Wiscasset voters rejected a $10.9 million education budget, approved a $8.4 million municipal budget, and elected town officials during the annual town meeting by referendum on Tuesday, June 10.
The $10,896,270.38 education budget, which was approved by voters at a special town meeting in April, was rejected by a vote of 281-206, with four ballots left blank. The budget represented an increase of $323,267.81 or 3.06% over last year.
In a written statement, Wiscasset School Superintendent Kim Andersson expressed a note of optimism.
“I view it as an opportunity for our new school committee to coalesce around the revision of our FY 26 budget and enable a positive start to the new year,” Andersson said. “I am grateful for the opportunity for another revision.”
Andersson said the Wiscasset School Committee will present a revised school budget at a future special budget town meeting. The figures voters approve at that meeting will need to be voted on at a special budget validation referendum. The process will repeat until a new budget is passed.
If a budget is not passed by July 1, the budget that was adopted on April 29 will go into effect, Andersson said.
“We have been down this road before,” said Andersson. “The first year of RSU 12 took three rounds of budget meetings and validation votes to pass a budget. The bright side is we will get a chance to revise the budget and I believe another revision will lead to a greater outcome for the new year. This is an opportunity to address the doubts raised by some, including two school committee members, and move forward in a positive fashion. The downside: the process is time consuming and has additional, unbudgeted, costs. I will reach out to the town manager to get an estimate of what that cost is.”
The majority of the 61-article warrant dealt with the $8,489,221 municipal budget, an increase of $363,591 or 4.47% from last year. After accounting for $4,068,276 in estimated revenues, taxpayers will be responsible for $4,420,945, an increase of $626,255 or 16.50%.
The budget for Wiscasset Emergency Medical Services is $1,096,395, an increase of $157,204 or 16.74% from last year. It was passed 377-108 with six blanks.
This increase is partially due to the transformation of Scout Hall, at 7 Lincoln St., into a training and meeting center, which Wiscasset Emergency Medical Services Chief, Erin Bean and her crew took on in August 2024.
The Wiscasset Police Department budget is $937,762, an increase of $101,167 or 12.09%. The budget includes an increase in overtime for officers, two new full-time officers, a new cruiser, which the town will be leasing, and a change in its retirement plan for officers. The budget was passed 308-169 with 14 blanks.
The largest proposed cost center, the parks and recreation budget is $1,226,189, a decrease of $39,527 or 3.12% from last year. It passed 313-167 with six blanks.
The public works budget is $833,943, a rise of $64,565 or 8.39%, due to an increase in wages and benefits. It passed 371-108 with 12 blanks.
The finance budget is $320,938, up $20,818 or 6.94%, because of an increase in expenses associated with TRIO, a type of software often used by municipalities, and salaries. It passed 296-279 with 15 blanks.
The budget for public utilities is $337,365, up $10,341 or 3.16% from last year. Expenses associated with the town’s fire hydrants total $322,115, making up the bulk of the budget. It passed 381-98 with 12 blanks.
Also at the polls, residents elected Christopher Hart and Douglas Merrill to the Wiscasset School Committee for three-year terms. Hart received 230 votes and Merrill received 243 votes.
Incumbents Jodi Hardwick and Jason Putnam did not seek reelection.
Alissa Kee Eason and incumbent Pamela Dunning were each elected to two-year terms on the Wiscasset Select Board with 332 votes and 341 votes, respectively. Incumbent Terry Heller did not seek reelection.
Brandon Delano was elected to a three-year term on the Wiscasset Water District Board of Trustees with 338 votes. The board’s other incumbent, David Sawyer, did not seek reelection but received seven write-in votes for the other three-year term.
A total of 491 ballots were cast.
