KENNEBUNK – Voters here agreed to form a charter commission and elected a slate of six commission candidates, agreed to change the retirement plan for first responders, and agreed to a number of other referendum questions in local balloting Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Voters overwhelmingly agreed to a establish a charter commission 4,043 to 2,168. They elected Chris Babbidge with 3,978 votes; Christian Babcock, 2,633; Susan Bloomfield, 2,949; Brenda Robinson, 3,006; Stephen Sayers, 2,479 and Edward Trainer, with 2,318 votes, to the charter commission. Candidate John Costin, who earned 2,183 votes, was not elected.
Voters agreed 4,081-2,373 to change the retirement plan for police and fire employees to Maine Public Retirement System Plan 1C, which provides a 20-year, 50-percent-pay retirement package to police and fire personnel. The current plan requires first responders to work 25 years before retiring at 50 percent pay.
Proponents said at time when it is difficult to retain and attract first responders, the proposal to sweeten Kennebunk’s retirement offering will help.
The plan change adds about $79,662 to current retirement pension costs from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2023, and then about $159,000 annually for the next 15 years, for a total of about $2.3 million to the Maine Public Employees Retirement System. The question also contained a provision that allows the town to bond the payment over 15 years, rather than pay the retirement system annually, which could potentially save some money. If the interest rate was 5 percent, an example used in the referendum, the annual extra levy would be about $141,000 rather than $159,000, and the total payback $2.1 million.
Voters agreed 3,324-3,123 to increase the $11.2 million so-called L.D 1 property tax levy limit by an additional $2.5 million.
They agreed to appropriate $614,605 from Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act and to authorize the select board to expend the funds for expenses related to the town’s response and to recovery from the COVID-19 public health emergency, 4,449-1,994.
Voters agreed 5,227-1,195 to have the select board negotiate and enter into an agreement with another municipality or public agency for dispatch services for Kennebunk for up to three years and to appropriate $377,051 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024; up to $392,124 for fiscal year ending June 30, 2025; and up to $407,818 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.
Lobster Lane will now become a town way, following a vote of 4,287-2,022.
Voters authorized the select board to take steps to transfer the town -owned parcel Tax Map 51, Lot 52 to Garden Street Bowl, Inc., and to accept a deed from Garden Street Bowl for Tax Map 51, Lot 62, 5,567-854.
They agreed to adopt changes to the town’s zoning ordinance as it pertains to wetlands, 4,906-1,281.
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