LUBEC — After voters rejected a land use ordinance at last year’s annual town meeting, Select Board members sometimes joked that “‘ordinance’ is a four-letter word” in Lubec.
This year, voters approved nearly every article on the town meeting warrant, including proposals to take over management of the Lost Fishermen’s Memorial, revise the building application process and create a short-term rental registration program.
Though voters ultimately approved all of the articles Wednesday night, several budget items sparked extended discussion.
Attendees questioned the article seeking $25,000 for the Paula Tinker Memorial Junior Fire Department, though the debate focused less on the program’s value — it aims to inspire and train future Lubec firefighters — and more on how much the town should spend on it.
One attendee proposed cutting the town’s support for the program by 90 percent, from $25,000 to $2,500. After that amendment failed, another attendee suggested reducing the allocation by 40 percent, to $15,000, but that proposal also failed by nearly the same margin.
Supporters of the junior firefighters program emphasized the high cost of protective equipment — about $6,000 for a full set, according to a firefighter in the audience.
Another attendee said restarting the program will require heavy up‑front spending that should decrease in future years. A Fire Department letter in the town report says nine cadets have joined so far.
Funding for the program ultimately passed at the full $25,000 amount.
Some attendees also questioned articles allocating supplemental funding for the tax assessor’s revaluation, money for the Fourth of July celebrations and general administration costs, but all of those budget items passed without amendments.
Overall, the town budget approved this year is $105,235 higher than last year’s spending plan, an increase of about 5 percent.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national inflation rate is 3.4 percent based on figures released this month, and energy costs have risen more than 14 percent nationwide.
The proposal to regulate short‑term rentals also passed. The article defined short‑term rentals as properties rented for 30 days or fewer, excluding motels, hotels, inns, bed‑and‑breakfasts, boarding houses and licensed campgrounds. It would require landlords to register their short‑term rentals with the town and pay a $100 registration fee.
Advocates and authors of the measure said they drew inspiration from other towns, including Stonington, which enacted its short‑term rental ordinance in response to housing shortages for local workers.
An earlier draft of the measure would have charged nonresident short‑term rental owners a higher fee, as Stonington does, but the article presented to voters Wednesday night proposed a flat fee regardless of residency.
The ordinance drew the closest vote of the night, passing 33-21.
The building and demolition notification ordinance also generated productive discussion. The proposal would eliminate the current $20 registration fee and replace it with a fee structure based on the square footage of new construction.
Opponents argued that building costs are already prohibitively high for average residents and questioned whether it was good policy to adopt the ordinance before agreeing on a fee structure.
Select Board Chair Carol Dennison responded that the board would set an appropriate fee structure at its regularly held public meetings and invited residents to offer input there.
The proposal, which ultimately passed, could also include a waiver request form, Dennison said, giving lower‑income homebuilders a way to avoid the additional cost.
Lubec voters also cast ballots in municipal elections Tuesday. A total of 371 residents went to the polls.
Incumbent Select Board Chair Carol Dennison was reelected with 171 votes and will be joined on the board by Martha Howell, who received 204 votes. Both will serve three‑year terms.
Dan Daley, who resigned from the board earlier this year to run for the state Legislature, was not reelected.
Patricia McCurdy and Richard Eaton, the only candidates for seats on the Maine School Administrative District 19 board of directors, were both elected to three‑year terms.
David Marston was elected to a three‑year term as a Lubec Water District trustee, and Howard Reynolds will serve a three‑year term on the Budget Committee. Both ran unopposed.
