A special Wiscasset Town vote takes place Tues., Sept. 14 on the remaining warrant articles that did not pass from the June election. Although the warrant only has nine articles it involves over $590,000 in appropriations.
Some people have asked me why the town continues to bring back warrant articles after they are voted in the negative. This is a great question, which takes us back to town meeting.
Originally warrant articles were voted at town meeting where there could be discussion and even amendments from the floor to change the amount of an article.
Today, however, the town votes by secret ballot. This process does not allow for discussion and makes it even more important for citizens to become educated on the budget articles before they vote.
If citizens vote in the negative, it only means they did not approve that amount of funding for a department. A negative vote does not mean that a department is abolished.
Some people may vote negative because they wish for additional funding or because they disagree with one part of a budget. It would be irresponsible for the town to “close” a department because of a negative vote.
The secret ballot does allow for more voter participation but requires additional discussion. Even if all the elected officials agreed that a department should be closed due to a negative vote, the town has certain legal obligations by state and federal law as well as town authorized contracts, which must be followed.
In order to facilitate the discussion on the Sept.14 articles, I have summarized the articles and the budget differences from the June vote to the current articles.
Article 3: “To raise $78,671 for Municipal Planning.” The planning department is responsible for the process of development in town, land use regulations, our adherence to State laws, and economic development.
The planning office is the first stop by those interested in learning how to create value and jobs in our community, such as our two newest businesses – The Wiscasset Plaza or Monkey See Monkey Do. The department also works with the Wiscasset Conservation Commission, Planning Board, and Ordinance Review Committee.
The requested budget is approximately $2000 less than the June budget of $80,321.
Article 4: “To raise $51,831 for Code Enforcement.” The code office is responsible for the safekeeping of residents by enforcing good building practices as well as land use regulations.
The code office has also taken on the duties of town health officer and safety coordinator for the town. All of these roles are required by the state to meet our obligations to citizens and employees. The Code Enforcement budget is approximately $2000 less than the June budget of $53,457.
Article 5: “To raise $1600 for Municipal Boards and Committees.” The Wiscasset Municipal Boards and Committees budget is the support for the necessary work of our many volunteer boards. The budget is normally included with the planning and code enforcement budget, however for the purposes of this warrant has been broken out. The amount is the same as was presented in the June referendum.
Article 6: “To raise $339,834 for the Police Department.” The police department is critical to the public safety operations of the town.
Currently our department is comprised of three full-time officers and about a dozen reserve officers who work part time for the department covering all but a few hours each day.
The June budget was $331,510 and contained funding for a full-time police chief, which was voted in the negative. The new budget does not have funding for a police chief but does have funding for 24-hour coverage, seven days a week. If approved, the police department will still have three full-time police officers and reserve officer coverage for all remaining hours during the week.
Article 7: “To raise $49,298 for the Airport.” The Wiscasset Airport currently receives $32,800 per year in revenues, which offset the budget. Hangers at the airport and other taxation revenue generate the difference of $16,500. The current budget is over $11,000 less than the June budget of $60,365. The reductions came from firmer budget numbers as bids were received.
Article 8: “To raise $51,218 for Waterfront and Harbors.” The waterfront budget supports our working and recreational waterfront economy. The current budget replaces the funding for the full Harbormaster salary and full funding for the Harbormaster boat, in total this is approximately a $7000 increase from the June proposed budget.
Article 9: “To use $20,000 from the Impact Fee account for the purchase of a generator for the Waste Water Treatment Plant.” The wastewater treatment plant operations depend heavily on the 17 pump stations located along our major corridors.
The issue is whenever we have a power outage we can easily have an incident with the pump stations that could be easily cured with the use of a generator. This purchase will allow our department to maintain operations, keep our DEP permit in good standing, and purchase the equipment with funding from those who use the service.
If you have any questions about the warrant articles, I would encourage you to reach out to the department director or myself. I can be reached at 882-8200 Ext. 108 or by email at Townmanager@wiscasset.org.
