Wiscasset voted to keep its school resource officer for the 2015-2016 school year by a margin of two votes, 274-272, at the referendum annual town meeting Tuesday, June 9.
In a close contest for a seat on the board of selectmen between William David Cherry and Ervin Deck, Cherry emerged victorious by 15 votes. Cherry was voted on to the board with 247 votes, Deck received 232.
Judy Flanagan won the remaining seat by an overwhelming margin with 407 votes.
With the exception of a new police cruiser, voters approved all appropriations on the warrant, green lighting a municipal budget of approximately $5.7 million, $4,323,071 of which is to be raised from taxes, and a school department budget of approximately $8,406,578, with a local cost of approximately $5,642,610.59, for 2015-2016.
“Overall I’m very happy with the results,” Wiscasset Police Chief Troy Cline said. “I had hoped there would be more support for [the school resource officer] but we got the votes we needed.”
The school resource officer has been a controversial position since its introduction. It took three votes at the previous town meeting before the police department’s budget, with the school resource officer included, was approved.
The school resource officer was almost not included on the town’s 2015 warrant. Selectmen voted to remove the position from the warrant, due to their belief it should have been incorporated into the school department’s budget.
Selectmen reintroduced the school resource officer to the warrant in a last minute decision before the warrant was finalized. Selectmen decided to turn the decision over to the voters.
The election results indicate support for the position continues to be controversial. By two votes, the position was ultimately approved.
Public support for the Wiscasset Police Department and Wiscasset Emergency Medical Services was tested at the annual town meeting with non-binding opinion polls asking voters whether those services should continue.
The questions were posed due to a long-standing debate in Wiscasset over what services the town should maintain and what services should be reduced to relieve the burden on taxpayers.
Both the police department and the ambulance service were given a tax-payer stamp of approval.
In a question that asked, “Shall the town vote to discontinue the Wiscasset Police Department and utilize the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office,” 209 voters said yes, 342 said no.
In a question that asked, “Shall the town vote to discontinue the Wiscasset Emergency Medical Services Department and utilize a private company,” 81 voters said yes, 464 said no.
The police department’s and Wiscasset EMS’s budget for 2015-2016 were overwhelming approved. The police department’s budget passed 411-185 opposed. Wiscasset EMS’s budget passed 486-53 opposed.
“I think the straw poll went very well. It shows the community does want their own police department and I’m very happy about the budget. I can’t thank the community enough for the support they showed at the polls,” Cline said.
A new police cruiser, however, was the only appropriation from the capital reserve account voters rejected. Voters turned down the $39,000 appropriation 374 votes to 167. The appropriation was requested to replace the department’s aging 2008 Ford Crown Victoria, which has over 120,000 miles on it.
“I had hoped the vote [for the cruiser] would have gone differently,” Cline said. “It will be a real challenge now maintaining the maintenance line in our budget.”
Wiscasset EMS’s requested appropriation of $25,000 from the capital reserve account for repairs to their 2003 ambulance was approved 476-74.
The Parks & Recreation Department was also identified during Wiscasset’s budget process as an area to look into for greater efficiencies. The department was the single largest line item in Wiscasset’s municipal budget.
Voters approved the department’s $742,673 budget 325-227.
The Wiscasset Public Library also received strong support at the polls. The library was the only nonprofit included on Wiscasset’s warrant. The budget committee unanimously voted against the $68,950 budget, due to their request the library reduces its budget to $50,000 – a budget the committee would have supported.
Voters supported the library’s budget in a vote of 342-197.
The Wiscasset Municipal Airport’s budget of $283,175 received similar results with a 345-179 approval.
The Historic Preservation Ordinance and updated Flood Plain Management Ordinance were adopted.
For municipal office, Glen Craig and Eugene Stover secured their seats on the Wiscasset School Board for additional three year terms. Phillip Di Vece secured a three year term as a Wiscasset Water District Trustee, and Kristin Draper secured a two year term on the budget committee. All were running unopposed.
There were several write-in candidates for the six remaining vacancies on the budget committee. According to Town Clerk Christine Wolfe, the write-in votes will need to be verified before they are official.
