Sharp disagreements between the Lubec Select Board and the budget committee set the tone for the annual town meeting held on August 4. It took three and a half hours to approve 48 articles, with 72 registered Lubec voters participating. It took nearly one hour just to approve Article 2, providing for a total of $331,812 for general administrative expenses.
     A total of five articles listed in the warrant showed the budget committee as not recommending acceptance or neither recommending nor not recommending acceptance. A review of town warrants back to 2011 does not reveal a single previous instance of either of these notations, and only one where the select board recommended an amount less than that included in the article.
     The budget committee proposed amending Article 2, which includes employee payroll and other administrative costs, by a $50,000 reduction. Under the terms of their proposal, staff benefits would be cut to partially make up the difference. Budget committee member Karen Burke stated that the reduction would bring Lubec's compensation levels into a range similar to other like‑sized towns, adding, "We hoped the select board would do this research." Former Town Administrator Dana Bradley -- who in previous years has argued for reduced administrative allocations --  disagreed, saying, "This is the budget the board recommended, and I would be reluctant to reduce it by one nickel." The article passed as written but not by unanimous vote.
     Articles 3 and 7 both prompted a few comments after resident Bruce Wilson moved that each be reduced by half. The first provides for board of selectmen expenses and the second for the town's public safety departments. Neither of Wilson's motions was seconded, so no formal discussion took place. Currently, select board members receive an annual stipend of $2,000 and $2,500 for the chair.
     Article 10 allocates $13,000 for sheriff department/selective enforcement. Select board Chair Carol Dennison explained that this was in response to citizen comments during a recent meeting regarding drug use in the community, which prompted an agreement with the Washington County Sheriff's Department. Extra patrols have been provided, resulting in a number of speeding citations. Town Administrator John Sutherland stated that there are ongoing investigations that he could not comment on "without compromising their work." The measure passed with some opposition and without the support of the budget committee.
     The experience of last winter prompted the select board to recommend replacing the town's 2009 Sterling truck with a larger 2004 International Harvester dual‑axle truck of larger capacity. Article 11 asked the town to allocate $42,000 that, together with the trade‑in value of the Sterling truck, would allow the $58,000 purchase. "I spoke with the public works director of the town that traded it in," said Sutherland. "They have a policy to replace equipment at 10 years but would have kept it if they could." Current town equipment was unable to deal with some of the deeper snow from last winter, thus requiring outside help. The larger truck is expected to be able to make effective use of the town's V‑plow. "My biggest concern," said resident Bob Foster, "is the hours on that engine. A Cat with 9,000 hours is approaching overhaul time." "We are not opposed to a newer truck," said budget committee member Debra Holmes.      "We want a newer truck than a 2004." "We'd like to have a new truck, too," replied select board member Heather Lee, "but we can't afford it." The measure passed with some opposition.
     The next article asked the town to approve a total of $351,679 for the Public Works Department. Before discussion began, Lee moved to amend the article by reducing it by $25,000. "Since [the 2004 truck] was approved, we don't need to fully repair the Sterling," she said, at which point the budget committee withdrew their objection and the amended article passed.
     The budget committee objection to Article 13, which was to fund the recycling operation, was based on the healthcare costs involved. There was little discussion over this issue as it had been the subject of previous, lengthy conversation. Article 14 asked for $102,000 to pay tipping fees at Marion Transfer Station for the town's garbage, a 16.6% increase from the amount appropriated during the 2014 business meeting. "Marion went from six cents per pound to seven," Sutherland said. "That's nearly a 17% increase, so we had to increase our appropriation." Resident Ruta Jordans addressed the audience and pointed out, "This is one area where you can reduce our taxes." Jordans explained that taking recyclables to the town center and placing food garbage in a compost pile will reduce the amount that goes to the transfer station. "Every bit of recyclable and compostable garbage you put in the trash is costing the rest of us money," she said.
      Articles 18 through 30 dealt primarily with third party requests, which all passed quickly and with little discussion. That was not the case with Article 32, which allocated $24,000 for street lighting. "This is a pet project of mine," said budget committee member Larry Jones. "There's a lot of lights out on the highway we don't need," he said, moving to amend the article by reducing it by $5,000. When asked which lights he would shut off, he replied, "We have to look at each of them." Lee pointed out that Emera Energy charges a fee for removing a light, so any cost savings would come in the following year. "This has not been fully thought out," said Foster. The proposed amendment failed, after which the article passed as written.
      The final contentious article dealt with a request for $19,358 for the harbor office/commercial pier. Foster asked about the status of the float adjacent to the pier, which has not been put into the water this year. The question prompted a reply from resident Peter Boyce. "That float was not properly designed right from the start," Boyce said. "It should have been a foot and a half longer." The way it is now, he explained, it makes it very difficult to dock a boat because of the currents at that location. "It would be cheaper to fix than replace," he added. Harbor board member and former selectman Michael Scrivani said, "We have been throwing good money after bad for that float." The article passed, but the question of the floating dock remains open.
      With one exception, the remaining articles dealt with procedural questions. Article 43 asked the town to amend the Shellfish Conservation Ordinance by altering the ratio of resident to non‑resident commercial licenses from 5‑to‑1 to 10‑to‑1; eliminating the need for licensees over 60 to perform the mandated conservation work; and increasing license fees to cover the cost of paying for conservation work as recently required by the state. The article passed with no discussion.
T     he Town of Lubec budget, including reductions through withdrawals from undesignated funds but excluding school and county totals, is $1,237,493.