Edgecomb voters turned down appropriating $74,200 for a full-time fire chief and using the Woodend Boat Fund to augment the town’s surplus account at the annual town meeting Saturday, May 16.
The annual meeting lasted approximately 4 1/2 hours with an initial overflow crowd that petered out as the meeting progressed. Residents engaged in lengthy discussions on the fire, roads, and school department budgets.
Numerous amendments were made to the warrant with some warrant articles undergoing as many as four amendments. Voters changed the due date for taxes from Nov. 30 to Oct. 31. The interest rate of 7 percent for late payment of taxes will now begin on Nov. 1.
The amount appropriated for libraries was also amended from the budget committee’s recommendation of $2,000 for the Wiscasset Library and $2,000 for the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library. Voters raised the appropriation for the Wiscasset Library to $4,000, with the appropriation for Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library remaining at $2,000.
The $1,000 appropriation for the shellfish committee was amended to $0, due to the committee no longer being a requirement.
All other appropriations were approved after extended debate. Edgecomb’s municipal budget for the 2015-2016 fiscal year is approximately $885,303, with the additional amount appropriated for the Wiscasset Library.
The municipal budget to be raised from property taxes is approximately $698,691. The local contribution to the voter approved education budget of $2,539.182 is $2,151,393.
The tax commitment for the 2015-2016 year is determined by the municipal budget, the education budget, the county tax commitment, and the amount selectmen decide to raise for overlay – an addition to the tax commitment selectmen are allowed to make to account for tax abatement applications.
Selectmen can legally raise 5 percent of the state’s valuation of a municipality for overlay, which is commonly used to build up surplus.
Edgecomb’s county tax commitment for 2015-2016 is $264,466.31 – a $14,150.61 increase from the previous year. The town’s mil rate will be determined once selectmen decide on the amount to raise for overlay.
A full report on the Edgecomb town meeting will be published in the upcoming edition of The Lincoln County News.