Reviewing the school budget and getting appointed instead of elected are among Wiscasset’s budget committee’s ideas for itself. Chair Tom Joyce has given a list to selectmen. It will be a topic the next time the selectboard and budget committee meet jointly, Selectmen’s Chair Sarah Whitfield said in a Dec. 5 discussion on the 2023-24 town budget’s status near mid-fiscal year.

According to Joyce’s memo, the ideas came at the request of Town Manager Dennis Simmons. Simmons “asked the members to discuss and put forward any ideas that might improve the effectiveness of the committee,” Joyce explained.

One idea is changing all budget committee seats from elected to appointed. “Few people run for budget committee, and all current elected members were elected via write-in, which is not efficient for the town,” Joyce wrote. “Appointing members should make participation more attractive to more people.”

The committee also suggests finishing its votes and recommendations on ballot items before selectmen do, so selectmen have that input when they vote. “The budget committee’s responsibility is to review and advise. Recent practice has been for the budget committee to vote after the selectboard, so in some cases, the selectboard is unaware of the budget committee’s input before they vote.”

And the committee suggests its annual review process include a school budget review. “The statute does not exclude school budget review from the budget committee’s responsibilities, but recent practice has been that the budget committee does not review the school budget. The school budget is the largest single department budget, and a comprehensive annual deep dive would benefit the taxpayers and the selectboard,” the memo read. “This would require full cooperation and engagement.”

Responding to an email request for comment Dec. 7, Superintendent of Schools Kim Andersson said local ordinance authorizes the budget committee to look at all the money the town raises. She said the budget committee, selectboard and general public “are invited and encouraged to attend the school committee's budget meetings.” Andersson said she shared the school committee’s schedule with Joyce Dec. 5, the night Joyce brought up the list of ideas to selectmen. She said she also “let him know we would be glad if he and any budget committee members attended” the school committee’s budget meetings.

In selectmen’s and the budget committee’s review Dec. 5 of town costs and revenue five months into the fiscal year, Simmons noted public utility costs are running almost 30% under budget, thanks to Wiscasset’s conversion to light-emitting diode (LED) streetlights. “Wow.” Selectman Terry Heller said. Simmons thanked the budget committee for its work on that. 

Simmons said 37.44% of the town budget has been spent, and revenue is overall a little ahead of projections.