This Election Day, Freeporters will weigh in on two municipal referendums, both of which could lead to major purchases for the town.

Residents will decide whether to purchase a lot next to Town Hall and whether to authorize funding for a new fire truck. If both referendums — often referred to as Questions 1 and 2, respectively — are approved, the town will issue a total of $2 million in bonds.

On Question 1, voters will have the option to authorize Town Council to issue bonds of $500,000 to purchase the lot at 22 Main St., which neighbors Town Hall. The corner, often the site for Makers on Main and other artisan events, is an undeveloped three-quarters of an acre at the corner of West and Main streets. It sits across the road from the public safety building.

The funding, according to the Freeport treasurer’s financial statement in the election warrant, would increase the town’s indebtedness from $507,200 to $1 million. The statement also estimated that the total cost of the proposed bond would come with nearly $60,000 of interest with an estimated 3.87% interest rate for a five-year term.

If residents vote “yes” on this referendum, the town would also be authorized to determine its future use. No clear proposal has been made for the land and the Town Council offered no recommendation on the referendum question.

Many Freeporters may have seen “Vote yes on Question #1” signs around town — or even seen mailers claiming the purchase is “less than the cost of one cup of coffee” per month. These mailers also argue that the property is suitable for municipal use and is “well-placed and suited for open space.”

The mailers and signage do not include information on the financer of the campaign or group pushing for the purchase, but Freeport resident Susan Nourse said she and a few others are the driving force behind the campaign to vote yes. Nourse said that the town has the opportunity to buy the land at below market rate.

“I think it’s an opportunity for the town to own it and think about what uses it would have. It is perfectly situated between the public safety building and town office building, so it could become a part of a municipal campus, it could remain as it is as an open space.”

She also said the town could sell it or pursue other opportunities with the land.

Question 2 is to adopt an ordinance that allows another bond for the $1.5 million to be issued a new fire ladder truck. Though the Town Council did not formally weigh in on the 22 Main St. bond, it voted unanimously to recommend this ordinance adoption.

Fire Chief Bob Bernard said that the new ladder truck would replace its 27-year-old truck. He said that according to National Fire Protection Association standards, this truck has a lifespan of about 25 years. With the age of the vehicle, the department has spent nearly $40,000 on repairs and maintenance, including rust treatments and replacing parts for the ladder in the past few years, he said.

He added that the truck, which he described as “in pretty tough shape,” is due for a Department of Transportation inspection in February and that the department is concerned the truck may not pass inspection due to rust on the frame.

He said the department was able to find a manufacturer that already has a demonstration vehicle on order — known as a Quint truck, and would have a 300-gallon water tank, a pump, hose and a 100-foot ladder — and could be delivered in 2025, if the referendum is approved. Given the supply and demand for fire equipment like a ladder truck, Bernard said getting a truck like this can otherwise take nearly four years.

“Obviously, we’re looking for the town’s support in this,” Bernard said. ” … We’ve put this off a couple of years already. If we put this off another year and lose this opportunity of buying this demo firetruck that’s available, we wouldn’t have another truck for well over four years.”

In this question’s financial statement, the treasurer noted that the town’s indebtedness would jump to over $2 million, not including the bond, if authorized, for 22 Main St. With an estimated interested rate range of 3.5%-3.87%, the bond would come with an estimated interest cost of $293,000 for a 10-year term.

The initial debt balance of $507,000 for the town to pay off is for bike and pedestrian trails near the DOT Freeport Bridge project by exits 20 and 22 off Interstate 295, which is scheduled to be completed in 2025. The initial bond for this debt was secured in 2021.

Jessica Maloy, the finance director for the town, said that any approved bond payments will be incorporated into the general fund budget. She confirmed that there would be a tax increase to the taxpayers.

If both items pass, she said, current estimates show that the millage rate, which is used to determine property taxes, would increase by 10 cents. The current millage rate for the fiscal year (which runs from July 2024 to June 2025) is $13.35 per thousand dollars of property value.

For more ballot information, visit freeportmaine.com.