It may not be déją vu all over again, but it's pretty close.

Just as the Wiscasset School Committee submitted a second proposed budget that was higher than the first, the second Parks and Recreation budget to be put before voters is also higher than the first.

Selectmen voted Tuesday night to recommend in a July 22 secret ballot vote a higher parks and recreation budget, spending $8,000 for new windows for the airport, spending $18,000 for a new police cruiser, spending $20,000 to fix the fire department's ladder truck, and nearly $18,000 to pay for the increased price of heating oil.

"Not to embarrass any of you, but do you really think the voters are going to go for this?" asked business owner George Green, referring to the fact that the parks and recreation department's proposed $808,000 budget is more than the first budget defeated by voters in June.

"I don't want to answer that," Chairman David Nichols said.

"The mood of the voters is very, very ugly. I don't know if you've been out talking to people, but you should," Green said.

"I don't get it. Could any one of you explain this to a voter on the street?" Green asked.

Parks and Recreation Department Director Todd Souza said, "I would say at the time we put this budget together, we did not know that our fuel costs would be doubled. We have made over $23,000 in cuts. The next step is to educate folks on what we do - or make more cuts. It's just the increase in oil that's pushing us over."

"If the voters turn you down, what are you going to do?" Green asked.

"We'll be cutting more into our operations, which will reduce our revenue," referring to the balancing act between cutting programs, which in turn means less in fees and less in revenues for the department.

Prior Morrell complained that former town manager Larry Cilly never should have changed the name of the department to parks and recreation.

"This was never approved by voters," he said. "I would like to see parks deleted."

Budget committee chairman Steve Mehrl said Souza provided his committee with a breakdown of how much money goes to the Wiscasset Community Center, and how much goes to other services, which the town has supported even before the community center was built ten years ago.

Morrell also asked Souza how much the department's phone bill is. Souza said it's about $3,500 a year. "That's about $300 a month," Morrell said, adding, "I would like to see a record of those calls. I call all over the country and I don't spend that much."

Souza said it's still the department's goal to draw no more than $50,000 in revenue from taxpayers by the year 2012. As to the much often quoted "self-sustaining" promise made when the idea of the community center was proposed more than 10 years ago, Souza said, "I've never said it would be self sustaining. Our goal is to work towards this. Will it happen? I don't know. I'm disappointed I have to ask for more, but our energy costs have doubled."

Road Commissioner Bob Blagden criticized the plan to put $41,000 for heating oil in Question 6 on the July 22 ballot, which also included money for heating oil for the public works department and municipal building.

"I don't like to see articles being bunched like this," he said.

Selectman Nicole Viele said she agreed. "I would like to see the heating oil money put back in the parks and recreation budget," she said. Selectmen subsequently agreed to do that.

Nichols asked, "What has the budget committee decided about this?" referring to the eight questions on the ballot.

"We've just seen this about 20 minutes ago," chairman Steve Mehrl said. The budget committee had met at 6 p.m. to go over the eight ballot questions.

Airport Manager Erv Deck explained that the $8,000 for new windows for the airport terminal building will eventually save in heating costs because they will be more energy efficient. He said he will be getting three quotes on prices.

In discussing the $20,000 needed to fix the ladder truck, Mehrl explained that a coupling had to be manufactured because the part could not be purchased. Of that amount, about $16,000 would come from the recent sale of a fire truck to the town of Dresden, and the remaining amount from surplus.

Veile suggested that the question on spending $18,804 for a new police cruiser have a note that the police department returned over $33,000 of its budget to the town when the fiscal year ended June 30.

However, Bill Barnes said, "There will be a lot of confusion about this, no matter how you word it. The people already turned this down. That's a slap in the face to the voters."

Later in the meeting Mehrl asked for an explanation of why the town's June 21 financial statement shows a balance of $148,000 in the overlay account when the account only had $46,000 in it to begin with. Nichols asked Town Manager Arthur Faucher, who said, "I have no idea." Selectman Bill Curtis said something inaudible. Nichols said, "We don't know if the checks have been subtracted yet."

Mehrl said, "I would like to have something in the minutes about this issue I have raised." Faucher suggested he talk to Treasurer Jim George about it.

There was considerable confusion about whether Question 8, "To see if the town will vote to transfer the sum of $4,743 from surplus to the 2007-2008 overlay account," should be on the ballot.

Former selectman Duane Goud said, "This should not be on the ballot. We voted as selectmen to take this money out."

DiVece defended it, saying, "We have to have approval by the governing authority; it's a matter of cleaning up the books."

"It's already been corrected," Goud said. Eventually the selectmen voted 4 to 1, DiVece opposed, to take the question off the ballot.

The selectmen set July 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the municipal building for a public hearing on the seven questions.

The airport mowing bid was awarded to Bill Barnes at $2,145; the only other bid, submitted by Roy Barnes, was $2,339.

Nichols asked if "anyone has a problem with Mr. Fairfield taking on the job" as the selectmen's representative on the Shore and Harbor Grant Committee. None of the other selectmen did. The committee will oversee the hiring of a firm to do a harbor survey, which will be paid for partially by a grant and partially by the town. Faucher said the harbor master expects it will be done in the next seven months.

The selectmen agreed to advertise for bids for several surplus items, including pieces of the masts from the old schooners, the Hesper and Luther Little; other wood cut down at cemeteries; an old boat, and a rusted out truck body.

Fairfield brought up an abatement denial for Donna Phinney that the selectmen, acting as assessors, had made, asking that Nichols make a motion to reconsider it, since the motion to reconsider has to be made by someone who opposed it. Faucher said they would need a quorum. However, Goud said the town manager "has absolutely nothing to do with assessing."

Viele said she had asked for an opinion from the Maine Municipal Association on the matter. Curtis suggested they wait until they receive the opinion.