As the two towns head for what has been repeatedly called a divorce, Damariscotta and Newcastle might have to come to discuss marital property and custody.

At a meeting Monday, July 20, the Newcastle board of selectmen agreed to delay the agreement to dissolve the shared public works department with Damariscotta to give the towns more time to come to an agreement about reconciliation and property.

The Newcastle board of selectmen agreed unanimously to extend the agreement three weeks to Aug. 10 to allow Damariscotta time to react to the proposal. The Damariscotta board met July 15 and agreed to end the interlocal agreements after Oct. 31.

Newcastle Selectman Carolyn Hatch said she hoped for a quick resolution.

“I don't think we should drag this out — (the Damariscotta board of selectmen) want to get rid of (the interlocal agreement), and I think the longer we drag this out, the more likely we are to see surprises,” she said.

The interlocal subcommittee and the Damariscotta board of selectmen agreed to extend the agreement until Oct. 31 with a list of expectations attached. Newcastle town attorney Peter Drum said one of the expectations (to develop a five-year plan) should be stricken.

One of the issues that prevented the Newcastle board from signing the agreement was that no mention of reconciliation was given in the agreement. Newcastle is waiting for Superintendent of Roads Steve Reynolds to provide a break-out of where work occurred in 2014, as it is believed that Damariscotta will have to pay Newcastle for using more of the interlocal's time.

The two towns will also need to come to an agreement about shared tools and equipment that were bought with a shared pool of money.

Selectman Ben Frey said he didn't agree with how Damariscotta ended the agreement.

“I think the approach the Damariscotta selectmen (took) is the wrong way,” he said. “They had a town vote to support and fund the interlocal agreement, and not three weeks later they are ending (the agreement). I think they should have followed the town's wishes, and they should have scheduled a special town meeting because it was the citizens who voted to start the interlocal agreement.

“We here in Newcastle wouldn't dream of (ending the agreement) without asking the voters first.”

Frey made a motion to not sign the agreement until both towns' voters agreed to dissolve the agreement. Frey later retracted the motion, but Drum said the town was within its rights to leave the motion to dissolve unsigned.

“You're not obligated to execute (the motion) in its current form,” he said. “Eventually, you'll have to have a town meeting to decide how that money is going to be spent.”

That money includes approximately $109,000 that voters approved for the interlocal agreement, plus another $30,000 for equipment purchases. That figure would be all that the town could use to fund a standalone public works department, as Foote said the board wouldn't ask voters for more money this year or next.

“We have to go to the town and present them with the options and see how they feel about (the options),” he said.

The board asked Reynolds to provide a detailed breakdown of how much it would cost the town to run its own department from Nov. 1, when the interlocal agreement ends, until June 30, 2016, when the fiscal year ends.

“The elephant in the room is taxes,” Frey said. “Any option has to include what it will cost in taxes. The goal is to proximate the level of service we've come to expect without raising taxes.”

Frey's top choice for the future of Newcastle's public works isn't so different than its present: to find another partner in an interlocal agreement.

Foote mentioned Nobleboro, Edgecomb and Alna as potential partners in an interlocal agreement. Because of the proximity of the towns, and the potential for an economy of scale, other towns might want to join Newcastle, Foote said.

The other options include a standalone department or to do what the town did before the interlocal agreement, which was to have a road commissioner and contract out all the work that needs to be done.

To have its own department, Newcastle would likely use the $30,000 in equipment reserves to purchase a truck and trailer, as Damariscotta owned the one currently used by the shared department.

Damariscotta will have its next meeting Wednesday, Aug. 5.