Bar Harbor's contentious cruise ship visitor cap will stay in place after residents voted down a referendum to repeal it.
The effort failed by just 63 votes — 1,776 residents voted against the measure and 1,713 voted in favor.
The question asked voters to repeal a 1,000-person cap instituted in 2022 after a citizens petition. It would have replaced that policy with a new proposal from the town council, which would have allowed up to 3,200 visitors per day, and was supported by some local businesses that oppose the harsher cap.
Valerie Peacock, chair of the town council, said she feels offering an alternative was the right choice but residents have made it clear they support the stricter cap.
"So I think we did what I think was the right thing to do, come up with an alternative and put it out there and now we have an answer and can move forward from there," she said.
The results mean the lower limit will stay in place, although it still faces numerous legal challenges.
Charles Sidman is one of the residents who submitted the citizen petition that became the ordinance, and has been involved in several of the lawsuits over it.
"Well it was a narrow win, but its a win, and a win is better than a loss, so we are very pleased," he said.
The Association to Preserve and Protect Local Livelihoods, which opposes the original ordinance, could not be reached for comment by air time.
