Town Meeting: Camden voters to consider $12.5 million infrastructure bond, zoning changes, $10 million municipal budget

CAMDEN — Camden’s 22-article annual Town Meeting warrant is ambitious in scope and expense, as the business of running a municipality grows. Voters will consider it all at the polls June 11, now that in-person town meeting has been replaced by ballot-only participation, and will decide whether to approve the proposed 2024-2025 expenditures that include major projects for the town.

Voters will also vote for two Select Board members and a school board member.

Camden’s proposed budget is $12 million, up 6 percent from the 2023-2024 budget of $11.4 million. See the full budget here.

Additional assessments on the citizens of Camden are collectively increasing by 8 percent, and they include:

Mid-Coast Solid Waste Corp. (transfer station): $239, 025

SAD 28 and Five Town CSD public schools: $15 million

Knox County: $2 million

Property tax bills to help cover expenditures included  with the four budgets — town, county, solid waste and schools — will be distributed in August, following calculations from Camden’s recent revaluation and valuation from the state, which is the basis for Maine’s allocation of funds for state general purpose aid for education, state revenue sharing, and county assessments.

For its own municipal budget, Camden is banking on raising $5.5 million in revenues (state revenue sharing, vehicle excise tax, permits fees, parking tickets, bank interest, etc.), and using $1 million in surplus, all to reduce the fiscal load on taxpayers. After doing so, the town expects a net budget of $6.5 million that is be covered by property taxes. 

Major increases in the budget include a 15 percent hike in administration from $741,522 to $1.1 million, covering the cost of wages, stipends, and the creation of an assistant town manager position at the town office.

There is a 45 percent increase in the professional services account, including a $25,000 new expenditure to implement neighborhood traffic-calming solutions.

An account governing information technology has increased 32 percent, from $166,150 to $219,575, attributed to investments in computer hardware and municipal GIS software.

Insurance, including liability, costs have increased 12 percent, from $243,700 to $274,400.

Maintaining the town office is increasing 10.9 percent, from $91,950 to $102,000.

The law enforcement (10.5 full-time officers) budget has slightly decreased 0.9 percent from $1.67 million to $1.66 million. The gas/diesel line has decreased by $5,000, as have other lines, including uniform clothing cleaning. Overtime has increased, from $55,000 to $60,000.

A line for county dispatch services has increased 14.9 percent, from $190,650 to $219,036.

Camden Fire and EMS proposes a 44.8 percent increase, from $1 million to $1.5 million, as it seeks to increase the number of full-time employees from four  seven. 

The town proposes hiring two full-time firefighters/EMTs in September and another in November.

The budget also includes a per diem line increase from $48,000 to $61,000 during the transition to the seven-position department. 

Other associated costs include health insurance increases, training and uniforms.

Camden’s budget for its public safety building (police and fire) is due to increase from $48,000 to $62,5000, a 30 percent hike.

The maintenance line has increased from $10,000 to $18,000; HVAC up from $6,000 to $8,000, and electricity is increasing from $10,000 to $12,000.

Across Camden, the cost of street lights in due to increase from $38,000 to $41,000.

The Public Works budget is decreasing by 2.8 percent, from $2.058 million to $2.001 million. Partially, this is attributed to bookkeeping; 50 percent of the salary wages for the Public Works Director and the Camden municipal engineer are included in the wastewater budget, and 50 percent in the public works budget.

The stipend for a dam control agent has increased from $8,400 to $30,000. Street maintenance for 40 miles of roadway is increasing from $65,000 to $98,000. Street paving is decreasing from $370,000 to $250,000.

In Community Services, a position has been added, community liaison support, increasing that department budget from $19,500 to $74,500.

The Camden Public Library budget is increasing by 5.4 percent, from $555,000 to $585,000.

The Camden Harbor budget is increasing from $343,900 to $359,200, a 4.4 percent increase, primarily due to wages and pump-out boat operations (at the harbor).

The Parks and Recreation budget is poised to increase 27.7 percent, with full-time (10 employees, 30 weeks per year) park wages going from $209,700 to $304,400.

The health insurance line is increasing from $74,300 to $105,400. Electricity is due to increase from $7,500 to $25,000, attributed to lodge use from April through October.

The Camden Opera House budget is to increase 16.2 percent from $231,000 to $268,350.

Cemetery maintenance is to increase 26.6 percent from $51,100 to $64,700. That includes moving wages for 1.5 Parks and Recreation employees assigned to cemetery maintenance for the season.

Camden continues to pay off previous debts amounting to $565,487 and their associated interest charges of $118,690. Those numbers are included in the 2024-2025 budget.

The capital improvement budget of $626,000 is increasing 40.7 percent from $445,000. The list includes two public works trucks, sidewalk plow, float replacements, sidewalk work, $60,000 for Snow Bowl project permitting with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (this stems from ongoing trail work on Ragged Mountain and other projects there), and $150,000 for buildings at the Snow Bowl. The latter is to replace modular buildings at the Snow Bowl.

Warrant articles

On June 11, Camden voters will also consider a proposal to borrow $12.5 million to finance sewer extensions, rehabilitation, replacement and capacity improvements; road, stormwater and sidewalk reconstruction throughout the town, “and such other ancillary and related costs…, plus 2 percent to pay the cost of issuing bonds or notes.”

This will be Article 18 on the ballot.

The estimated interest on the proposed bond is $8.3 million, taking the total borrowing expense to $20.7 million.

This is Warrant Article 18 and an accompanying note from the town explains: “The proposed improvements intending to repair aging and failing infrastructure and mitigate the discharge of sewer into water resources… during storm events… to improve resiliency to climate change, improve water quality and bring the Town in compliance with the Town’s administrative consent agreement with the Dept. of Environmental Protection.”

The town-written Camden 2024 Ballot Explained, A Guide for Voters, gives additional information about the reasoning for the bond, saying:

“The Need: The majority of the Town of Camden’s sewer pipes are beyond their useable life and are made of materials (mostly clay tile pipe) that have cracked over time and allow large volumes of rain, groundwater, and seawater to enter the Town’s wastewater treatment system. When fresh and/or sea water enters sewer pipes and manholes, particularly during major rain events and high tides, pipes become surcharged and can cause sewage to back up into people’s homes, and manholes and pump stations are overwhelmed, which often results in untreated sewage flooding into the harbor and other water resources.”

Camden also is presenting eight zoning and land use ordinance amendments to its voters.

Articles 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 affect housing, parking and short-term rental regulations. Camden said it is proposing the amendments to comply with state statute to remove regulatory barriers to increase housing production in Maine.

Article 3 amends the definition of accessory apartments, adding to the existing definition that an accessory apartment (a dwelling unit of 600 square feet or less, gross, of living area), new language that says, “that serves as the primary resident of its occupants(s).” 

Other new language says: “The accessory apartment shall be subordinate to the principal structures in size, form, and location and may be attached or detached from a principal dwelling or contained within an accessory building (e.g., garage) on the lot. 

More new language says: “For those accessory apartments permitted before June 17, 1997, there is not a primary residence requirement.”

Article 4 proposes removing language regulating parking for accessory apartments by removing a clause that said there must be one space per unit, except in the business districts. If approved, accessory apartments would be expect from off-street parking requirements.

Articles 5, 6 and 7 concern regulations of short term rentals, a topic that has engendered much debate over the past year. Currently, the number of STRs in town ranges between 30 and 210 and 400. The discrepancy of the latter are attributed to different vacation rental platforms that host advertising for STRs.

Article 5 amends the definition of STRs.

Article 6 stipulates the allowance of STRs as permitted uses in all of the zoning districts that allow residential uses.

Article 7 adds to town ordinance that STRs require annual licensing and adhere to standards.

Articles 8, 9 and 10 present expanded standards for regulating piers, amending and adding approval criteria for site plan review of pier plans, and increase the maximum height of piers.

Article 8 – Ch 290 Performance Standards to regulate Piers

Article 9 – Site Plan Review to regulate piers

Article 10 – Ch 108 Harbor & Waterways to amend maximum height of piers

Tannery Park

Article 11 on the ballot asks Camden voters if they favor the town, “retaining the ownership of the property currently known as ‘Tannery Park’, on Washington Street, for community purposes.”

Those purposes include, and are not limited to, green space, playgrounds, and gathering spaces, and any other uses deemed to be for the benefit of Camden citizens.

At their June 2022 Annual Town Meeting voters said no, at a vote of 900 to 628, to selling the Apollo Tannery parcel, and that the parcel be developed consistently with the general principles of a central pavilion and gathering center, and flexible incubator spaces, that the purchase price be no less than $250,000, and that the premises have continued availability for a farmers’ market.

Snow Bowl

There are two Snow Bowl related articles on the warrant.

Article 21 proposes borrowing approximately $320,000 to finance the purchase of a snow groomer. With estimated interest, the cost would be $426,318.

Voters will also be asked to move $420,000 from Camden’s undesignated fund balance to fund operating budget losses incurred by the Snow Bowl in 2023 ($80,000) and 2024 ($340,000).

In 2022, the unassigned fund balance was $3.3 million.

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657