Oct 08, 2025
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BAR HARBOR—Stabilizing the town’s tax base. Housing. Sustainable tourism. Infrastructure and town government improvements. The environment and climate.
These categories hold the town council’s goals that were generated from a previous workshop at Machias Savings Bank last month.
On Tuesday night, during another workshop, the councilors heard Town Manager James Smith relate staff work around the council’s objectives for the town that is heavily impacted by Acadia National Park as well as a seasonal influx of tourists and summer residents.
Only three members of the public attended the workshop in person. There was a live streaming option as well.
“There’s work that happened behind the scenes to try to process all this,” Town Council Chair Valerie Peacock said of a duo of documents discussed. “We’re still trying to work through this process.”
Work on finer objectives stemming from the draft of council goals had been done previously by Smith and Peacock and then town staff before heading into the council’s October 7 workshop. Part of that work was mapping from a high goal level to eventually on-the-ground action items and different goals may need different processes, Smith said. That work continues.
Smith shared a draft work plan from the town’s departments during the workshop, which Peacock attended via Zoom and Vice Chair Maya Caines ran.
Peacock said that she tried to capture the consensus of all the councilors in the goals document though there may be differences toward getting to solutions. The goals are interconnected as well and overlap in many areas.
“We want to make sure that when we’re creating new fees for development, we’re not disincentivizing housing,” Peacock said but to be sure that they are looking at multiple categories through multiple lenses as they try to meet those multiple goals.
Smith said he sees his work document as a way to give the council focus and staff the direction they need to organize action and put it into the budget so that the town can move forward toward the council’s objectives.
During public comment, Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce Director Everal Eaton asked if the action steps document would be published and available.
Smith said that he wants to work with staff about how to present it publicly.
TAX STABILIZATION
The council had four goals within the tax stabilization category.
One of those staff suggestions was coordinating with other towns about state revenue changes and local options tax and other state changes which would help with property tax relief and have a linkage study between development and housing.
Peacock asked what that linkage study would be.
“The idea is to understand the impact that certain uses have, for example, on the housing stock,” said Planning Director Michele Gagnon. Then, the town would look into how to mitigate that impact if it was negative.
Another action step would be to review life safety inspections and associated fees.
Councilor David Kief said that there is an amenity struggle between residents and business. He asked about the burden of summer visitors on year-round residential property owners.
“Is there any way to shift some of that to the businesses that benefit?” Kief asked.
Revised utility and connection fees look to the person doing the development absorbing the cost of the hook ups rather than the resident, Smith said.
“Impact fees are a way to do just that,” Smith said. “Impact fees are a tool that could address that kind of concern.”
Impact fees are typically a one-time payment to a local government on a new project. The goal is to have the new project help pay for the infrastructure and services that are needed for the project.
“I just feel like we are subsidizing the tourist industry, which is important to the town, no doubt,” Kief said and added that it was all part of the bigger picture of tax stabilization.
Smith said that exploring what the variable relationship between the residential and commercial sectors actually is and how to make sure burdens are equitably shared is part of what the town will look at.
HOUSING
Councilor Joe Minutolo said that housing has been a priority for the council for the last seven years that he’s been on the council.
Council draft goals included finding ways for the town:
- to “incentivize the creation of diverse housing solutions to support a vibrant year-round community;
- “conduct a holistic review and revision of zoning and the LUO (land use ordinance;
- and “coordinate and communicate with the island communities and regional partners on housing challenges, prevent unintended consequences, leverage professional expertise and consider models and strategies that align with community goals and values.”
Gagnon said that it would be productive if people could understand all the different ways that they can create homes and the paths through the process.
Completing a housing audit and updating town zoning and building standards to support the creation of housing were included as potential steps. Studying residential conversions or demolitions to commercial uses was also mentioned.
“I’ve always seen the moratorium as an offshoot of the housing,” Councilor Earl Brechlin said, referencing the lodging moratorium (pause on development) that the town is currently undergoing.
The staff didn’t interpret any of the goals as precluding any current actions or activities, such as the moratorium, Smith said. How to progress the goals into the budget and action items is part of what the staff is looking at.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
There were four objectives created by the council concerning sustainable tourism. The town also has recently started a sustainable tourism task force, which was mentioned within the objectives.
The four council objectives included:
- “support and align the work of the council, the Sustainable Tourism Task Force, and other boards and committees including better engagement with the public to support the creation of a management plan that brings the community together for the work ahead;
- “understand, communicate and mitigate the negative impacts of tourism on the environment, housing and property taxes:
- “create a vision for a healthy relationship between tourism and the local economy that brings the community together;
- “use regenerative principles to set tourism and economic goals that restore and improve natural systems, community well-being, and local prosperity.”
During public comment, Nina St.Germain said she’d love to hear the council’s priorities of its bigger goals and to know that housing was the number one priority. She was concerned that some of the items under the sustainable tourism category were at odds with each other. She was also interested on the scope of the Sustainable Tourism Task Force.
“It seems like a lot of the issues are being addressed under infrastructure and with planning board and with council, so it was confusing to me how those things relate to one another,” St.Germain said.
She was also concerned with the wording in one of the goal statements, which said, “mitigate the negative impacts of tourism.”
“More something like ‘all impacts’ creates a much a better lens for everybody,” Councilor Steven Boucher later said, echoing St.Germain’s thoughts on the language.
Public Works Director Bethany Leavitt said that looking toward adjusting curb management for higher volume areas and loading zones being in the right spots since it takes parking away were two potential actions.
“We’re at a deficit for loading areas in the downtown area,” Police Chief David Kerns said.
Smith also mentioned aligning wayfinding and visitor orientation materials, identifying grant opportunities for visitor management projects, and evaluating the parking program adjustments that support local business needs.
“Where is the holistic conversation about cars in general fit into all this?” Peacock asked, mentioning that she thought it was important to look at how visitors use the downtown and that experience for them and for locals.
Smith and Gagnon said that it’s an out-product of the Safe Streets for All project and the tourism management study that will be comprehensive views that translate to the smaller action steps that then feed into a bigger picture overview.
“That work is currently underway,” Smith said.
Caines said that there are certain things that the town can do short-term to achieve goals and they don’t always need an in-depth study to know that the town should advertise the Acadia Gateway Center, meant to decrease tourists’ reliance on cars.
“It’s the balance of the two,” Caines said.
Smith said the town also hopes to prioritize projects with measurable environmental benefits and community values and pilot small-scale projects that deliver major stormwater and habitat benefits.
Caines asked if the town staff has talked to the Climate Emergency Task Force and how the task force’s goals align with the town objectives.
TOWN GOVERNMENT
The objectives listed by the council in the draft document include:
- “review and adjust boards and committee structure to:
- “efficiently and productively engage the broader community in the work of the town,
- “align staff work with council goals, comprehensive plan and other policy frameworks, and
- “ensure legally sound and best practices for public processes;
- “Continuously review and adjust internal policy to:
- “be efficient and productive
- “maintain open communication with the community
- “align goals with established public policies
- “meet challenges and complexity of the community
- “Coordinate with other towns and regional partners to achieve Bar Harbor’s goals and objectives.
- “Establish clear communications to build engagement and trust for local solutions.”
Brechlin said the town needs to be quicker on its feet responding to some things.
“Communication is now so instantaneous; somebody else sets the narrative if we’re quiet,” he said.
He understands, though, the town wants to be more deliberative.
“We need to be a little more proactive that way,” Brechlin said.
Smith said the town hopes to update and review its website and social media as well as making sure that internally the town staff communicates better and don’t send out conflicting messaging.
INFRASTRUCTURE
The council had two draft policy goals:
- “While also addressing overall infrastructure needs, prioritize infrastructure projects which improve local, resident quality of life including:
- “Comprehensive approach to cars, congestion and parking
- “Improving residential neighborhoods
- “Improving parks and public spaces
- “Increasing access to the ocean
- “Coordinate with other towns and regional partners to achieve Bar Harbor’s infrastructure goals and objectives.”
Sidewalk upgrades, understanding of underground utilities, reviewing and revising the care and maintenance plans for parks and public spaces were all mentioned by Smith.
The town also hopes to look at housing-related infrastructure, enhance composting and review waste diversion options.
ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE
The council goal was very clear, Smith said, but this goal impacts and touches everything the town does, Smith said.
“Our objective is to implement the goals through all facets of operations and decision-making,” Smith said.
He also mentioned looking at the Task Force on the Climate Emergency’s work, goals, and plans.
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