CARIBOU, Maine – Caribou residents will decide on two referendum questions while voting on Election Day next Tuesday.
Caribou’s municipal elections will be held November 7 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Caribou Wellness & Recreation Center at 55 Bennett Drive.
The first question will ask if voters want to approve a revision to Caribou’s city charter.
Currently, a city capital improvement project of $500,000 or more can only be approved if all votes cast exceed 65 percent of the city’s registered voters. Caribou voters approved establishing the 65-percent threshold in June 2022.
If this year’s ballot question passes, the 65-percent threshold would no longer be necessary for approving capital projects. Capital improvement projects would only need a simple majority vote to get approved.
In July, city councilors voted 4-to-3 to place this year’s question on the November election ballot. Councilors in favor of the charter amendment argued that the 65-percent threshold is nearly impossible to meet because of traditionally low voter turnout.
Last November, City Clerk Danielle Brissette stated that 3,064 ballots were cast, representing 54 percent of Caribou’s registered voters.
Councilors and residents opposed to the question stated that going back on the voters’ original decision could send a negative message.
Voters will also decide whether to approve a $660,000 bond for athletic upgrades at Caribou High School.
RSU 39 has begun a $867,900 project to resurface the high school’s running track. The total price includes $850,000 for resurfacing and $17,900 in engineering fees. The school district is putting $588,290 in COVID relief funds and $115,000 from its capital reserve account toward the project.
District officials proposed in September that the city council allocate $164,500 towards the track resurfacing, which would have decreased the ballot referendum to $495,500. The council opted to leave the $164,500 as part of the ballot question.
The proposed $660,000 in the referendum includes $320,000 for new LED lights at the high school running track, $17,000 in engineering fees for those electricical upgrades, $50,000 for a new athletic scoring and timing building, $65,000 to reconstruct and resurface the high school tennis courts and $43,500 for a construction contingency of 10 percent.
In September, RSU 39 Business Manager Mark Bouchard told councilors that the projects had been cut from the district’s budget for many years but are becoming more necessary. The bond referendum could help avoid more costly repairs later, as material and labor costs continue to rise.
RSU 39 Interim Superintendent Jane McCall said that the timing and scoring building was unsafe to the point where it needed to come down, even though the referendum still needs to be approved. Work began in September to replace the running track’s above ground light system with one that will be underground.
Voters can find sample election ballots and absentee voting information on the city’s website or by visiting the city clerk’s office at 25 High St.
