The reach of Wiscasset’s historic preservation ordinance could change under a draft the ordinance review committee and representatives of the town’s preservation commission worked on Monday night.

Amending the ordinance would take a town vote. The panels are aiming for this June.

Members will pick up their review next month. So far, they favored defining the district by the National Historic District boundary set in 1973 and foregoing the language on the Village 1, Village 2 and Village Waterfront zoning districts.

Participants recalled a resident suggesting the change last year when the town considered repealing the ordinance which created the commission that fields requests for certificates of appropriateness. In November, voters rejected repeal, 437-536.

“We lose 39 (properties) and add 32, so it’s almost a wash,” Susan Blagden, consultant to the commission, said about the possible boundary change.

Participants also mulled updating the ordinance to reflect the lack of a town planner after the job’s defunding last year. They discussed assigning certain tasks to “the town” rather than saying who; and planned to give the applicant more to do. Participants discussed having applicants post on their properties posters stating what they are proposing and when the commission will review the request.

Commission Chairman John Reinhardt and others said the defunding has given them more to do, and has removed a planner as a point of contact for applicants. “We have to stop this march into chaos,” he said. 

ORC member Al Cohen said he went into the town office to get an application for a building on one of his properties, and the six-page applications were missing pages; then town staff checked and determined the latest application is 12 pages, he said. Wiscasset could lose businesses to other towns this way, he said. “How friendly are we as a town?”

Cohen also serves on the planning board and told that panel in a meeting that followed. Chairman Ray Soule said he will be looking into the matter. Town Manager Marian Anderson said later, she would look into it also. If there’s a problem with the applications, she said, “That’s a concern to me.”