Woolwich voters reject library funding, approve aid for individual cards

Woolwich voters chose lower spending over a direct town contribution to Patten Free Library, ending a long debate with a compromise that shifts help from the Bath library itself to individual cards for residents who need them.

At the annual town meeting at the grammar school on Nequasset Road, a little over 200 voters, just under 10% of those registered, trimmed $71,506 from the town’s $2,838,959 budget by rejecting the library appropriation. The final compromise reserved $8,500 for up to 100 library cards at $85 each, a move meant to preserve access for residents who say the annual fee would be a burden.

The debate lasted about 90 minutes and, by the end, the room had split sharply over whether Woolwich should keep supporting the Summer Street library in its traditional form. Three votes were required to settle the issue. The compromise motion drew applause and boos, underscoring how much the decision was about more than one line item in a town budget.

Selectboard Chairman David King Sr. framed the card option as a fairness issue, saying the town office could handle the program the way it handles heating-assistance aid and keep recipients private. That approach offered a narrower path than the larger municipal contribution Patten Free Library had requested for the 2026-27 fiscal year, an $80,108 ask that was $8,602 above Woolwich’s previous-year donation.

The vote marked a sharp turn from 2025, when voters approved a $71,506 contribution to Patten Free after about 25 minutes of debate. This year, the town not only rejected that contribution but also passed an overall spending plan that was $45,782 less than the year before, showing a broader appetite for limiting municipal costs where possible.

Woolwich was willing to increase one nonprofit line item dramatically. In the same annual meeting cycle, voters boosted the Bath Area Food Bank donation from $1,250 to $10,000, a reminder that the town was not rejecting outside aid altogether. Instead, residents drew a line between general library support and targeted help for people who need direct assistance to borrow books and use programs.

The decision matters beyond Woolwich. Patten Free Library is a private 501(c)(3) and says municipal support accounted for 31% of operating revenue in fiscal year 2024-25, with endowment and trusts at 42%, annual fund at 14%, Friends at 5%, other sources at 7%, and fines and fees at 1%. The library says it receives funding from Bath, Arrowsic, Georgetown, West Bath and Woolwich, making each town meeting vote part of a regional funding structure that reaches well past a single municipal border.