Edgecomb residents approved all but two articles on May 16 during the annual town meeting. Residents approved $917,854 in municipal spending and $2,539,182 in school spending for fiscal year 2015-16. Over 80 residents attended the town meeting held in the upstairs section of the town hall.

Of the two articles not approved, one was defeated and the other passed over.

Residents defeated a request to for money collected from the boat excise tax be appropriated into the Woodend Boat fund.

Voters skipped over article 28. The selectmen amended the warrant with another article which asked residents to appropriate $98,000 for snow plowing and take $180,000 from surplus. The residents approved article 58, which asked for a higher amount and skipped over article 28.

Selectmen originally proposed asking voters to appropriate $56,976 and take $180,000 from surplus for the snow plowing contract.

Residents approved one article before voting to reconsider it. Voters originally approved article 52 which appropriated $1,000 for the shellfish committee. The article was reconsidered and amended to appropriate $0. Town Clerk Claudia Coffin reported she received a request from the town of Boothbay Harbor to amend the request to zero.

The 56 articles approved received either unanimous or near unanimous votes. Despite the strong showing of support, the town meeting lasted four hours and 15 minutes.

The articles that received the most debate were proposals asking residents to appropriate $74,200 for a full-time fire chief, a request to borrow $100,000 from the Woodend Fund and use as surplus funds, and the Edgecomb school budget.

Residents voted to appropriate $0 for a full-time fire chief and borrow $0 from the Woodend Fund.

Fire Chief Roy Potter said the department was in dire need of volunteers. The volunteer department has 18 members, but none of them work in town. Edgecomb firefighters believe a full-time chief would provided the town with better coverage and a better environment for recruiting more volunteers.

“We have struggled for years to maintain our membership. There is no daytime coverage because we all work out of town,” Potter said. “It may mean the difference of life and death in responding to a heart attack or saving a someone’s home.”

Potter also contested the $26,200 figure for health benefits. The fire department requested a $48,000 salary for the position. Potter already has health insurance through the U.S. Coast Guard. He did request vision and dental coverage through the town.

“I don’t know where that $26,200 figure came from,” Potter said. “I told the selectmen that I didn’t need full coverage.”

Residents debated on whether a small town needed a full-time fire chief. Resident David Nutt thought there wasn’t enough work for a full-time chief.

“I think we have a perfect example of mission creep,” Nutt said. “If the chief is overworked, he needs to delegate responsibility within the company. This is a significant amount of money that this town can’t afford and doesn’t need.”

Former Fire Chief Tom Trowbridge disagreed. He has been a volunteer fireman for 40 years. 

Trowbridge said the overall operation of a volunteer fire department is now more complex and a full-time chief is necessary. He reported more state regulations were in place now than 20 years ago. He recalled in 1988 that firefighters would show up in street clothes because there was no turnout gear.

“If something like that happen today the town would have to pay big bucks,” Trowbridge said. “We don’t have enough people, and if you have a problem with that then you can volunteer. If you’re not part of the solution then you’re part of the problem.”

The article was amended to appropriate $0 and a recommendation for the proposal go back to the selectman for further review. Voters complained that the budget committee hadn’t reviewed the proposal and it wasn’t discussed in a public hearing.

Residents also rejected a proposal made by Selectman Jessica Chubbuck to borrow $100,000 from the Woodend Fund to use as municipal surplus monies.

Chubbuck originally proposed transferring $100,000 from the fund to surplus. The measure was amended to borrow from the account, which has over $188,000.

The article spurred debate about the availability of public access for boat launches within town. Resident Tom Boudin cautioned voters against using the fund for the town’s surplus account.

“If we don’t have this fund and property becomes available it’s going to be hard to appropriate funds from taxes. So I really think we need to keep it.”

Other residents believed that the town had public access available for boat launches. One resident recommended using a spot located at Fort Edgecomb.

The $2.5 Edgecomb School Budget received loud opposition during the floor debate, but it was overwhelming approved. The state Department of Education recently named Edgecomb Eddy a high performance reward school. After School Committee Chairman Sarah Clifford announced the school’s achievement, residents applauded heartily.

However, several residents complained that per pupil spending was out of line compared to neighboring communities.

Resident Margot Stiassni-Sieracki defended the school’s budget. She volunteered in the school when her child attended. She reported Edgecomb Eddy students were well-prepared for middle and high school. She said Edgecomb students consistently finished in the top third of their high school’s class.

“This our town. These are our children,” Stiassni-Sieracki said. “I think what you get out of your students is what you put in them financially. We have a lot of great teachers with a lot of experience. And the results are amazing.”

Residents also approved spending $5,831 for local service programs: Spectrum Generations, $1,021; Midcoast Maine Community Action, $1,000; Healthy Kids, $2,000; New Hope for Women, $600; Woodchucks, $300; and Coastal Transportation, $850.