Wiscasset voters will go to the polls Tues., June 8, to elect town officials and decide the fate of a variety of budget articles and other town affairs.
Wiscasset First Selectman Bob Blagdon said he doesn’t find this year’s warrant particularly controversial. Nonetheless, disagreements within and between the budget committee and the board of selectmen have drawn attention to three budget articles.
The budget committee voted 5-1 against recommendation of Article 13, the police department budget. The figure of $331,510 on the warrant would pay the salary of a full-time police chief, but would not allow the town to have officers on duty 24/7.
Lieutenant John Allen of the Wiscasset Police Dept. said the budget he proposed was about $347,000 and would have paid for 24/7 coverage without a chief. Arrests and accidents are up, Allen said, and without around-the-clock patrols, officers spend their days “playing catch-up.”
According to budget committee member and candidate for selectman Ed Polewarczyk, “Right now we don’t have 24/7 coverage.” Polewarczyk spoke of break-ins in recent months at Rt. 1 businesses Huber’s Market and Sea Basket. “I really believe we’re at a point where we need 24/7 coverage,” he said.
The board of selectmen altered Allen’s request to include the police chief and remove provisions for two part-time officers that would make 24/7 coverage possible. “Without a chief, there’s no administrator responsible to the town manager,” Blagdon said. Selectmen split on the article, voting 3-2 to recommend it.
The budget committee and selectmen also disagreed on Article 20, an item that would raise $13,810 for non-profit organizations and provider agencies like Sweetser, Spectrum Generations and Bath’s Jessie Albert Dental Clinic. Again, the budget committee voted 5-1 against recommending funding.
Budget committee chairman Steve Mehrl said the committee voted against the article for multiple reasons. One of these, he said, is the belief that, “government should not be telling people how to spend their money on charity.”
Mehrl also questioned the town’s process to choose which charities to fund. “Why these charities? Why not the universe of charities?” he asked.
At a recent meeting, Mehrl said an audience member pointed out “the CEO’s of some of these charities are making six figure incomes… it just sours you a little bit.”
Polewarczyk concurred. “There’s some mighty fine organizations,” he said, but he said he objects to “telling people what they’re going to contribute [to],” and to whom.
The board of selectmen, meanwhile, voted 4-1 to recommend the article. Blagdon found himself in the minority on the issue.
“If people want to donate to these organizations, reach into your pocket,” he said.
According to Mehrl, if the article fails, the town will still continue to provide a variety of charitable services funded by the General Assistance account. “The town takes care of the needy in many ways,” he said, including assistance with taxes and fuel costs as well as “outright gifts of money.”
Another point of contention was Article 30, the Waterfront and Harbors budget. The budget committee voted 6-0 against funding. According to Blagdon, the budget includes a reduced stipend for the Harbormaster, from $15,000 to $9500, but Blagdon said, the position has fewer responsibilities as well.
Polewarczyk termed the change “a personnel issue between the Harbormaster and the selectmen,” and said the polls are “not the place to decide” the matter.
Voters will not determine the future of the proposed Village Waterfront District at this time. The vote was delayed after the planning board failed to provide proper notice of a public hearing on the matter.
Overall, Blagdon said, officials were “able to get the budget down a little bit.”
“[Interim Wiscasset Town Manager] Don Gerrish, the selectmen and the budget committee did a great job,” Mehrl added. All differences aside, Mehrl said the budget was a cooperative effort that included at least one grueling, six hour Saturday session.
Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tues., June 8, at the Wiscasset Community Center.
