Town Meetings – Town of Blue Hill

Toddy Pond Dam Cost Calculator

09/13/2025 scott (Five-Town Dam Committee, Town Meetings)

With the legislation to authorize formation of a Toddy Pond Watershed Management District complete and the question and appropriation to be on Blue Hill’s November town meeting ballot, many people have asked what the cost would be for them personally–whether they own waterfront property on Toddy Pond or not.

The Watershed Management Districts

Under legislation passed earlier this year, voters in the four towns abutting Toddy Pond and Alamoosook Lake will vote in November on whether to form two Districts, the Toddy Pond Watershed Management District and the Alamoosook Lake Watershed Management District, and to appropriate taxpayer funds for the Districts’ first fiscal year.

Estimated Costs of Ownership

Everyone involved recognizes that most property owners and voters want to understand what the likely costs of assuming ownership of the dams creating those water bodies will be. To assist waterfront property owners and other town voters in understanding these costs, and putting them into perspective, volunteers have prepared two “Dam Ownership Cost Estimators” — one for the Towns of Blue Hill, Penobscot, and Surry and another for Orland. (Orland is more complicated because it has properties abutting both Toddy Pond and Alamoosook Lake.)

You can access the cost estimators here:

https://damcalc.bluehillme.gov

Before the Town vote…

There will be a public hearing on the referendum question scheduled during the second half of October. Watch for the announcement.

Special Town Meeting Results

08/24/2025 scott (Select Board, Town Meetings)

At the Special Town Meeting held this evening, Blue Hill voters voted on four articles. Here are the unofficial results (to be confirmed by the moderator and Town Clerk):

Election of Moderator

Jeff Milliken

Article 2: Purchase of real estate for a relocated public safety building and land used by the Consolidated School

The article was approved by written ballot:
Yea: 227
Nay: 73
Blank Ballots: 13

Article 3: Confirming previous sale of real property

The article was approved by show of hands

Article 4: Amendments to Harbor Ordinance

The article was approved by show of hands

The Select Board thanks all of the approximately 300 voters who attended the meeting and who were gracious enough to help the Town work through the complications of having far greater turnout than the original, offical venue could accommodate.

Special Town Meeting TOMORROW, Sunday, at 5:00pm

08/23/2025 scott (Select Board, Town Meetings)

Blue Hill voters are encouraged to attend the Special Town Meeting tomorrow to consider whether to approve a substantial investment of town resources toward the potential relocation of the town’s fire station and ambulance service headquarters.

Date/Time/Subject Matter

As previously announced, the Special Town Meeting will be held tomorrow, August 24 at 5:00pm to elect a moderator and consider three other articles, including the proposed purchase of the land and building at 30 Tenney Hill for a relocated fire station/ambulance building.

The full warrant is available here.

Possible Relocation of Meeting Venue

The warrant calls for the Town Meeting to be held in the Gordon Emerson Auditorium at the Town Hall. Given the strong voter interest in the proposed relocation article and the high turnout for last Thursday’s informational meeting (which almost filled the Gordon Emerson Auditorium to capacity), the Select Board plans to make a motion to recess the meeting immediately after a moderator is elected and sworn in and to reconvene as soon as possible (such as 15-20 minutes later) at the George Stevens Academy gymnasium. Assuming that motion is adopted, we expect discussion of Article 2, the one regarding the property purchase and financing, to begin around 5:20-5:30pm at the GSA gym—but both the specific timing and the effort to relocate the meeting will be subject to the vote of registered voters in attendance at the Town Hall. After consideration and action on that matter, the remaining two articles will be considered.

Staff will be available at both locations (Town Hall and the GSA Gymnasium) at 4:30pm to check in registered Blue Hill voters and provide them with voting slips.

Special Town Meeting Warrant Posted

08/15/2025 scott (Town Meetings, Warrants)

The Select Board approved and signed a warrant calling a Special Town Meeting for Sunday, August 24 at 5:00pm, to be held in the Gordon Emerson Auditorium at the Town Hall.

The meeting has been called for the Town to vote on 1) the purchase (and financing) of property for the potential relocation of the fire station, 2) approval of a prior sale of Town-owned land, and 3) amendments to the Harbor Ordinance that would be in effect for calendar 2026.

There will also be an informational meeting on Thursday, August 21 at 6:30pm, also in the Town Hall Auditorium.

The warrant is posted on the Town Hall bulletin board, at the Hannaford’s bulletin board, and here on the Town website.

2025 Budget Presentation

03/30/2025 scott (Budget Committee, Presentations, School Committee, Select Board, Town Meetings)

For those who could not attend Thursday’s information session on the 2025 budget, a copy of the PowerPoint presentation is now available. The presentation describes the major contributors to the overall budget and how the budget is proposed to be funded.

And the presentation provides an estimate of the 2025 property tax impact, assuming all of the “money” articles to be voted on at Town Meeting are approved: an 8.7% increase in property taxes.

2024 Annual Reports Available at Town Hall

03/30/2025 scott (Presentations, Town Meetings, Town Office)

The printed 2024 Annual Reports, with the 2025 Annual Town Meeting warrant, have been printed and are available for pick-up at the Town Hall.

Town Meeting and 2025 Property Tax Preview

03/26/2025 scott (Public Hearings, Select Board, Town Meetings)

Thursday, March 27 at 6pm

Want to have a pre-Town Meeting peek at what your 2025 property taxes might be?

Have want to understand the referendum questions (voted on April 4) or the various appropriations to be considered at the open town meeting on April 5?
Have questions about the budget underlying those appropriations?
Want to educate yourself about any other Town Meeting articles before the actual meeting?

The Blue Hill Select Board will hold a public meeting on Thursday, March 27 at 6:00pm in the Town Hall auditorium to address these matters. If you haven’t already seen the 2024 Annual Report and 2025 Warrant, please download a copy.