KENNEBUNK — It took just shy of 60 people to decide the potential fate of Kennebunk’s Lower Village.

That was the estimated attendance at Wednesday night’s special Town Meeting, and those who braved the downpour to arrive at Town Hall voted in favor of establishing a tax increment finance district for an area that one resident described as “the forgotten stepchild” of Kennebunk.

“When the cold comes in, we get forgotten,” said one voter who addressed the board. “There’s three TIFs in the rest of the town. Fair is fair.”

Voters in attendance apparently agreed. The Lower Village TIF will be the fourth such district established in Kennebunk and will function in much the same way as the others, which cover areas such as West Kennebunk and the Route 1 corridor. Tax revenues generated from properties in the district will be set aside in a special fund earmarked for specific purposes, usually involving safety or beautification improvements.

“Each TIF district has specific requirements on how funds are to be spent in that district,” said Town Manager Barry Tibbetts Wednesday, adding that the Lower Village Committee studied the area extensively to determine which projects might be of most benefit.

Just over 17 acres have been identified in Lower Village in which some development might take place over the coming years, and it is from these parcels that the TIF would set aside tax revenues.

Tibbetts said that with the introduction of the district, there are “some numbers that shift at the state level that benefit us.” He used education funding as one example.

“On the educational side, because we have a lower valuation, that means we get more money from the state,” he said. “There is a direct benefit to the town when it comes to receiving money from various sources at the state level.”

Not all of the residents in attendance were impressed, however.

John Costin, who recently filed a lawsuit against the town after claiming that selectmen violated the Maine Right to Know law by creating a town position under executive session, was critical of the TIF.

He claimed that the proposed improvements to Lower Village ”“ many involving sidewalk quality and lighting ”“ are not necessarily worthy of specially earmarked tax revenue.

“None of these (improvements) have been established as high priorities for the town,” said Costin. “Some of these would be nice to have ”¦ but in my opinion, it’s not worth setting aside tax money for these very specific projects.”

Rachel Phipps echoed that sentiment when she claimed that establishing a TIF to address infrastructure issues was the wrong route to take.

“I had hoped that we could take care of those projects through a normal budget process,” she said.

Others, including Jeff Bonney of the Lower Village Committee, claimed that certain projects have been long overdue, and that the creation of a TIF is a proven method for helping to finance them.

“It works,” said Bonney. “It’s been tested all over the country, all over the state, and right here in town. I don’t see a problem at all (with) that issue.”

According to Tibbetts, coming to a decision on the Lower Village TIF before the spring allows the town to retroactively incorporate tax revenue that has been generated in the area since April of 2008.

Some questioned the decision to move forward with voting on the issue in a Town Meeting format, which generally elicits fewer votes than a special referendum.

Phipps in particular thought it unfair that, out of roughly 9,000 registered voters in Kennebunk, only about 57 decided the fate of the Lower Village TIF.

“We are making a significant decision with about 57 voting members,” she said. “I find that really not in line with efforts in recent years to increase public participation.”

Selectman Robert Higgins defended the Town Meeting format.

“If people are more concerned with staying at home and watching ”˜American Idol’ instead of coming here and voting on this issue, then you’re the ones who should decide the issue,” he said.

All other articles before voters were also passed, and with significantly less fanfare. Voters accepted the establishment of Henri Drive as a Town Way; an ordinance enacting minor amendments to the town’s victualer and lodging licenses; and an article that re-appropriates the current balance of funds in the Heating Fuel Assistance Program to a new account: The Heating Fuel Assistance for Needy Persons and Energy Efficiency Home Improvements, which would seek to assist low-income families with winterization and weatherization projects.

— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319, or at jlagasse@journaltribune.com.