From Trail Builders to Town Budgets: A Meeting About the Heart of a the Mount Desert Community Mount Desert Approves All Budget Articles and Elects Officers While Honoring Cliff Olson and Durlin Lunt.
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From Trail Builders to Town Budgets: A Meeting About the Heart of a the Mount Desert Community

Mount Desert Approves All Budget Articles and Elects Officers While Honoring Cliff Olson and Durlin Lunt.

Carrie Jones

May 06, 2026

An older woman with long gray hair speaks passionately at a podium with a microphone, holding a stack of papers. In the background, two other attendees are partially visible.
Kathy Olson.

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Paradis Ace Hardware.

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MOUNT DESERT—Cliff Olson spent his entire life working behind the scenes, making people’s lives better, but on Tuesday during the Mount Desert Town Meeting in the Neighborhood House Hall, his image—along with his wife Kathy—was projected on a large screen, front and center, for everyone to see.

In the image, the smiling couple are in the woods.

That wasn’t much of a surprise. They spent a lot of Saturdays in the woods. Cliff has a couple of canes or walking sticks to help him get out there. Kathy carries a chainsaw.

Years ago, the Mount Desert man got it in his mind to improve the network of trails that in some areas of Northeast Harbor were barely traceable between the village and Lower Hadlock.

He and Kathy then spent years and years and years pulling together friends, staff and volunteers from various organizations (Friends of Acadia, Acadia National Park, the Land and Garden Preserve, the village improvement society) to bring those trails back from mere whisperings of paths to real trails again, places to jaunt and places to meander, places to find peace.

A happy couple in wedding attire, standing outdoors. The bride is smiling wearing a white dress and veil, holding a bouquet, while the groom, dressed in a dark suit, gazes at her fondly. They appear joyful and are in front of a building.
The Olsons on their wedding day. Photo courtesy Mike Olson.
A heartfelt embrace between two people in a dimly lit setting, with blurred faces of others in the background.
Town Manager Alex Kimball giving Kathy a hug.

Mount Desert Town Manager Alex Kimball stood before that projected image of the Olsons, Tuesday night during Town Meeting, before the discussion and approval of budget items and land use ordinance changes, and reminded people about the humanity behind the numbers, the humanity within the town.

”Every year,” Kimball told those gathered for Town Meeting, Tuesday, “we give out an award.”

That award is called the Spirit of America. It’s a tribute. It’s a celebration of people who go above and beyond.

That matters anywhere, but it especially matters in a small town like Mount Desert.

“Volunteers are really the difference between a good town and a great town,” Kimball said.

And, he said, Mount Desert has tons of them, tons of people like the Olsons who work to make a positive difference.

Cliff, who celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary with Kathy this June shortly before he died, was one of the best.

Cliff was a guidance counselor at Mount Desert Island High School for thirty years. Kathy was a nurse at MDI Hospital for forty years.

For many, working for decades in those professions would be enough of a help to a community since both those professions involve helping, caretaking, listening, guiding, and supporting.

The Olsons didn’t stop there, though.

Their life and their marriage is like that, too. And they’ve constantly given back to the community via volunteer work.

They’ve cleaned up trash, created posts for signs in Acadia National Park, worked on trails, nursed wounds, listened to woes, raised a family, played frisbee with dogs, had adventures with friends, and quietly, patiently supported hundreds of students, patients, and friends on Mount Desert Island.

They’ve volunteered at Island Connections and the Northeast Harbor Library. Kathy placed in a cross-country ski race back in 1994 and helped with numerous fund drives, including for the Mount Desert Nursing Association.

It’s a litany of kindness, but it doesn’t come close to the impact they’ve made.

Kimball gestured toward the photo of the Olsons, projected behind him. At the time the photo was taken, Cliff needed mechanical assistance to get out there into the woods. He still got out there.

There they are, Kimball said, pushing on through thick and thin. The work needed doing so they got out there and they did it.

Kathy came up to speak a few words during the town meeting after a sweet, emotional hug with Kimball.

She used that time not to bask in praise. She used it to call for more volunteers, for a new generation of slightly younger residents to come help make the town better, to volunteer with a village association, to continue the work and the friendship and spirit that she and Cliff gave to the community, Saturday after Saturday.

A smiling man with a bald head and a beard, wearing a dark sweater, sitting among an audience in a blurred background.
A man wearing a baseball cap and headphones concentrating while watching a monitor displaying a meeting or event, with a microphone and radio on the table.

That sort of commitment happens behind the scenes at the Town Meeting as well. The Community Cafe and volunteers provide a free meal. Town Clerk Claire Woolfolk and her staff spend countless hours preparing the warrants, leading an election, setting up the open floor meeting. The tables that hold town staff and officials are staged with green tablecloths placed on them. Chairs are put out in rows and packed away again. Microphones and cameras are set up so that it can all be viewed live on the town’s YouTube channel.

It takes a community to make a town meeting in more ways than just the obvious ones.

DURLIN LUNT RECOGNITION AND TIME OF GOODBYES

A smiling elderly man in a light blue shirt sitting on a red chair, holding a book on his lap, surrounded by other seated attendees in a community event setting.
Lunt.

The town report was dedicated to former Town Manager Durlin Lunt, who retired in September 2025.

He’d spent 15 years leading the town.

“Throughout Durlin’s tenure, the Town of Mount Desert handled its business quietly, professionally and efficiently,” the report reads. “While there were certainly disputes during Durlin’s time, Mount Desert increasingly gained a reputation as a town that handled things correctly and didn’t bounce from crisis to crisis.”

Under his tenure, the report states, employee retention increased, financial stability increased, and there were multiple improvements to the town’s infrastructure.

“As good as all that was, it wasn’t really what made Durlin so special. What made him so special was a single word . . . ‘Our.’ He was absolutely, positively OUR Town Manager and no one would ever consider thinking of him as anything else,” the report reads.

Being a town manager, it says, wasn’t about the job to him, but about what he could do for the town during the time he was there.

“I’m not going to spend a lot of additional time talking about Durlin, singing Durlin’s praises tonight. I think we all know it. I think we all recognize what he’s done for this town,” Kimball said.

But for one more time, he said, “Thank you, Durlin.”

A woman with white hair and glasses, wearing a blue floral blouse, smiling while seated at a table with a nameplate that reads 'Nancy Parsons, Finance Director'.
A fire chief in a white uniform with various badges and patches, sitting at a table during a meeting.

It was the final town meeting for Fire Chief Mike Bender who is retiring in the fall. It was the last meeting of Selectboard Secretary Geoff Wood who decided not to run for reelection.

Selectboard Chair John Macauley thanked Wood for his years of service. His statement was met with applause.

And it was also a time for hellos, with the official introduction of recently hired Finance Director Nancy Parsons and newly elected Selectboard member David MacDonald.

ELECTION RESULTS

Two men standing with their right hands raised, appearing to take an oath at a formal event.
A woman reading from a document while standing in front of two men during an event.
The swearing in.

Mount Desert had no contested races and also didn’t have candidates for some of its elected positions this May.

The 100 town voters who came to the polls, elected John Macauley and David MacDonald to their seats on the Mount Desert Selectboard. Macauley received 85 votes; MacDonald received 91.

Katherine Dube was reelected to the town’s School Board with 94 votes.

There were no candidates for the two spots for the School District Trustees.

According to Town Clerk Claire Woolfolk, “the scattered write-ins for School District Trustee races were multiple single names and that no one person had more than a single vote; therefore, no-one was elected to these seats.”

She explained that the town’s charter specifies that “the Selectboard may appoint someone to these seats until the next Annual Town Meeting, at which time if they desired to continue serving, they would need to return nomination papers to be placed on the ballot for election.”

TOWN MEETING

An older man with white hair and glasses, wearing a black sweater, appears deep in thought with his hand on his chin.
An audience watches a speaker at a public meeting with several panel members seated at a table in the background.
A man in a black turtleneck is speaking at a podium, holding a blue folder, with a microphone in front of him. In the background, another man is seated, looking on.

Jerry Miller moderated the town meeting, which had over 80 voters, well over the quorum needed to do town business.

At the end of the meeting, Macauley thanked him for being “a great town moderator.”

The town’s total budget increases almost 6% to $28 million. The town’s municipal budget increases by $903,301. Most of those increases are due to staffing costs.

The taxable portion of the elementary school budget is roughly a 7.44% increase from last year’s budget. It is currently set at $5.6 million. Much of the increase is due to a debt service payment of the bond approved by voters last year to repair and upgrade the school building. The total budget for the school is $6.49 million.

Budget overview table showing budget to budget figures, assessments, reserves, and projected balances for maintenance, bus, boiler maintenance, and special education.

The taxable portion of the high school budget increases 3.37% or $144,821 to $4.44 million.

The town property owners also have to pay its portion of the county tax of $1.59 million.

A table displaying the estimated tax rates and budgets for the fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027, including categories such as municipal budget, school budgets, total budget, projected revenues, amount to be raised, estimated taxable valuation, and changes in tax rate.

The estimated tax rate itself decreases by 3% while the taxable valuation of the town increased by 9%.

THE WARRANT ARTICLES ABOUT LAND USE ORDINANCES

A woman with short gray hair, wearing a red plaid shirt, sits in a crowded audience, focused on reading a printed document while others around her are also engaged with their materials.
A woman with short brown hair and glasses sits at a table, looking intently. She wears a floral patterned hoodie with stripes and has a pen in her hand.

The town passed all of its land use zoning ordinance and other ordinance articles.

Article 4 was the town’s Alewife Ordinance update, which specified, “For the year July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 there shall be no taking of Alewives and Blue Back Herring in the Town of Mount Desert.”

One article amended the Mount Desert Harbor Ordinance. Another enacted the Town of Mount Desert Road Standards Ordinance.

Article 7 amended the town’s Land Use Zoning Ordinance (LUZ0) regarding Road Standards. It would only govern new roads being extended or modified.

One man worried that a lot created before 2015 might have more flexibility than it would now if the amendment passed.

If the change hadn’t passed, the roads would still have had to go back to the planning board and there will be a conflict within the LUZO.

Gayle Marshall said one of the factors for the changes were safety for fire, ambulance and police vehicles.

“We’ve run into some real issues about that,” Marshall said. The goal was for the road standards to make it safe and efficient for emergency vehicles to use.

It passed as did the following remaining articles:

  • Article 8 amended the reorganization of the town’s Board of Appeals Ordinance regarding Administrative Appeals.
  • Article 9 amended the Land Use Zoning Ordinance regarding appeals and enforcement provisions.
  • Article 10 adopted a new Subdivision Ordinance and replaced existing Subdivision Ordinance (last amended May 7, 2024).
  • Article 11 amended the Land Use Zoning Ordinance, creating a definition and process in the new Subdivision Ordinance about attainable housing. This allows the ordinance to use the same language as the LUZO.
  • Article 12 amended the Land Use Zoning Ordinance regarding regular housekeeping.

LEASES AND LAND AGREEMENTS

A group of people interacting at a small event, with one woman presenting a gift box on a green table while others are engaged in conversation.
A group of people seated in a hall, with a woman in the foreground holding a raised hand, participating in a discussion or vote. Other attendees also have their hands raised, indicating engagement in the event.

Articles 15-21 were about land use agreements and leases and are standard approvals for the town.

THE BUDGET

A large group of people in a hall raising green cards to vote or signal agreement, with a mix of seated individuals and some standing in the background.
A group of older adults listening attentively, with one man in the foreground resting his chin on his hand, showcasing a thoughtful expression.
A person wearing a bright green beanie with a logo and glasses, looking downward while engaged in an activity, surrounded by a blurred background.

Though the meeting was cordial and quick, especially given the number of articles that needed to be passed, the approval of a $1 million bond for the purchase of a salt shed motivated some questions about the potential size of the building and need for the building.

“It seems like a lot of money to me,” one man said.

Public Works Director Brian Henkel said that the town staff had looked at a lot of data across the state about anticipated costs for the build, but the design process has to occur before specific costs can be finalized. The town wanted to expedite the project and get it taken care of.

Another man said that he knew Henkel had the town’s best interest at heart, but still worried about the process.

An insurance adjuster came out recently and looked at the building after the article was placed on the warrant, Kimball explained. It only made the need more apparent.

“We have to replace that building,’“ Kimball said.

It was a split vote but it passed.

The town approved $1,839,757.70 of unspent proceeds from general obligation bonds of the Town that were authorized at Annual Town Meetings and issued from 2018 through 2024 for various capital projects.

Table detailing projects funded by bond proceeds, including year of issuance, project names, original amounts, and unspent amounts.

Article 24 through 31 were all about fiscal policy such as tax clubs and abatement rates. All were approved.

MUNICIPAL BUDGET

An older woman with short gray hair is seated, focusing on an open book while taking notes with a pen. She is surrounded by other attendees in a structured setting.
A man wearing a blue shirt with a collar, focused on a task, sitting at a table with a green background featuring a town emblem.
Close-up profile of an elderly woman with curly, gray hair, looking thoughtfully, with a blurred figure of a man in the background.

When it came to the municipal budget, the town approved the changes.

Voters budgeted ($600,000) from the Undesignated Fund Balance Account #100- 38300 to reduce the 2026–2027 tax commitment.

They authorized $200,000 from the Capital Gains Reserve Account #400-24202 to reduce the 2026-2027 tax commitment.

They raised $2,062,325 through excise taxes, service fees and miscellaneous sources.

They also ratified the overdraft that occurred in Public Safety – Fire Department, Hydrants and Emergency Management line for the year ended June 30, 2025, in the amount of $163,260 ($2,664,752 expended versus $2,501,492 budgeted).

“The overdraft was charged to the Undesignated Fund Balance. Said departmental overage was primarily attributable to overtime wages and associated benefits paid to full-time firefighters covering shifts due to staffing shortages,” the warrant reads. This is because the department was short staffed for much of the fiscal year.

They approved other overdrafts as well and appropriated multiple sections of the general government for $2,343,614.

“This is a pretty small increase overall,” Kimball said.

It increases by approximately $48,000.

A financial document listing various town departments and their budget allocations, including positions such as Town Clerk, Tax Collector, and Code Enforcement, with total recommendations from the Selectboard and Warrant Committee.

Article 39 was for general assistance, which was originally $5,000.

Kathleen Miller asked if they should increase it to $10,000.

“It is a highly variable number,” Kimball said.

Currently they are 7 weeks out from the end of the current fiscal year and haven’t reached $5,000.

“Last year was significantly more,” Kimball said.

However, a higher amount is easy to cover. It’s hard to predict and they go by the average over multiple years, he explained.

Other articles included:

  • Article 40. To see what sum the Inhabitants of the Town of Mount Desert will vote to raise and appropriate for Department 350 Rural Wastewater Support for the 2026 – 2027 Town Budget. Selectboard recommends $237,287.
  • Article 41. To see what sum the Inhabitants of the Town of Mount Desert will vote to raise and appropriate for Department 406 Street Lights for the 2026 – 2027 Town Budget. Selectboard recommends $23,750.
  • Article 42. To see what sum the Inhabitants of the Town of Mount Desert will vote to raise and appropriate for Department 401, 405, 407 and 408 Public Safety – Police and Communications (Dispatch) for the 2026 – 2027 Town Budget. Police: $1,129,658. Shellfish: $3,403.00 Communications: $542,355. Animal Control: $4,480. Selectboard recommends $1,679,896.
  • Article 43. To see what sum the Inhabitants of the Town of Mount Desert will vote to raise and appropriate for Department 403,404, and 409 Public Safety – Fire Department, Hydrants, and Emergency Management for the 2026 – 2027 Town Budget. Fire: $2,977,540. Hydrants: $281,706. Emergency Management: $4,500. Selectboard recommends $3,263,746.
  • Article 44. To see what sum the Inhabitants of the Town of Mount Desert will vote to raise and appropriate for Department 501, 515, 520 and 525 Public Works – Roads, Waste Management, Buildings & Grounds, Parks & Cemeteries, and 530 Environmental Sustainability for the 2026 – 2027 Town Budget. Roads: $2,439,507. Parks/Cemeteries: $36,750. Environmental Sustainability: $22,000. Buildings/Grounds: $343,599. Waste Management: $787,353. Selectboard recommends $3,629,209.
  • Article 45. To see what sum the Inhabitants of the Town of Mount Desert will vote to raise and appropriate for Department 505 and 506 Sewers (Wastewater Treatment) for the 2026 – 2027 Town Budget. Sewer Capital: $00.00 Sewer Operation: $936,212. Wastewater Treatment Northeast Harbor Plant: $209,850.00 Somesville Plant: $82,500. Seal Harbor Plant: $154,000. Otter Creek Pmp Station: $40,000. Selectboard recommends $1,422,562.
  • Article 46. To see what sum the Inhabitants of the Town of Mount Desert will vote to raise and appropriate for Department 605 Recreation (Public Pool ~Utilities & Maintenance) for the 2026 – 2027 Town Budget. Selectboard recommends $10,000.
  • Article 48. To see what sum the Inhabitants of the Town of Mount Desert will vote to raise and appropriate for Department 801 Debt Service for the 2026 – 2027 Town Budget. Selectboard recommends $2,267,308.

The town staff explained that debt service refers to the payments that have to get paid in a year on the outstanding debts of the town, which are bonds which have not yet been paid off.

Aerial view of the Mount Desert Wharf reconstruction project, showing parking areas and numerous boats docked in the harbor.
Via Town Warrant

The voters also approved to spend up to $412,610 from the Harbor’s Marina Enterprise Fund Balance for survey and engineering services for the reconstruction of the Northeast Harbor Municipal Wharf.

The Wharf had been built in the 1950s.

According to the warrant, “Structural analysis performed in 2020 confirmed the design lifespan for the Wharf has been exceeded. The funds will be used to finance the production of design plans, specifications, bid documents, and bid advertisement for the Wharf reconstruction, in addition to providing engineering services for local, State, and Federal permitting for the Wharf reconstruction. See map below showing the location of the proposed project location.

SCHOOL BUDGET ARTICLES

A diverse group of people seated in a community hall, some smiling while reviewing materials, with red chairs in the foreground and audience members in the background.
A smiling woman with long black hair wearing a yellow vest and grey sweater, seated among other people in a dimly lit setting.
A man with short, curly hair, wearing a brown checked blazer and white shirt, is thoughtfully holding a pen to his mouth while looking off-screen.
An elderly man with white hair and glasses, resting his chin on his hand, in a thoughtful pose, surrounded by blurred faces of other attendees.

The town quickly passed all the articles for the school budget. Those included:

  • Article 53. To see what sum the School Board will be authorized to expend for Regular Instruction for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027. Note: 2025-26 Amount was $2,489,946 School Board recommends $2,559,506.
  • Article 54. To see what sum the School Board will be authorized to expend for Special Education for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027. Note: 2025-26 Amount was $974,401 School Board recommends $889,433.
  • Article 56. To see what sum the School Board will be authorized to expend for Other Instruction for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027. Note: 2025-26 Amount was $ 125,628 School Board recommends $133,710.
  • Article 57. To see what sum the School Board will be authorized to expend for Student & Staff Support for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027. Note: 2025-26 Amount was $ 686,002 School Board recommends $729,552.
  • Article 58. To see what sum the School Board will be authorized to expend for System Administration for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027. Note: 2025-26 Amount was $ 142,182 School Board recommends $156,318.
  • Article 59. To see what sum the School Board will be authorized to expend for School Administration for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027. Note: 2025-26 Amount was $361,001 School Board recommends $396,909.
  • Article 60. To see what sum the School Board will be authorized to expend for Transportation & Buses for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027. Note: 2025-26 Amount was $286,618 School Board recommends $309,813.
  • Article 61. To see what sum the School Board will be authorized to expend for Facilities Maintenance for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027. Note: 2025-26 Amount was $695,228 School Board recommends $616,213.
  • Article 62. To see what sum the School Board will be authorized to expend for Debt Service and Other Commitments for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027. Note: 2025-26 Amount was $ -0- School Board recommends $609,318.
  • Article 63. To see what sum the School Board will be authorized to expend for All Other Expenditures for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2027. Note: 2025-26 Amount was $ 80,000 School Board recommends $95,000.
  • Articles 53 – 63 authorized a total budget of $6,495,772.00, up from $5,843,006. Articles 64 – 66 then raised funds for the proposed school budget, a total town appropriation of $5,644,188.00, the year before had been $5,253,399.

The warrant committee had also recommended approval of key articles throughout the warrant. Those recommendations were also printed on the warrant in this form: (16 Ayes; 0 Nays).

Photos: Carrie Jones/Bar Harbor Story.

LINK TO LEARN MORE

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Mount Desert Election and Town Meeting Coming Up!

Mount Desert Election and Town Meeting Coming Up!

Carrie Jones

·

Apr 25

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To read the warrant

To watch the meeting.

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