Proposed budget comes in at just under $8 million with $6 million needing to be raised.

Shaun Farrar

Mar 19, 2026

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Edward Jones Financial Advisor: Elise N. Frank.

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TRENTON—After a quick Trenton Select Board meeting on March 17, the Trenton Budget Committee met to discuss and vote on the town’s overall budget. The vote was majority in favor of adopting the proposed budget with Select Board member Susan Sargent voting against.

Voters will have the opportunity to vote on, and potentially amend, the town’s proposed budget at the Trenton Elementary School on Tuesday, May 19, at 6:00 p.m.

The Town of Trenton’s budget is made up of three components, municipal budget, school budget, and county tax.

• Municipal budget – $1,433,323
• School budget – $6,227,040
• County tax – $289,474

This makes for a total proposed town budget of $7,949,837. After anticipated drawdowns of different reserve funds, school carryover, and school state subsidy, there is a proposed $6,015,946 that will be needed to be raised from personal and property taxes. This amount is an increase of $395,690 or 7.2% over the current year’s budget.

If passed, the mill rate will rise from 12.200 to 12.826, a 5.1% increase.

According to Select Board Chair Fred Ehrlenbach, “This may change pending any changes in the town’s valuation following the April 1 assessments of real and personal property.”

The current valuation of the town is $469,038,050.

Breaking down the tax commitment, it works out to the following amounts for every one dollar of taxes raised:

• Education – $0.91.
• Municipal government – $0.041.
• County tax – $0.047.

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SELECT BOARD MEETING

The Select Board heard an update from the fire chief, conducted some regular business during its quick meeting, set public hearings for land use ordinance changes and a citizen’s petition for retail marijuana, and heard a quick update from member Judith Sproule.

Fire Chief Steve Heckman said that the fire department continues to be busy and that with spring coming there has been an uptick in burn permits. Chief Heckman wanted to remind all those who are taking out burn permits to be careful and to make sure that fires are completely extinguished before leaving them unattended.

Some members of the fire department did a walkthrough of the new hotel being built in Ellsworth as an exercise in familiarity last week in case the department is ever called to that location for mutual aid.

The Select Board signed a quitclaim deed to return real property.

The town’s election clerks were renewed, a process that has to occur every two years.

Martha Higgins was returned to her position as Trenton’s representative on the Acadia Disposal District Board of Directors via a renewal of her appointment.

Three liquor licenses were renewed by the Select Board.

• Big Cats Catering.
• Farmstand Coffeehouse.
• Lunt’s Gateway Lobster Pound.

Member John Bennett made all of the motions for the above business and all of the motions passed.

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DATES FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS

There will be two town referendum questions to be voted on this year by secret ballot. One is a citizens’ petition seeking the allowance of up to two establishments for the retail sale of cannabis. The second involves proposed changes to the shore lands ordinance made by the Planning Board.

Both of these ballot items will have public hearings to be held on April 28 prior to the Select Board meeting.

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UPDATE BY JUDITH SPROULE

The community resilience partnership has not met since the last time that the Select Board met, but it has a meeting scheduled for next week to hopefully define the proposals that it wants to bring to the Select Board on March 31.

At an April Select Board meeting, the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee hopes to make a presentation with a proposed timeline, budget, and a recommended list of Comprehensive Planning Committee members.

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TOWN MEETING DATES

Annual town meeting dates are as follows:

• Monday, May 18, 2 p.m.– 6 p.m., at the town office, voting on secret ballot questions; municipal officers, LUO changes, and citizens’ petition.
• Tuesday, May 19, 6 p.m., at the Trenton Elementary School, open town meeting.

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FROM MARCH 3 SELECT BOARD MEETING

At the March 3 Select Board meeting, speaking as a member of the public, Christina Heiniger informed the board and community that the Municipal WasteHub is offering scholarships for Maine high school seniors and first-year post-secondary students.

According to Municipal WasteHub’s website, they “will award up to $10,000 in scholarships to eligible high school seniors and first-year post-secondary students who reside in a WasteHub member community and plan to attend a Maine-based community college, trade school, or university.”

Interested parties should contact Heiniger or Municipal WasteHub, here, for more information.

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