Bar Harbor Town Council Recommends Town's Comprehensive Plan to Voters
Council Chair Urges People to Run For Office
BAR HARBOR—The Bar Harbor Town Council made quick work of its meeting, Tuesday night, unanimously renewing multiple taxi licenses and voting to recommend that the voters support the town’s comprehensive plan in June.
“It’s just very exciting for me,” Town Council Chair Valerie Peacock said of the vote to recommend the plan. “This is going to be a big yes for me.”
That was basically all the discussion about the item prior to its recommendation. However, the comprehensive plan has been worked on by the town’s comprehensive planning committee, town staff, and the public for more than two years.
The plan is a broad policy document that sets the foundation for Bar Harbor’s land use regulations, and the last plan was adopted in 2007. This next plan is meant to span until 2035. There is meant to be synchronicity between the town’s land use ordinances and the insights and town goals outlined in a comprehensive plan. It’s meant to guide changes to a town’s land use ordinances.
Councilor Earl Brechlin attended via Zoom. There was no public comment.
RUN FOR COUNCIL
Both Peacock and Councilor Randy Sprague urged people to take out papers for town council. At the time of the council meeting, only Brechlin had turned in papers for one of two three-year seats. Sprague took out papers to complete a two-year term. Nina St.Germain took out papers for a one-year term. There are no candidates for the Mount Desert Island High School Board of Trustees, which has two open seats.
There are races for five warrant committee seats and two Conners Emerson School Committee seats.
“To see people not taking out papers at all is worrying,” Peacock said.
Nomination papers are available at the town clerk’s office, 93 Cottage Street, Bar Harbor. Deadline for filing nomination papers is Friday, April 11, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.
The residents of Bar Harbor will vote for these elected officials at their annual municipal election on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at the town office, 93 Cottage Street, Bar Harbor. This is also when they will vote about land use ordinance amendments and the town’s proposed comprehensive plan.
“People understand that this is a challenging seat to sit in,” Peacock said, “Thinking about everything that’s going on in the world and in national politics and just in our families and our lives and our community the things that are happening here, when you think, ‘what can i do about this, can I do anything about this,’ from my perspective this is the place where you can do something about this.”
LICENSES
The town council quickly renewed taxi licenses for Coastal Compass Taxi, At Your Service Tours, Bernard Taxi Service, Sunrise 2 Sunset Taxi, Y&P Taxi Services, Cadillac Mtn. Summit Shuttle, and Island Wonders Tour Co. All were unanimous.
COUNCIL COMMENTS
At the end of the council meeting, there is time for the councilors to give individual comments.
Vice Chair Maya Caines used her time to read a group statement from the council expressing displeasure about the Mount Desert Island Hospital’s decision to close its maternity ward, July 1. The councilors urged the hospital administration and board to rethink the decision.
Peacock mentioned the March 27 planning board workshop about the lodging moratorium. She encouraged people to watch the video of the workshop. That’s currently not possible because of a Zoom glitch.
“Those presentations were amazing,” Peacock, who attended the meeting in person, said.
Councilor Matthew Hochman expressed his sorrow at the passing of Dorothy Peterson Cooke. Cooke died on March 16 of complications of influenza.
“One of the really important things that go into our school are the teachers,” he said, mentioning Cooke, who was a sixth grade teacher who taught theater and drama. She was a very beloved teacher, he said.
“She had an extremely positive influence,” he said.
LOCAL OPTIONS SALES TAX UPDATE
Councilor Brechlin thanked Representative Gary Friendmann (D-Bar Harbor) for his work on a potential local options sales tax which passed the legislature’s taxation committee 8-5 last week.
The Maine Taxation Committee listened to public testimony on the proposal, March 12.
Rep. Friedmann’s proposal would create a 2% tax that would be added to the current 9% lodging tax for short stays. Rep. Friedmann’s proposal would allow municipalities to choose how they use the money received back from the state, which would collect it. In Friedmann’s proposal, 90% of the revenues would stay in the collecting municipalities.
He sees the tax as a tool to lower property taxes. Supporters agree.
“This bill is property tax relief for service center taxpayers who have been” dealing with increases every year, he explained to the committee, March 12.
Opponents have said the industry is already dealing with a 9% decrease in visitation last season, looming international tariffs, fluctuations in travel patterns, and the tax would be another competitive disadvantage against other states.
Bar Harbor Town Manager James Smith has said the town welcomes over 3.5 million people each year, but has only just over 5,000 residents.
“The cost of supporting tourism is outpacing our ability to pay for it,” Smith testified at that March meeting.
Police and fire departments, water, and wastewater are examples of what the town has to support at an increased capacity because of the influx of tourists and seasonal residents each year.
“The capacity has to exist to support the level of intensity,” Smith said. “It really does hit across a whole spectrum of municipal services.”
“We are reaching a breaking point,” Smith added. “Property taxes continue to rise.”
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Rick Osann Art.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
Update: A link to the comprehensive plan was stripped out when we shared this article. We’ve relinked it, and now we’re including it here as well: https://www.barharbormaine.gov/501/Comprehensive-Plan
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