Wiscasset began in earnest the process of outlin-ing plans for withdrawal from RSU 12. On July 3, the Wiscasset Selectmen appointed a selectmen and a member of the public to serve on the withdrawal committee.

The committee will investigate withdrawal and write a withdrawal proposal to be sent before voters and the commissioner of state Department of Education.

Before the selectmen appointed Jefferson Slack to represent the selectmen and Jason Downing as the member of the public to serve on the committee, Selectman Judy Colby spoke against appointing any member of the Wiscasset Educational Research Panel to the withdrawal committee.

“We need fresh thoughts and fresh eyes to look at this issue,” Colby said. “No member of WERP should be on the committee.”

WERP members were strong advocates of withdrawal leading up to the June 12 town meeting vote to begin the withdrawal process.

Colby also told the board she was upset by the comments of Selectman Bill Curtis and WERP member Sharon Nichols at their meeting on June 19. The pair said there was a conflict of interest with her as an employee of the school district and called Selectman Ed Polewarczyk biased, and argued that neither of them should be involved in the selection of the withdrawal committee nor be a member of the withdrawal committee.

The Board of Education and the Maine Municipal Association both recently issued opinions saying neither Colby nor Polewarczyk has any conflict of interest.

“I have been a school bus driver since 2006 and I am currently an employee of the RSU,” she said. “I feel I have been vindicated after receiving the rulings from the state Board of Education.”

Colby was not appointed as a selectmen. How-ever, as a member of the group who signed the petition, she is eligible to serve as the third member appointed by the selectmen.

The third member is set to be named at a spe-cial meeting of the selectmen Tuesday, July 10.

The selectmen have chosen about 16 candidates from among residents who signed the petition to put withdrawal on the town meeting ballot. The selected signers will be contacted and asked if they would be willing to serve, prior to their appointment.

Previously, there was some dispute as to who was eligible for the third appointment. By state law, the third appointment must come from the group who presented the petition. Some believed this meant WERP, as they are the group who orchestrated the petition.

According to Michael Stultz with the Maine Municipal Association Legal Services Division, “…‘the group’ must refer to the collective of individuals who signed the petition.”

Jim Rier from the state Department of Education concurred with Shultz. According to Rier, other municipalities that have gone through the withdrawal process have chosen from among those people who signed the petition.

Special town meeting

The voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, Sept. 11, to vote on a least three budget articles: the code enforcement budget, the contingency fund and the Lincoln County Television donation.
These three items were rejected by the voters at the June 12 town meeting.

The selectmen will ask the voters to accept a reduction in the contingency fund from $60,000 to $50,000 and the donation to Lincoln County Television from $7,000 to $5,000. The new proposed budget reduces the hours of the code enforcement officer to an average of 25 hours per week, as well as a reduction in the training budget of $500. This would be a total reduction of $6,322. Voters turned down a budget of $54,996, the voters will be asked to approve a budget of $48,674.

Other business

The selectmen authorized a quit claim deed to Ray Soule for the Hart Property.

The selectmen awarded the Tax Anticipation Note to Norway Savings Bank with an interest rate of .79 percent.

The board authorized the town manager to en-gage the services of Bryan Dench and the law offices of Skelton, Taintor and Abbott to assist the town in the collection of outstanding taxes and any legal issues with the Mason Station and Ferry Landing Road Development properties. The board also directed the town manager to issue a request for proposals regarding the tax acquired properties at Mason Station.

The selectmen appointed the Senior Center Trustees. Dale Wenners, Patricia Barnes and Carl Hewitt were appointed Senior Center trustees for terms effective through June 30, 2015. Ralph Ferguson was appointed as a trustee for a term effective through June 30, 2013.