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Select Board endorses May town-meeting warrant items including $1M for a salt-and-sand shed and sewer upgrades
Summary
The Mount Desert Select Board recommended several warrant articles for the May 2026 town meeting, including authorization of up to $1 million in bonds for a new sand-and-salt shed, reallocating leftover bond funds for sewer upgrades in Northeast Harbor and Seal Harbor, and a $200,000 transfer to reduce the tax commitment.
The Mount Desert Select Board voted to recommend multiple warrant articles for the May 4–5, 2026 annual town meeting, notably an authorization to issue up to $1 million in general obligation bonds for a new sand-and-salt shed at the town garage and a proposal to use remaining bond funds from 2018–2024 for sewer-collection upgrades in Northeast Harbor and Seal Harbor.
On Article 22 the board discussed replacing an undersized storage shed at the town garage with a larger facility able to store more sand and salt and to allow more on-site mixing and truck staging. "We're finally going to bite the bullet and get this thing built," a board member said as the board voted to recommend the article to voters.
Article 23 would repurpose unspent balances from prior bond authorizations to pay for two sewer projects described by town staff Brian: repairs to wastewater lines behind Memory Lane (near the Dockider) to reduce infiltration into the Sea Street pump station, and a substantial replacement of an undersized, aging sewer line under Jordan Pond Road that includes a roughly 22‑foot‑deep manhole and a directional bore to avoid impacting the carriage-road bridge.
Article 33 would authorize the board to transfer up to $200,000 from the town's capital gains reserve account to reduce the 2026–27 tax commitment; staff said the transfer would come from investment earnings (not principal) and estimated it would lower the mill rate by approximately six cents. The board recommended passage.
The board also moved to recommend ratification of overdrafts for fiscal 2024–25: $163,260 for public safety (attributed to overtime wages and benefits for firefighters covering shifts during staffing shortages), $17,476 for street-light repairs, and $4,459 for general assistance owing to higher-than-expected requests. Town staff explained bond proceeds cannot be used for one-time operating expenses, which is why the overdrafts must be ratified rather than funded from bond funds.
All of these recommendations will be presented to town voters at the May 4–5 annual town meeting; the board approved the warrant and signed it at the meeting.
