BAR HARBOR, Maine — In 2022, Bar Harbor residents voted to limit the number of cruise ship passengers that can come ashore to 1,000 a day. Now that limit will be back on the ballot this November.
Voters will decide whether the ordinance will stay in place or be repealed and replaced by a new town council ordinance that would change the cruise ship passenger regulations.
The new proposed change would cap passenger visits to 3,200 a day, until monthly caps are reached.
During May through August, Bar Harbor's busiest months, the limit would be 20,000 passengers a month.
"It also guarantees cruise ship free days—more cruise ship free days than we've had in the last decade," Bar Harbor Town Councilor Earl Brechlin said.
Town councilors said the current ordinance has been hard to enforce and has resulted in a lot of litigation.
This new ordinance would put regulation in the town's hands, they said, making it easier to enforce and avoid going to court.
"Now we're at the point where I think we need to move beyond cruise ships and deal with other pressing issues the town has," Town Councilor Gary Friedmann said.
Many local businesses support the proposed rule, as they've seen significant drops in customers since the 1,000-person-a-day limit has been in effect.
Bo Jennings, director of operations of Side Street Cafe, said they’re going to hire four fewer people next year due to this decrease.
"My goal is that we can just help those folks who are working the hardest continue to earn that living," Jennings said.
Jennings said repealing the current cruise ship limit is what's best for the community.
"Everybody's having to compromise here, everybody has to sacrifice a little bit in order for compromise to happen," Jennings said.
But some Bar Harbor residents are not satisfied with the compromise and want the 1,000-person-a-day limit to stay it place.
Charlie Sidman, who originally got the ordinance on the ballot in 2022, is hopeful it won't get repealed.
"The citizens are affronted, they're angry, I don't think the citizens are gonna buy it," Sidman said.
Sidman called the proposed change an "unmitigated disaster," saying it would take power away from Bar Harbor residents.
"Five thousand people on these beautiful streets in a small town was just too much, it just ruined the town and the experience for everybody else," Sidman said.
Now, it's up to voters to decide between the passenger limits this November.
"I just hope folks get out and their voices are heard, regardless of what their stance is," Jennings said.