Edgecomb residents approved the municipal budget and validated the education budget while rejecting proposals to expand the Wiscasset Water District and reclassify three municipal positions at their annual town meeting by referendum on Saturday, May 16.
Only four of the warrant’s 48 articles did not pass.
Articles 13-15, which asked if the offices of town clerk, tax collector, and treasurer be changed from elected to appointed positions were rejected by voters. The article about the office of town clerk failed 206-103, the article regarding the tax collector failed 209-97, and the article pertaining to the office of town treasurer failed 209-96.
During a public hearing about the annual town meeting warrant on April 29, Claudia Coffin, who holds the offices of town clerk and treasurer, spoke against the articles, saying the change would disturb checks and balances within town government.
Article 48, which asked if residents if they wanted to expand the Wiscasset Water District’s service territory to include the entirety of Edgecomb, failed 165-102.
All other articles passed.
The $2,216,499.02 total municipal budget was passed, an increase of $341,756.02 or 18.23%. With the county tax and education budget included, the total budget for the upcoming fiscal year totals $7,082,999.02, an increase of $635,657.02 or 9.86%.
For the upcoming fiscal year, other cost centers includes the $271,443 general government budget, a decrease of $27,064 or 9.07%. Within general government, residents will see the town expenses budget total at $110,000, a decrease of $30,400 or 21.66%.
The public safety budget totals $396,174.47, an increase of $17,186.47 or 4.53%. The largest increase within this overall budget is seen in the fire truck reserve fund, which totals $25,000, an increase of $5,000 or 25%.
The fire department salary budget totals $105,449.15, an increase of $9,727.15 or 10.16%. The fire department training budget totals $13,210.90, a decrease of $1,872 or 12.4%.
Other areas of the total budget include emergency management at $800, an increase of $100 or 14.29%; Central Lincoln County Ambulance Service at $86,685.41, an increase of $3,705.41 or 4.47%; cemeteries at $9,200, an increase of $600 or 6.98%; the fire department at $125,558, an increase of $1,250 or 1.01%; and health and sanitation at $188,888.82, a decrease of $1,341.18 or 0.71%.
The $4,487,740 education budget was validated with a vote of 158-140.
At an open town meeting on May 2, the cost centers throughout the total education budget were approved.
Taxpayers will be responsible for $3,302,029, an increase of $318,606 or 10.68%. With amendments made during the May 2 meeting, the amount is a decrease of $201,644 or 5.76% from the original budget recommended by the school committee.
Within the education budget, the $68,808 allocated for all other expenditures is an increase of $33,808 or 96.6%. Edgecomb School Committee Chair Heather Sinclair said the increase is so Edgecomb Eddy can hire a full-time kitchen staff member. The school’s kitchen has not been used in over a decade, Sinclair said. Rather, school lunch has been cooked at and brought over from the Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District.
Sinclair said the two main reasons for a full-time kitchen staff member is to ensure the freshness of the student’s meals and to lighten the load of other staff members who need to step away from their responsibilities to oversee lunch. The addition of a kitchen staff member will also make the school eligible to apply for grant funding.
The transportation and buses budget totals $161,285, a decrease of $29,382 or 15.41% from last year. The cost center includes funds in anticipation of rising fuel costs and covers the salary of two bus drivers.
At the May 2 meeting, the transportation and buses budget was decreased by a total of $26,032 or 13.9% from the originally proposed amount. Of the total, $1,032 was a part of the series of amendments Sinclair made while the other $25,000 reflects the removal of the proposed bus lease. The new plan is to maintain current vehicles through increased maintenance standards.
The regular instruction budget totals $2,446,095, an increase of $211,448 or 9.46%. The special instruction budget totals $917,441, an increase of $70,050 or 8.27%. The school administration budget totals $216,698, a decrease of $11,029 or 4.84%.
The facilities and maintenance budget totals $371,052, an increase of $29,276 or 8.57%. The facilities and maintenance budget covers the cost of custodial staff, electricity, and repairs throughout the school. The increased amount is to account for an upcoming project to replace the exterior doors of the building, which have been rusting, Sinclair said.
Voters also approved the $275,000 paving project for the Edgecomb Eddy School driveway with a vote of 181-129. The funds for the project will be appropriated from surplus.
Write-in Cara Gaffney received 162 votes to be elected for a three-year term on the Edgecomb Select Board. Stuart Smith, who previously served on the board, received 137 votes.
Sinclair was reelected for the school committee with 189 votes, defeating challenger Maureen Heffernan, who received 122.
Write-in candidate Paula Swetland was elected for the three-year planning board term with 42 votes. Michael Faass, another write-in candidate for the term, received 18 votes.
Jessica Mague was reelected tax collector with 286 votes. Coffin was reelected as town clerk and treasurer with 301 and 295 votes, respectively. Scott Griffin was reelected as road commissioner with 288 votes.
A total of 322 votes were cast.
The Edgecomb Select Board will next meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26. For more information, call 882-7018 or go to edgecomb.org.
