TELEPHONE DIRECTORY TOWN OF BAR HARBOR Website: www.barharbormaine.gov Ambulance: Emergency 911 Other Business 288-5554 Assessor ([email protected]) 288-3320 Code Enforcement ([email protected]) 288-3329 Finance Department ([email protected]) 288-5096 Fire Department: Emergency 911 Other Business 288-5554 Harbormaster ([email protected]) 288-5571 Planning Department ([email protected]) 288-3329 Police Department: Annual Report of Bar Harbor • 2013 Town Emergency 911 Other Business ([email protected]) 288-3391 Public Works Department Public Works Director ([email protected]) 288-1026 Highway Division ([email protected]) 288-4681 Solid Waste Division ([email protected] ) 288-4464 Transfer Station ([email protected] ) 288-5201 Wastewater Division ([email protected]) 288-4028 Water Division ([email protected]) 288-3555 Town Clerk ([email protected]) 288-4098 Town Manager ([email protected]) 288-4098 Tax Collector ([email protected]) 288-5096 Schools Website: Elementary: http://ces.barhbr.com - District: www.mdirss.org Conners Emerson School 288-3631/5708 MDI High School – Principal 288-5011 TOWN BOARDS & COMMITTEES Meeting Schedule Town Council 7:00 p.m. 1st & 3rd Tuesday Board of Appeals 7:00 p.m. As needed 2nd Tuesday Town of Conservation Commission 7:00 p.m. 2nd Monday Design Review Board 3:00 p.m. 2nd & 4th Thursday Harbor Committee 4:00 p.m. 2nd Monday Marine Resources Committee 4:00 p.m. 3rd Wednesday Parks and Recreation Committee 4:30 p.m. As needed 1st & 3rdMonday Planning Board 6:00 p.m. 1st & 3rd Wednesday Bar Harbor School Board – 2013 Annual Report Bar Harbor 4:30 p.m. 1st Monday High School 7:00 p.m. 2nd Monday 79050 Bar Harbor Town Report Cover.indd 1 5/5/14 1:49 PM Town of Bar Harbor 2013 Annual Report Annual Town Meeting On June 3, 2014 Open Town Meeting 7:00 p.m. ~ Held in Emerson School Gymnasium ~ ~ Voter Check-in Required ~ “Open Town Meeting”, June 3, all Voters check-in at the table in the lobby outside the gym doors to obtain a voter card prior to entering the Town Meeting. Voters are encouraged to arrive at least 30 minutes before the meeting is scheduled to begin. LD#1, Property Tax Relief, requires voter hand count and written ballot on several Articles. June 10, 2014 Election of Officers Polls Open 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. Cover Photo by Justin Van Dongen, Assessor Municipal Building was designed by local architect Frederick L. Savage in 1907. Formerly the Bar Harbor High School until 1968. 1 Left Blank Intentionally 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS MUNICIPAL DEPARTMENT REPORTS Town Council Goals 5 Town Manager’s Report 7 Town Clerk’s Report 9 Finance Department 11 Assessing Division 16 Planning Department 19 Code Enforcement Division 24 Fire Department 26 Ambulance Division 29 Police Department 31 Harbor Department 36 Public Works Department 38 CONNERS-EMERSON SCHOOL COMMITTEE Principal’s Report 45 MDI REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE MDI Regional School System 50 MDI High School Principal 53 MDI School District Trustees 59 MDI Adult & Community Education 61 BOARD & COMMITTEE REPORTS Chamber of Commerce 63 Housing Authority 65 STATE REPRESENTATIVE 66 STATE SENATOR 67 GOVERNOR 68 U.S. REPRESENTATIVE 69 U.S. SENATOR -Collins 70 U. S. SENATOR-King 71 FINANCIAL REPORTS Warrant Committee Subcommittees 72 Auditor’s Report 73 Unpaid Taxes and Tax Liens 81 Budget for 2014-2015 89 Capital Improvement Program 103 Capital Improvement Program Year by Year Overview 120 Warrant Committee Nominees for 2014-2015 130 NOTICE OF TOWN MEETING WARRANT 131 3 TOWN COUNCIL and TOWN MANAGER Left to right, back to front: Christopher Walsh, David Bowden, Peter St. Germain, Robert Garland, Paul Paradis, Town Manager Dana Reed, Chair Ruth Eveland, Vice-Chair Gary Friedmann. 4 Bar Harbor Town Council Vision statement The Bar Harbor Town Council is resolute in its commitment to promoting a sustainable and resilient community. Efficient use of public funds, good governance in accordance with the Town Charter and citizen involvement will ensure ample access to goods, ser- vices, housing and education and afford our diverse residents and visitors an outstanding quality of life. 2014 Five Year Goals ~ FY14 through FY19 ~ A. Taxes and Other Revenues 1. Council will present to Town Meeting a Municipal Budget that will keep property tax increases to a minimum. ~ Council ~ A Continuous Goal 2. Work to identify opportunities to match potential revenues to incurred expenses to minimize impact on property tax payers. ~ Council ~ A Continuous Goal 3. The Town Manager will submit a General Fund Budget to Council, along with a re- port that shows how we might achieve a budget with no net tax rate increase. ~ Man- ager ~ FY15 4. To insure equity among all property tax payers, complete a property tax revaluation of all commercial properties. ~ Finance Director ~ FY16 B. Environment 1. Reduce the operating cost and the light pollution of all new and replacement lights with dark sky compliant and aesthetically appropriate fixtures. ~ Manager ~ A Con- tinuous Goal 2. Ensure that the water quality of Frenchman Bay is preserved by working with local, state and federal agencies and committees. ~ Marine Resources Committee ~ A Con- tinuous Goal C. Planning for Our Future 1. Adopt a new land use ordinance that everyone can grudgingly accept and agree to en- force. ~ Town Manager ~ FY18 2. Complete a no-cost evaluation of the Town's rooftops for the feasibility of installing photovoltaic panels to reduce the Town's energy costs. ~ Public Works Director ~ FY15 3. Develop and enact a Land Use Ordinance amendment to make existing shorefront cottage rentals conforming. ~ Code Enforcement Officer ~ FY15 5 D. Services 1. Hire an assistant town manager in order to develop the management structure needed to address current deficiencies in planning and economic development. ~ Town Man- ager ~ FY15 2. Update the website to better serve the public and staff by making it user friendly, easy to update and comprehensive. ~ Finance Director ~ FY14 3. Review the organizational structure of the Fire Department to ensure that staffing is adequate. ~ Council ~ FY15 E. Infrastructure 1. Support, monitor and actively engage MDOT and our State and Federal delegations to ensure Route 3 reconstruction is completed. ~ Route Three Task Force ~ A Con- tinuous Goal 2. Support, monitor, and actively engage Federal, State and Canadian officials, as well as other interested parties, to ensure that the ferry terminal remains a maritime facility for cruise ship berths and to ensure that any potential future ferry service has a pub- licly owned place to land in Bar Harbor. ~ Council ~ A Continuous Goal 3. Encourage and assist the Maine Port Authority to acquire the ferry terminal. ~ Coun- cil ~ A Continuous Goal 4. Sustain and grow cruise ship visitation within limits set by the Town Council on a yearly basis, to ensure that the income stream from cruise visitation continues to make Maine Port Authority acquisition of the ferry terminal viable. ~ Council ~ A Continuous Goal 5. Investigate options for construction of a parking garage, including the use of a pub- lic/private partnership. ~ Town Manager ~ FY14 6. Replace the Town Pier Railings. ~ Public Works Director ~ FY14 7. Sell the old Water Company garage. ~ Finance Director ~ FY14 8. Build a consolidated Public Works facility at the Hulls Cove site, which includes a new Town Garage. ~ Public Works Director ~ FY14 9. Complete a master plan for the transfer station. ~ Public Work Director ~ FY14 10. Design, fund and rebuild Harborview Park, including visitor information, an expand- ed deck and boardwalk, dinghy space, a float and kayak lockers. ~ Public Works Di- rector ~ FY16 11. Explore the feasibility of construction of a sidewalk from the Town Hill Playground to the Knox Road. ~ Public Works Director ~ FY15 12. Partner with the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce to support implementation of the Downtown signage plan and placement of the signs. ~ Town Manager ~ FY15 13. Determine the issues involved in creating bicycle lanes on the Crooked Road. ~ Planning Director ~ FY16 F. Governance 1. Explore possible adoption of a Code of Conduct. ~ Council Chair ~ FY14 6 TOWN MANAGER The Year 2013 has been just as exciting as ever, even more exciting than we would have liked at times, but we still managed get a lot done despite it all. We started the year on a high note, as assistant fire chief Matt Bartlett bested a field of 91 candidates from throughout the United States and donned the Fire Chief’s hat. Matt has done an outstanding job in his first year and deserves thanks from us all. He’s already expanded collaboration with area departments and increased outreach to potential volunteers. If you think you may have an interest in assisting either the Ambulance Ser- vice or the Fire Department as a member of our call force, please give Chief Bartlett a call. Our new Fire Chief’s first day was closely followed by the beginning of budget season, a grueling eight month process punctuated by three Town Council workshops, seven Warrant Committee meetings and two public hearings, then topped off by annual Town Meeting. Although long and drawn out, the process does work, as proven by the minimal 1.9% increase in the tax rate last year, just barely more than the 1.7% Social Se- curity increase and despite substantial state cuts to the Municipal Revenue Sharing pro- gram. Another highlight of our year was the rollout of our new Town website. If you’ve yet to visit our upgraded site, I encourage you to do so at www.barharbormaine.gov. Our new website includes even more data and services not previously available to the public and makes it much easier to navigate the public notices, meeting minutes, even copies of most documents used by Council members at their meetings.