KENNEBUNKPORT – The Kennebunkport Select Board continues to work under a spotlight to reword the current mass gathering ordinance, which will go before voters in November. Based on the outcome of the nonbinding June vote, the board is developing a referendum question that will ask voters if they want taxpayer funds to cover half of the town’s expenses for Christmas Prelude, or none of the expenses. The outcome of the vote will affect 2026 Prelude funding.

Discussion primarily centered on how explicit the revised ordinance should be in terms of what will be covered and when covered events would take place, i.e., naming the specific events, timeframe, and dollar amount in the ordinance (for example, Dock Square tree lighting on the first weekend at a maximum of $17,500).  A second point of discussion was the Kennebunkport Business Association’s strong request to have Christmas Prelude named a community event as part of the ordinance. According to Tina Hewitt-Gordon, president of KBA, naming Christmas Prelude as a community event would facilitate support for the event from other agencies.  

Public comment included support for KBA, support for limiting taxpayer expenditures, and why the select board was not including a 100% funding option on the ballot. Chair Mary Beth Gilbert noted that the select board’s objective based on the June vote was for voters to approve some level of funding for Prelude. The board believes that the number of voters in the June election who voted against any level of financial support was significant enough to make a full-funding versus no-funding ordinance likely to end up with no town funding at all for Christmas Prelude.

Gilbert told The Local News after the meeting that “this work will be continued at the August BOS [select board] meeting,” and that she sees this discussion as a work in progress. “Rather than lock into any one point…you can see that the BOS [select board] is processing and the thoughts are fluid right now.” She added that the town will be consulting with the town attorney regarding questions raised during this discussion.

Further discussion of the ordinance will take place at the August 6 select board meeting.