[0:18] Good evening, Maple Dupot, and this is the August 27th, 27th meeting of the budget board.

[0:34] I'm going to call them meeting to order. We have a quorum. And, Laurie, you can take it from him. So, good evening. Thank you for joining us on short notice. And in the summer months. Tonight, we have the

[0:49] for you. Question four on the warrant that I just passed out to you. Question four has

[0:55] to do with funding for winter prelude in 2026. So I'm sure you have been following along

[1:01] in regards to the mask gathering ordinance. And question three deals with amendments to that

[1:07] ordinance. But if that question passes and those amendments are implemented, we still need

[1:15] an appropriation from the town in order to allow for that funding to take place.

[1:24] So the question made shall the town appropriate $17,500 from undesignated funds to be used

[1:30] to fund municipal services related to one-doc square, tree lighting, one-case-purpose tree

[1:35] lighting, and one-per-rate during winter prelude.

[1:38] So that's the question that the select board is bringing to the voters.

[1:42] There is a note of explanation under this, there has been a lot of feedback on the note

[1:48] of explanation and has gone back and forth.

[1:52] This is the note that made it through the attorney.

[1:56] The attorney's review felt that some of the wording that we were suggesting would be considered

[2:03] lobbying and a note of explanation can't lobby or the question could be found unlawful and

[2:11] wouldn't be upheld. So this is the note of explanation she has authorized. So this would not

[2:19] be coming from another tax bill but from a designated fund since it's this late in the budget season.

[2:26] I don't know if the budget board has any questions. So my question is if question three does not pass

[2:36] then question four is move. I would say yes. Okay. So even if we approve it, even if the voters approve it, if the voters did not approve question three, then those amendments wouldn't be possible, so the funding would not be available.

[2:54] And if they approve question three, but don't approve question four, then there's no funding, then we would be able to do it for the year coming, but this year we would not have the funding.

[3:07] Okay.

[3:08] Everybody understand that it is a kind of like together, these questions.

[3:24] So I just have a concern, I talked to Mary Beth about the overall vote interpretation,

[3:35] the original vote that we had, the one, two and three options, whatever.

[3:40] She explained to me the methodology, I think, of the things we have before.

[3:47] We talked for a while. I still have a concern with that, the way that interpretation was.

[3:53] I get the concept of whatever.

[3:59] But anyway, so that's my sticking point.

[4:05] You know, it kind of goes back to when we were having all those meetings and people would get up and talk and whatever.

[4:13] I remember someone saying kind of jokingly, but turned out somewhat the same way in my opinion is when we did the town hall, you know, and we, everything failed except for the bird one dose.

[4:28] And I think, and they want us by having the three options there that something like that might be into interpretation and concern.

[4:37] That said, I'm not sure if I really agree with, not that really matters, but I don't really agree with what the interpretation was in further thought.

[4:50] So I'll just go on record to make that statement.

[4:53] And based on that statement, I do for the funding of Braylon, I think that we should fully fund it.

[5:02] And this is not the discussion to hear.

[5:05] But with that feeling, I probably, I'll think up to the last second, but I'm probably going about against this article for that reason.

[5:20] I know it doesn't mean anything.

[5:22] No, I think that's why we have a budget for the line in the sand for me, so you're not alone. Just leave me now. Okay.

[5:34] I mean, I appreciate the budget board's sentiment in regards to that. I would caution you about how some voters might taking negative vote on the budget board's behalf, and they might interpret it differently.

[5:47] And I think making a public sentiment and then focused on the funding for 2027 may be a better use of your vote.

[5:57] But that's a new decision.

[6:00] I'm not quite trying to be I'm sorry.

[6:02] I'm saying if you vote no on the recommendation, I think people will think you think we shouldn't funded at all.

[6:09] Right.

[6:11] That's it. I mean, because remember, this is going to be a referendum vote. So we won't have an open-town meeting to talk about it.

[6:19] The thing is, the interpretation is what got us to this point anyway. So I hear what you're saying.

[6:27] And we probably couldn't fund more because the ordinance only says we can fund the dog square

[6:39] tree lighting that keep what is tree lighting in one grade. Well, that's chicken NATO. I mean,

[6:45] the ordinance could have been different too, right? So it could have been, but that's not what's being

[6:53] So that's why we can only fund $17,000.

[6:56] I get it. We can't, you know, all of a sudden turn it to $3,000,000 or something like that, right?

[7:01] It's what you're saying.

[7:03] Right.

[7:03] Yeah.

[7:04] I get it.

[7:09] So I have a similar sentiment.

[7:12] I appreciate you starting with that. Hopefully you can hear me.

[7:17] I know that this proposal is an attempt to find a mental path, and you all were very

[7:28] limited by time.

[7:29] It has been a very difficult, a fractious series of conversations, so I don't want to

[7:36] minimize the care that went into arriving at this and the desire to try to make sure that

[7:43] you are proposing something that will actually pass. That's realistic. That's real. I too would

[7:52] have preferred to vote on fully funding. I understand why not. My concern is that I think

[8:00] without a very thoughtful communication plan about why this is in the language that's being

[8:07] proposed to the voters, you are, it will be possible for people to spend this up. I mean,

[8:14] people are going to spend it up anyway, but possible for people to spend it up into, you know,

[8:20] they didn't listen to us because clearly the majority of people voted for option C.

[8:26] So I appreciate the rise language, no?

[8:32] So this is a chance for the budget board to talk, sorry, but could you help us?

[8:40] So if you have a question, then the board would certainly be happy to.

[8:44] I want to ask you more.

[8:50] John Dykstra of the board, just in rough numbers, the option C, which was for full funding, was

[8:58] on the order of 700 votes.

[9:01] option B, which was for 50% was on the order of 400 votes, and option A, which was for

[9:09] no funding, was on the order of 600 votes. So full funding, 750% or none was 1,000. So

[9:19] it wasn't the majority of the people. It wasn't polarity, but this wasn't a polarity vote.

[9:24] This was a poll. So just. Yeah, thank you. You're correct about that. I think it's a matter of interpretation. And again, I want my comments to be understood as fully supportive of the select board and really difficult path that you all have followed.

[9:41] I'm just saying from my perspective, I will vote yes on this because I don't feel like I have a choice.

[9:46] But as I think I've said before, as a member of the public commenting, I think it's very important that we engage in a process to convene the business community and leaders from the select board and others in some thoughtful process so that in 2027 to the extent that there needs to be some resolution of this

[10:09] really uncomfortable place that everybody's feeling like I hope that we will put the

[10:13] time and energy into that so that we don't end up with a continued division and lack of

[10:18] understanding. Everybody has just this much of the information and just as I have an impression,

[10:23] thank you for correcting it, but everybody seeing this through their own lens and that's really

[10:28] all I wanted to say is I really hope that we can find a way to convene a group of interested

[10:34] parties and come up with something that just feels better for everybody who's you know we all want

[10:40] what's best for the town thank you thank you thank you so to follow I look at this sort of

[10:47] most like rent choice vote in order so if you did that you get a different situation maybe I don't

[10:54] melt but I think when you put up three options we were set up to have something like this happen

[11:05] right

[11:05] I agree with him, but to start with, I thought at the time that we had to vote to put three options on there was going to give problems because you're not going to have a yes or no, anybody can do.

[11:24] I would really like to know more about that.

[11:29] Yeah, just to address that, it was never intended to be a yes or no.

[11:34] Well, I was in a polarity vote.

[11:36] This was to take the temperature of the town,

[11:39] at to what level they would wish to fund prelude.

[11:44] And rather than making a binary, we gave an option to have at least some funding.

[11:49] So, to me, I think it would be honest with you, if it had gone binary, it very well might have been zero

[11:56] when you look at the numbers. So, I'm curious why people are so concerned about the three options.

[12:02] Why would you, if you're taking a-

[12:04] No, it's not concern.

[12:05] If you're taking a poll, I'll road down the wrong way.

[12:09] Fair.

[12:09] It just seems to be a road down the wrong way to see, had three options sitting on a ballot.

[12:15] But they weren't black and white options. It was a degree.

[12:18] So you think people in there when they vote, they read the details and know that logic and whatever, probably not.

[12:25] Thank you.

[12:27] I can just make one comment.

[12:29] So Mary Beth Gilbert, Select Board member, I think, you know, we said this publicly and we had a lot of discussions around it.

[12:38] But it really was about understanding that spread.

[12:41] and we did here because what gets lost in the select board meetings are the people that don't

[12:49] come and speak in the mic, the people that call us, the people that stop us and write us. So we had a

[12:56] strong sense that there was a strong division within the town. We didn't know to the point, but we knew

[13:06] enough that if we had a polarity vote to John's point, it could have went one way, because

[13:13] somebody would have been forced into it. We really wanted to see that spread, you know.

[13:17] And in reality, there's nothing wrong in trying to understand the spread of the community.

[13:22] And we did have a resident who spoke to the board after when we were deciding what the

[13:28] referendum was going to be. And she addressed the board and said, you know, if you put C on,

[13:35] I'm one of the B voters that won't vote C. That is too far for me, you know?

[13:41] So we acknowledge that 441 votes in the middle.

[13:45] We acknowledge the 660 at A, and we acknowledge the 700 at, and see, there's 87 votes difference

[13:54] between C and A. And that's something that really gets lost, and, you know, when we at

[13:59] when the vote ended and people were like, well, C1, no, you know, and we've been explaining

[14:06] that and talking and the board has been doing to your point Elizabeth, we spend a lot of

[14:10] time talking, right? So we spent a lot of time talking with residents, residents feel

[14:15] I think better coming up and talking to us and the street and the wherever. And then we can

[14:23] have a really nice discussion and they can tell us comfortably where they reside and they

[14:27] on camera and make a point. But we know enough to know that the town would like to support

[14:35] prelude and we're pretty sure that if we give this option that this is the one that's

[14:39] going to pass. And that's why we put this on for 2026 because Tina and KBA are planning

[14:47] basically for no funding right now because that's the ordinance. So we're hoping that this

[14:52] is going to pass. And, you know, it was a five-zero vote from the budget, from the select board.

[15:00] We put a lot of thought into it because we really want to try to help KBA for 2026 as well as, you know, ongoing forward years. So that that's, I hope I gave you a little bit more color to, you know, what we hear that doesn't come over, you know, the select board meetings, but what we actually hear personally. Thanks. Well, I'm sorry if that sounded so negative, but, but I, but I just, I just felt like even at the time that three, three way votes was going to

[15:30] be problem because once you get on me, you don't know where you are related.

[15:36] And that's just my thought.

[15:38] Anyway, that's the point.

[15:40] I'm in favor of spending $17,000.

[15:42] We haven't argued over this level of money in years.

[15:50] So let's spend $17,000, I'm going to make a motion.

[15:57] Just at one's qualifications to your point or whatever the town does spend $17,000 is not all on the money.

[16:06] Man, I drove a different way and I turned around in the $10,000 partial or whatever, which I voted against.

[16:14] and still go and record about it, you know, and in addition to that, I loaded in here,

[16:22] I wasn't on the budget board, I was just a resident, but I else, you know, we spend money

[16:31] for things that doesn't attract that many people.

[16:35] I mean, I'm not rehashing, but I am, you know, the vote launch, you know, I don't measure

[16:41] is heavily used, it's a lot of issues with it, but nevertheless, that was a lot of money for that too.

[16:50] But I think that, you know, I think we should fully fund it, that's not what we're here for,

[16:57] but that's why I might instill, I think, a little bit against it.

[17:02] So you're sorry to point more on the side of the slide.

[17:06] I'll move that we approve question for as written or if you'd like me to spell it out

[17:14] to appropriate $17,500 from the undesignated fund balance.

[17:20] My second.

[17:22] Okay, we've got first and second.

[17:24] Any more additional comments?

[17:27] All right.

[17:29] All those in favor?

[17:33] And opposed?

[17:35] All right.

[17:35] Six to one.

[17:39] That's it.

[17:43] Any second? Second on adjournment? Oh, second.

[17:51] But the person who came to light is weird.

[17:54] Thank you.

Kennebunkport Budget Board

Transcript