It will be left to Woolwich voters to decide whether or not to increase stipends for members of the ambulance department. EMS Director Brian Carlton made the recommendation when he presented his 2020-21 budget to selectmen Monday afternoon.

Carlton wants to increase the department’s daytime availability pay, a flat rate paid for being on call, from the current $50 per 12-hour shift to $80.

“We’re hoping this will entice more people to serve during the daytime,” said Carlton. The department’s day shift runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The department pays $35 to cover a night shift which runs from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., Sunday through Thursday. Carlton said there was no problem filling the night shifts and no rate increase was needed for those.

Other increases Carlton proposed included raising the hourly stipend for ambulance drivers from the current $12 to $12.50. The hourly pay for a Basic EMT would rise from $13 to $14.50, with the rate for an Advance EMT going from $16 to $17.50. Paramedics would see their hourly wage go from $19 to $20.50. Ambulance members are paid hourly only when they go on a call, said Carlton.

“We’ve gotten a lot of very good, positive feedback from the community since we took over the ambulance service,” commented Fire Chief Mike Demers. “Since July when we started, we’ve had just three hours that we weren’t able to cover.”

Selectmen decided to let the townspeople decide on the proposed pay increases at the annual town meeting in April. The board also reviewed the fire department budget which included increases for the fire chief and assistant fire chief. The chief's stipend would go from $11,000 to $11,500; the deputy chief's, from $3,000 to $3,500. Neither stipend has increased for four years. Otherwise, the department’s budget remains flat from last year. A separate article will seek funds for emergency air packs and oxygen tanks.

The board will get an estimate for repainting and other repairs to the 1757 Nequasset Meeting House. The building was last repainted in 2012 for $12,650. “My worry is if we don’t do something now it will only continue to deteriorate,” said Chairman David King Sr. He suggested the town might want to consider having vinyl siding put on the building. The town’s Fish Commission had offered $15,000 to put towards the meetinghouse repairs from monies from the sale of alewives.

During the select board’s regular meeting, Road Commissioner Jack Shaw said he was keeping an eye on the town’s unpaved roads. Shaw noted, the recent warm weather was causing some early thawing. “We’ll just have to wait and see as far as what kind of mud season we’ll have. Last year was one of the worse as far as the roads were concerned.”

Selectman Allison Hepler noted the state would be doing some extensive repair work this summer to the historic Max L. Wilder Memorial Bridge linking Woolwich with Arrowsic. Route 127 traffic across the bridge will remain open throughout the work.