WISCASSET

Residents have been spared a 27 percent tax hike as voters at Wiscasset’s open Town Meeting approved an article to appropriate $1.25 million from the town’s municipal reserve account to offset the increase.

“We’re looking at a potential 27 percent tax increase this year,” said a resident speaking in favor of the article. “To me it’s suicide if we don’t vote for this. I hate doing this because we’re bailing out the schools, but we kind of have to.”

Residents spoke at the microphone and amid the crowd questioning the school board’s decision to operate three schools in Wiscasset’s new standalone district rather than consolidating to two schools.

Steve Smith, a member of the Wiscasset School Board said, “It was a very difficult thing to do, to withdraw from the (Regional School Unit 12) and we are well aware of the burden this is putting on the town.” He added that the board is already looking at options to reduce next year’s budget by consolidating schools.

“We have put ourselves in this mess by voting to withdraw from the RSU so those of you who voted, ‘Yes, let’s get out,’ thank you for the mess,” said resident Lois Kwantz, to a round of applause.

“Anybody who thought that we could withdraw from the RSU on June 30 of this year,” said Kwantz, “and be able to close down a building to see instant reductions in September of this year doesn’t have a clue how a school system operates.”

Recommended by both the budget committee and Board of Selectmen, the vote on Article 24 to approve the $1.25 million appropriation passed 123-14, and was followed by a mass departure of approximately 100 of the 181 voters present.

The appropriation lowered the potential tax increase to 9.88 percent, according to the selectmen’s recommended amounts on the warrant, county taxes, and the school budget to go to polls on June 10. This total, however, was amended twice from the floor.

One amendment increased the Wiscasset Public Library’s appropriation as recommended by the selectmen and budget committee by $8,950, raising it from $60,000 to $68,950. Another motion amended the municipal highway’s appropriation to $640,741, the midway point between the selectmen’s recommended amount of $653,741 and the budget committee’s recommended amount of $627,741.

These amendments resulted in an overall increase of $4,050 to the total amount recommended by the selectmen in the articles of the town warrant.

The $9.4 million school budget, approved by voters at a May 14 Special Town Meeting accounts for 25 percent of the budget to be offset by the appropriation from the municipal reserve account.

The most controversial issues were stacked early in the warrant, with Article 5, the appropriation for the police department, drawing a half-hour debate over an increase to fund a fulltime school resource officer.

“We have a drug problem in our schools,” said Ed Polewarczyk, chairman of the selectboard. “We’ve gotten to the point where some parents have already removed their students from our schools.”

Police Chief Troy Cline said that a school resource officer would work with students at the elementary, middle and high school. At the elementary school this would be to assist with antibullying programs and engage with young students, while at the high school level the officer would be more of a mentor, Cline said.

Noting that the police officer would be in uniform, Cline said, “That’s a way for the officer to interact with children and have them get used to seeing a police officer other than in an enforcement capacity.”

Without a resource officer, Cline said he responds to calls from the high school, which is time he is not available for administrative work. He said the department gets as many as two or three separate calls from the high school a day, though this number varies.

Some residents were opposed to creating a full-time position, which increased the police department budget by $40,000, and the appropriation was not recommended by the budget committee.

Steve Smith said that he didn’t think law enforcement was the best way to address the drug problem at the schools, and suggested that a guidance counselor or social worker would be more appropriate.

“It is a necessity to have a some type of law enforcement presence in all the schools,” said Frank Costa, a former police officer. “I don’t have children in school, but I’m willing to pay the extra few bucks a year to see that your child is not exposed to another child bringing in contraband.”

The article for the selectmen’s recommended amount of $376,374, which included the creation of a school resource officer position, failed in the first vote as it tied 83 in favor and 83 opposed.

A motion was made to adopt the budget committee’s recommended amount of $336,776, which did not include funds for a school resource officer, and this motion also failed, with 69 in favor and 98 opposed.

A motion was then made to vote again on the selectmen’s recommended amount, and the article passed by 15 votes, with 91 in favor and 76 opposed.

In the following article, the selectmen’s recommended amount of $77,384 for the municipal planning department passed 138-33, defeating the budget committee’s recommendation of $50,884, which would have reduced the town planner’s hours from 40 to 20 per week.

The selectmen’s recommended amount of $45,300 for code enforcement passed 115-50. A motion was made from the floor to adopt the budget committee’s recommended amount of $38,325, which would have reduced the code enforcement officer’s hours from 20 to 15 per week, but a second motion was made from the floor to amend the budget committee’s amount to the amount recommended by the selectmen, which passed 111-56.

The selectmen’s recommended amount of $10,630 for shellfish conservation passed 111-56, defeating the budget committee’s recommendation of $2,700. For parks and recreation, the selectmen’s recommended amount of $748,572 passed 89-61, an additional $32,000 above the amount recommended by the budget committee.

Voters also approved several appropriations from the capital reserve account, including $40,000 for municipal roof repairs, $25,000 for a municipal building generator, $55,000 for a Public Works Department truck and $77,201 for road and sidewalk repairs.

The school budget will be voted on by secret ballot on June 10. Five candidates will also be running for three seats on the Board of Selectmen, including incumbents Judith Colby and Jefferson Slack, and former selectmen Benjamin Rines Jr., David Nichols and William Barnes. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Wiscasset Community Center, located at 242 Gardiner Road.

Upcoming vote

THE SCHOOL BUDGET will be voted on by secret ballot on June 10. Five candidates will also be running for three seats on the Board of Selectmen, including incumbents Judith Colby and Jefferson Slack, and former selectmen Benjamin Rines Jr., David Nichols and William Barnes.

POLLS WILL BE OPEN from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Wiscasset Community Center, located at 242 Gardiner Road.