Do Wiscasset voters want to change their form of town government?

That’s the question Tim Merry, a former Wiscasset selectman and fire chief, is asking. He’s called a meeting to discuss the possible change for 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8 in the hearing room of the municipal building.

Merry complains property taxes go up every year while town services, roads and infrastructure continue to get worse.  He told the Wiscasset Newspaper he hopes other taxpayers who share the same frustration will attend the meeting.

“If nothing else, this might bring some attention to the problems we’ve been experiencing the last few years. Hopefully, we can get a positive discussion going on how we can begin spending our tax dollars more responsibly,” he said.

Merry believes a town manager form of government hasn’t worked for Wiscasset. “It’s diminished the role of selectmen.” He said hiring a town administrator might be a better way to conduct town business.

“My own preference would be to return to a town meeting. I think we lost something as a community when we stopped holding the annual town meeting. It allows taxpayers the opportunity to be heard and for the exchange of ideas,” he continued.

“Others have told me we should go back to having a three-member board of selectmen instead of the current five-member board.”

Merry said the meeting will allow other residents to share their ideas and concerns. “If there are enough people that feel the same way as I do then I think we might consider forming a committee to look into this further.”

Wiscasset voted to change from a town meeting to a town manager form of government 14 years ago.

“We had a referendum vote in March 2001 and the townspeople voted 531 to 271 to go to a town manager form of government,” Selectman Ben Rines Jr. said. “At the same election the townspeople voted 486 to 391 to go to a five-member board of selectmen.”

Rines was serving as first selectman and chairman of the board then. “The changes took effect a year after the referendum vote,” he added.

Although he didn’t know for certain, Rines said returning to a town meeting government or three-member board of selectmen will likely require another referendum and possibly a year to implement.

“I grew up with town meetings and wouldn’t be in favor of going back to them,” he added. “I simply don’t agree they’re good democracy because they prevent too many people from voting. Some people can’t make it to a town meeting because they’re working, or maybe they’re away. There’s also elderly or infirm residents who aren’t able attend or can’t sit through them. It’s unfair to these residents because their property taxes are impacted along with everybody else.”

Rines recalled when the townspeople initially voted to hire a town manager selectmen continued holding an annual town meeting in March. The meeting was later changed to June to accommodate the school budget.

He said that at the general election in November 2008, another referendum was held to eliminate the annual town meeting and go with a ballot warrant. The referendum passed 785 to 501. It allowed voters to vote absentee on what’s now referred to as the annual warrant that includes a separate ballot for the election of town officials including selectmen. This year’s vote was held in June.

“I was against the change at first but when I saw how many more people voted absentee, I thought it was the right thing to do,” continued Rines.

Two years ago, selectmen decided to return to an open town meeting. “Less than 200 people attended,” he said.

Merry agrees ballot voting allows more people the opportunity to vote — but says they are less informed on what they are voting on.

“Unless they attend the selectmen meetings or the public hearings and few do, people don’t fully understand what ramifications their vote has on their property taxes,” he said. Attending a town meeting allows voters to hear directly from department heads and selectmen. “They can ask questions and debate the merits of a warrant article.”

Merry added there was no explanation on this year’s warrant for several large expenditures, or for increases in departmental budgets.

Another problem has been keeping a town manager, Merry said. Over the last 10 years, Wiscasset has had seven town managers, not counting the three interim managers. “That’s no way to run a town,” he said.

Selectmen’s Chairman Judy Colby is curious how many people will attend Merry’s meeting. “I hope the ones that do go have an open mind and ask a lot of questions,” she said.

Colby isn’t in favor of returning to an annual town meeting. “I voted against the one we had in 2014. About 179 attended and most of them left after voting to take $1.5 million out of the capital reserve account to reduce their property taxes.

“The problem with town meetings it that it disenfranchises too many voters, the ones who can’t be there,” she said.