Facing a May 2 deadline, Wiscasset selectmen continued work on the 2016-17 town budget April 21. Five members of the budget committee were in attendance for the two-hour meeting in the hearing room.

This year’s proposed Capital Improvements requests total $487,067. As in years past, these expenditures will be paid for from interest earned from the town’s investment fund. They include:

• $157,000 for paving at Young’s Point and the municipal parking lot on Water Street.
• Two EMS power cots for the ambulance service, $14,000.
• Primo vents for EMS and fire department, $38,000.
• Jaws of Life extrication equipment for the fire department, $28,203.
• Constructing sleeping quarters for the ambulance department, adding signage and replacing the entry way to the hearing room at the town office, $55,000.
• Balance for Community Center roof replacement, $61,000.
• Cardiac Monitor Lease (year five of five), $12,764.
•  Backhoe for the highway department $125,000.

Selectmen may hold off on purchase of the backhoe until next year, or consider a lease/purchase option.

All of the capital improvements requests will be put before voters as individual articles.

Police budget

Discussion of the police budget focused on the need for a police school resource officer. The position will be financed through both the police and school budgets.

Ben Rines Jr. chairman of the board of selectmen, said he’d prefer funding for school resource officer be put on the warrant as a separate article.

Town Manager Marian Anderson assured Rines that was her intention unless she was instructed by selectmen to do otherwise.

There was some feeling from both selectmen and budget committee the school resource officer should be funded entirely out of the school budget.

Next year’s police budget, including the school resource officer, stands at $425,603 as compared to $394,160 for last year.

Shellfish budget

The shellfish budget dropped $45 from last year and includes funding for the shellfish warden. Last year’s budget was $10,630 compared to $10,585.

Selectman Jeff Slack suggested the board consider raising the amounts the town charges for shellfish (clamming) licenses to cover the $2,500 the town spends each year to purchase seed clams.

The town currently charges $150 for resident commercial clamming licenses and $300 for non-resident commercial licenses. Recreation clamming licenses are $15 for residents and $30 for non-residents.

Vincent Thibeault of the budget committee didn’t think the town should be buying the seed clams. “I find it absurd the town is using tax dollars to subsidize the livelihood of 12 people,” he said.

Rines commented the town has always bought the seed clams. Recreational licenses, he said, allow people to dig a peck of clams a day.

“I think it’s time for an adjustment as far as what we charge for the licenses,” Slack responded. “I’d like to see more money going into that account.”

Administrative budget

The proposed 2016-17 administrative budget jumped $24,163 from $168,295 to $193,478. The town manager said the increase was due to a town office employee deciding to take health insurance benefits. “They hadn’t had the health benefits before and decided take them,” she said.

Selectmen will convene again at 5 p.m., Tuesday April 26 to begin work on finalizing the budget.

Police chief interviews underway

The town manager said police chief interviews have begun. She told selectmen she had two very good candidates making for a difficult choice.

The town office hasn’t received word yet from the insurance company for replacement of the police cruiser. The vehicle was totaled in a recent accident.