If Gov. Paul LePage’s budget curtailments are approved by the legislature, it will take nearly $500,000 in revenue from Wiscasset. Wiscasset selectmen voted in their meeting February 5 to have Town Manager Laurie Smith prepare a budget sufficiently reducing the use of the fund balance with a goal of $300,000 for the fiscal year 2013-2014.

With a reduction of that amount in the budget, Smith asked the selectmen if there were any areas in the budget that they didn’t want touched. The consensus of the board was that she prepare the budget and make the necessary cuts and bring it back to the board.

“I am not going to tell her where to make the cuts, and she has to keep the town running,” Selectman Judy Colby said. “We do not want to raise taxes. This is the year that the Budget Committee and the Selectmen need to be on the same page.

“This is the year we are going to have to make some unpopular decisions. People in Wiscasset can’t afford to pay any more in taxes,” Colby said.

Selectmen Ed Polewarczyk said, “No matter what we do, I believe our tax rate will go up. We have to try to keep it at a minimum.

“With education taking 73 percent of the budget, the county taking seven percent, we only have about 20 percent we can control, and not even that when you figure in the Governor’s proposal; it is only a 15 percent we can control. We have two alternatives, raise taxes, cut services, or out source. I believe we are obligated to take a look at out sourcing.”

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Budget Committee Member William Barnes pointed out savings in out sourcing the town snow plowing and sanding, also discontinuing the town Police Department and depend on the County Sheriff’s Department.

“I wouldn’t feel anymore scared if the county were protecting me,” he said with a chuckle.

Goals of selectmen

The selectmen voted to work on four of their goals for this year. They include: minimize the impact of the budget on town taxpayers; reduce the town’s outstanding accounts receivable; adopt a fund balance policy; and liquidate unneeded town owned properties and tax acquired parcels.

Wiscasset resident William Phinney addressed the selectmen, pointing out to them that there is no economic development in their goals. “The town will lose over $500,000 in revenue this first year,” he said. “There are three ways to balance a town budget – cut spending raise taxes, and economic development.”

Phinney suggested to the selectmen that they have economic a development workshop and invite the public to attend. “Let it be like a brainstorming session,” he said. “Not like your workshops where we cannot speak.”

Selectman Pam Dunning told Phinney that the public is always encouraged to speak during their workshops, and thanked Phinney for his comments.

In other business

The selectmen voted to accept the tasks for the Ad-hoc Cemetery Committee and will appoint a five-member board.

The selectmen made the following appointments: Joan Barnes as an Appeal Board member until December 31, 2015; Rick Scanian as a Waterfront Committee member until December 31, 2015; and Kent Reed as a Budget Committee Member until June 2013.

The selectmen authorized quitclaim deeds for 10 properties in Wiscasset that had been foreclosed.