After meeting with Boothbay selectmen on January 26, Edgecomb selectmen have decided to forgo Boothbay's offer to combine the code enforcement services for the two towns.

Edgecomb Selectman Jack Sarmanian said on Monday, March 24 that this was not the time to move forward on the issue. “The (January) meeting was only an exploration to get data from Boothbay,” he said.

“I can concur, though I think it was beneficial to open up the dialogue, Selectman Stuart Smith said. “I don't think Edgecomb is ready (to make this change).” Smith said that cost was a major factor in the decision. “(The town of Boothbay) wanted $10,000.” 

The selectmen agreed that the action should be dropped. They said that Marian Anderson has agreed to continue as Edgecomb's CEO. “She is a consummate professional,” Sarmanian said. Smith agreed, saying, “She was great.”

In other matters, Smith called for a review of a warrant regarding expenses for G & G Towing of Boothbay. At issue were two bills totaling $398 for work done by G & G Towing. “I have an issue with these bills from G & G Towing,” he said. “We (the town) shouldn't be paying for towing.”

Smith said the fire department should be responsible for paying the bills from the towing company. He added that a member of the fire department owns G & G Towing.

Smith made a motion to revisit the vote on the warrant. The fellow selectmen concurred.

Before closing the meeting, the topic of the town's tax commitment situation came up. In reviewing Edgecomb’s town audits for 2012/2013, Town Auditor Fred Brewer discovered a calculation error. A few expenses were left out of the calculation, and as a result, the tax rate was lower than it should have been.

The issue was somewhat confusing, and Smith is taking the initiative of writing a clarification for the people of Edgecomb. “I'm going to put together a history of what happened and what we'll do to rectify this situation,” he said.

Selectman Jessica Chubbuck said that the mistake occurred after the town meeting. “I think it's important for people to understand what happened. The commitment was done wrong,” she said.