Although the 2025 budget won’t be set until our Annual Town Meeting in April, the developments around what to do with the Toddy Pond dam have caused the four abutting towns to develop a survey of residents and waterfront property owners to better understand whether and, if so, how much municipal funds (i.e., property taxes) should be used to support the future ownership and operating costs of the dams.
We are looking for the broadest possible representation of Blue Hill voters (and others’) views on this matter via a very short survey.
Needless to say, the four towns (Blue Hill, Orland, Penobscot, and Surry) would prefer that the state or a robust private owner step forward to assume ownership of the dam. But the towns also believe that they should develop a plan for consideration by each town’s voters in the event a third party does not step up.
In addition to the survey, there will be a public information/input session held in each town; the Blue Hill session will be on Wednesday, February 12, beginning at 6:00pm at the Town Hall auditorium.
More information about the process to date can be found here.