The voters of Wiscasset are being asked to read ballot questions 27 and 28 in their entirety before voting on either question. The two questions relate to the Emergency Medical Services for the town of Wiscasset.

Question 27 is being recommended by the selectmen to appropriate $240,974 for Emergency Medical Services with the entire amount to come from department revenues.

In a meeting Thursday, April 24, the budget committee voted 7-0 to support the request from Ambulance Director Roland Abbott to increase his hours to full-time status, which will allow him to have insurance coverage also.

In Question 28, the budget committee is recommending an additional $10,000, for a total appropriation of $450,974, which includes a full time director.

In the selectmen's meeting Tuesday, April 22, a motion was made to appropriate $259,074 to support the full-time director; the selectmen voted 2-3 against the request from Abbott. Selectmen Phil DiVece, and William Curtis voted in favor of a full-time director, Selectmen Dwaine Goud, David Nichols, and Nicole Viele voted against the motion.

Other items the budget committee recommend not being passed include the Art Gallery request of $6,250 for repairs to the building; $71,500 for paving at the Middle School and Wiscasset High School.

After spending well over 100 hours in numerous meetings, which included some Saturdays and Sundays, visiting all the departments, and preparing two presentations for public informational meetings, only a few residents turned out to hear what the volunteer budget committee had recommended.

However, the few residents that were present asked a lot of questions, and kept Town Manager Arthur Faucher and Budget Committee Chairman Steve Mehri on their feet.

Questions were asked about the Maine Yankee assessment for the Nuclear Spent Fuel Storage Facility at the former nuclear power plant: if a position at the town office was going to be eliminated; what was Sue Varney's status: if there was a person leaving the town office; if the town was going to continue without a police chief; will the town advertise for a full-time ambulance director; why the highway department is up between $30,000 to $35,000 over last year; an explanation on the Shellfish Conservation request for $13,080; dumping fees at Wiscasset Transfer Station; will the town advertise for a new ambulance director; and more.

Most of the questions came from Whitfield and Ducianne Vye, Cindy James, and Susan van Alsenoy.

According to Faucher, Maine Yankee and the town of Wiscasset have a 20-year agreement, and within that agreement there is to be a reassessment every five years, and a new assessment is due anytime after April 1, 2008.

The residents were told that a person was leaving a position at the town office, but the position was not going to be eliminated. Sue Varney is planning to retire within a few months.

According to Mehri, the town will continue without a Police Chief. "The Police Department appears to be running real smooth, and giving us the coverage expected," Mehri said.

According to Faucher, the town will not advertise for an ambulance director. "It is not a new position, we are only extending his hours from 30-32 hours per week to 40 hours per week.

With the additional hours Abbott will be expected to take on extra duties, such as becoming the Emergency Management Director, and develop a town safety committee, according to Faucher.

The reason the highway department budget is up between $30,000 and $35,000 is because of increased cost in fuel and insurance costs, according to Faucher.

The Shellfish Commission is asking the voters to approve raising and appropriating $13,080. Faucher explained that a member of the Shellfish Commission, Richard Forest, had submitted a grant application to the Maine Aquaculture Association called the Soft-shell Clam Enhancement Research Project.

The object of the $8,000 grant is to improve and encourage the natural set of clams from water columns to clam flats.

Faucher said if the town did not get the grant money, it would not spend the $2,500. He commended the Shellfish Commission for the work they have been doing.

The Transfer Station total budget being recommended by the selectmen and the budget committee is $331,643 to be raised, and $175,836 to come from department revenues for a total operating budget of $504,479.

Faucher told the voters as of the new fiscal year, July 1, 2008. all commercial haulers would be paying a dumping fee of $95 per ton.

The voters that attended the meeting expressed concern that more taxpayers didn't get to the meeting.

Susan van Alsenoy told the board they should be commended for their hours of dedication to the town, and the voters of Wiscasset. "This has been an excellent presentation. It is too bad more people did not come to the meeting."

The budget committee began their work on the budget July 1, 2007; they have an estimated 106 hours in just meetings. That does not include the time they have spent to read the budgets at home, revisit cost centers to have follow-up conversations with department heads, or the time it takes to write, read-through and approve minutes.

"It is safe to say, the budget committee has put a great deal of time, and been extremely diligent in making sure the numbers they have recommended on the warrant are reasonable," Pamela Dunning, Wiscasset Budget Committee member said.

The budget committee work is still not done; there is still two months left to the year, and the school budget work to finish.