Harpswell voters will decide four local referendum questions on the Nov. 4 ballot, including a new comprehensive plan that has drawn considerable attention and debate.
The comprehensive plan had been slated to go before voters at the March 2024 Town Meeting. However, the vote was delayed by a year after some residents objected to certain recommendations, including those intended to promote affordable housing. The extra year was used to hold more neighborhood meetings and make revisions based on public input.
The vote was delayed again in March 2025 when attendance at Town Meeting exceeded the venue’s capacity, forcing local leaders to reschedule the meeting and move some warrant items to secret ballots to prevent overcrowding. Many residents’ objections to the plan persisted, leading to more revisions.
Two previously stated goals were deleted: one to limit the conversion of existing housing into short-term rentals, and another to encourage the creation of more attainable housing through changes to land use regulations.
The revised plan also removed multiple references to the work and recommendations of the town’s Affordable Housing Working Group, which recommended various small-scale initiatives to boost the number of modestly priced homes.
One of the plan’s most vocal critics in the past, Planning Board Chair Amy Haible, said it is now “more balanced” and not so focused on affordable housing. She said it “should be passable” now, adding that the town should focus more on “preserving potable water, fishable oceans, our local economy, and habitat protection.”
Another former critic, Select Board member Matt Gilley, said that while no version of the plan would please everyone, he believes it is now as good as it can be and should be approved by voters.
It would be the sixth comprehensive plan Harpswell has adopted, and the first major update in two decades. A comprehensive plan is a long-range plan for the future of a community. It collects data about the town and contains advice for town officials, but does not have the force of law.
Harpswell’s plan was written with help from the Yarmouth-based planning firm Viewshed. It is about 270 pages long and includes nearly 250 recommendations on more than a dozen long-term issues facing the town.
Sections of the plan cover Harpswell’s marine economy, marine resources, freshwater resources, natural resources, recreation and community services, public facilities, transportation, fiscal capacity, economy, historic and archeological resources, agriculture and forestry, housing, and land use.
An 11-member task force made up of local officials and residents developed the plan. The task force held more than 50 public meetings, including a series of drop-in sessions for residents to ask questions and a call-in show on Harpswell Community TV.
Other local items
Harpswell voters will consider three other referendum questions on the local ballot.
One would allow the town to accept gifts and to apply for and accept grants for improvements to the Trufant-Summerton Athletic Field, including a proposed playground, as the board deems appropriate.
Another question would authorize a multiyear contract with Webber Enterprises Inc., of Harpswell, to locate emergency communications equipment on a tower at 26 Keri Drive, off Cundy’s Harbor Road. It also would transfer $50,000 from the town’s unassigned fund balance to its emergency services equipment reserve for purchase and installation. The reserve currently holds about $111,000.
Town Fire Administrator Mike Drake has said the addition of a repeater in northeast Harpswell would close a coverage gap that remains despite recent upgrades. “If there were a trapped firefighter or an (emergency medical technician) calling for help, those calls, at this point, may go unheard,” Drake said.
The fourth article would authorize the board to accept an easement from Henry L’Heureux, owner of 71 Bethel Point Road, allowing the town to install, maintain and operate a dry hydrant on the property.
The dry hydrant — a fixed pipe that lets fire trucks pump water from a local water body — would replace an aging, unusable one on Millstone Road and provide the most effective water supply for the Cundy’s Harbor village, Drake said.
Statewide questions
Voters also will weigh in on two statewide referendum questions.
Question 1 would require voters to present a photo ID to vote and would overhaul the rules for absentee voting, according to The Maine Monitor. It would eliminate two days of absentee voting and bar requests for absentee ballots by phone or for another person, such as a family member.
The measure would repeal automatic, ongoing absentee status for older people and those with disabilities, ban prepaid postage on absentee ballot returns, limit the number of drop boxes, and require photo ID for both in-person and absentee voting.
Supporters contend the changes would boost election “security and transparency,” and ensure a level playing field for all voters, the Monitor reported. Critics have called it a “voter suppression measure” that adds new hurdles to voting — especially for older people, rural voters and those with disabilities.
Question 2 would create a new “extreme risk protection order” law allowing police or family members to ask a judge to temporarily take away someone’s firearms if they are deemed a danger to themselves or others, according to the Monitor.
The measure is similar to “red flag” laws in other states, but would require law enforcement to investigate and provide evidence before a court could act.
Supporters say it could help prevent suicides and mass shootings, while opponents — including Gov. Janet Mills — argue it threatens due process and could be misused to confiscate guns from law-abiding citizens.
Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Harpswell Community School.
