, plus information about the Town Green, on one municipal website page.

UNION

union.maine.gov

Union’s Annual Town Meeting takes place June 13 at the polls, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the William L. Pullen Municipal Building Meeting Room.

At the polls, voters will consider two candidates running for one open seat on the Select Board. The candidates are Adam Fuller and William Packard. They will also choose between two candidates for one seat on the RSU 40 board. They are Nicole Taylor and Ed Weber. And, voters will vote for either Michael Thompson or Argera Nestor to be a trustee or William L. Pullen Fund, and consider three other uncontested races.

There is also a June 13 municipal ballot that includes the town warrant with 33 additional articles. Voters will consider multiple proposals, such a moratorium on mining in Union and a citizens’ initiative to amend the land use ordinance to regulate and control mining. The warrant also includes the municipal budget

Town Meeting: Union voters to decide on mineral mining ban, moratorium, town budget

Voters will also consider approving a $34 million budget for RSU 40. See RSU 40 budget information here. RSU 40 comprises Waldoboro, Warren, Friendship, Washington and Union K-12 public schools.

VINALHAVEN
townofvinalhaven.org
Vinalhaven will hold Election Day June 13 at the town office. Absentee Ballots now available. All absentee ballot requests must be received by the clerk by the close of business on Thursday, June 8. All absentee ballots must be received by the clerk by the close of the polls, 8 p.m., Tuesday, June 13.

At the polls, voters will decide if they are electing Thomas Anthony as Selectman for a 3-year term. He is running unopposed, and another seat remains empty, with no candidate. They will also decide upon electing Susan Dempster to a 3-year term on the SAD 8 School Board. She is also running unopposed. And, Pamela Conway Allen is running unopposed for a 3-year term on the Water District board.

“A write-in vote MUST be counted if voter intent is clear, even if the name is misspelled or a nickname is used, the box or square to the left of the name MUST also be marked,” notes the Vinalhaven Town Office. “No exceptions.”

Voters will also consider approving the SAD 8 (Vinalhaven School) $4.6 million 2024 budget.

On June 21, at 5:30 p.m., citizens will reconvene to continue their annual town meeting. The warrant and municipal have yet to be posted at the Vinalhaven municipal website.

WALDOBORO

waldoboromaine.org

Waldoboro’s Annual Town Meeting will take place June 13 at the polls, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the Waldoboro Municipal Building, 1600 Atlantic Highway (Route 1), where voters will consider electing two Select Board members for a three-year term from a slate of three, two members to the RSU 40 Board of Directors from a slate of three, and candidates running for seats on the Utility District and Budget Committee.

Candidates for the Select Board are John Blodgett, Seth Hall and Michael Thayer.

Candidates for RSU 40 are Steven Karp, Emily Trask-Eaton and Melvin Williams.

Waldoboro voters also have a state Legislative race to consider for House District 45, with Republican Abden Simmons and Democrat Wendy Pieh squaring off. HD 45 includes Friendship/ Washington/ Bremen/ Louds Island Township/ Waldoboro and the seat was vacated by Clinton Collamore, D-Waldoboro, in February following his indictment on charges of campaign financing irregularities.

The Town Meeting Warrant will be addressed entirely by secret ballot, and includes a $6.8 million municipal budget, plus ordinances concerning disorderly property conduct, moratorium on aquaculture, changes to the land use ordinance, as well as the tax increment financing district (to remove several parcels from the TIF that have dropped in value), the purchase of a solar array, and other municipal business.

“This ordinance is not a property maintenance ordinance, but is an ordinance that addresses properties in Town that have repeated complaints from neighbors, and are having a negative impact on the neighborhood,” the town’s explanation of the disorderly property ordinance said. “A property to be classified as a disorderly property would have 2 or more documented and substantiated disorderly events occurring on the property within 180 days. These events could be drug or alcohol related events, fighting, disorderly persons, and in some cases noise that violates the noise ordinance.”

WARREN

warrenmaine.org

Warren’s Annual Town Meeting will take place over two days, beginning June 13 at the polls, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the Warren Masonic Hall, 105 Camden Road, where voters will consider electing one Select Board member for a three-year term, and three members to the RSU 40 Board of Directors. The secret ballot also includes the RSU 40 budget validation.

The 2023 Town Meeting will reconvene June 20, again at the Masonic Hall.

On the ballot for June 13 are two Select Board candidates, Roger Peabody and Wayne Luce, running for two open seats. There are three candidates running for one seat on RSU 40. They are Joshua Blackman, Christopher Donlin and Morgan Hynd. Candidates are also running unopposed for the Sanitary District board.

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