Woolwich voters approve full Patten Free Library funding after major turnout

Woolwich voters approved Patten Free Library’s full $80,108 funding request by a 284-158 margin after about 450 people packed Woolwich Central School and delayed the special meeting by roughly an hour while they checked in. The vote restored the larger municipal contribution and kept Woolwich aligned with the library partnership that has been in place since 1971.

The money means more than a line in the town budget. Patten Free Library said the support helps maintain access to books, programs, services, and digital resources for Woolwich residents and the other towns it serves. The library describes itself as a nonprofit 501(c)(3), and says municipal support makes up 33% of operating revenue for fiscal 2025-26, with the rest coming from endowment and trusts, the annual fund, Friends support, and fines, fees and other income.

The June 24 meeting was called to revisit a question voters had already settled in April, when more than 200 people rejected full funding and instead approved $8,500 to help buy up to 100 library cards at $85 each for residents who could not afford one. Before the new vote, the Woolwich Select Board rescinded that earlier decision after seeking advice from the town attorney and the Maine Municipal Association. Moderator Mike Field told voters there would be no amendments, leaving them with a direct choice between full funding and no change to the earlier compromise.

Selectman Dale Chadbourne said he had never seen a Woolwich town meeting crowd that large, and Selectman Jason Shaw said the turnout showed how strongly people felt about the library issue. A Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Department deputy was present for decorum. The meeting also carried a budget edge: the $80,108 request was $8,602 above Woolwich’s previous-year donation of $71,506.

For Woolwich households, the practical difference is straightforward. If the request had failed, the town would have stayed with the narrower card-buying option approved in April, rather than renewing its full annual municipal support for the Bath-based library that also serves Arrowsic, Georgetown and West Bath. With the June vote, Woolwich residents keep the broader service relationship intact, including borrowing access, public programs and the library’s online resources, without forcing the institution to operate on the reduced compromise.