The questions surrounding the purchase of  a new tractor for the Edgecomb Eddy School have been answered.

The Edgecomb Selectmen were in a quandary last month when they were asked to sign loan paperwork for a $20,577 tractor.  All three selectmen were unaware that the school purchased a new tractor, or that the board needed to sign loan paperwork to complete the transaction.

And none of the selectmen remembered the purchase being approved at the town meeting. Nobody from the Edgecomb School Committee or Alternative Organizational Structure 98 attended the Aug. 25 meeting. The selectmen wanted school officials to first explain the tractor’s need before signing the paperwork.

The selectmen’s questions were answered on Sept. 8 during a meeting with the town’s budget and school committees along with AOS 98 administrative staff.

School officials reported the old tractor’s front loader and hydraulic systems had rusted into place and weren’t fixable. Superintendent Eileen King described the tractor’s functions as being limited and could no longer perform the school’s year-round maintenance.

School officials believe the tractor’s early demise was due to poor maintenance. King told the selectmen the school committee was looking for ways to better preserve the new unit.

The old tractor was stored year-round in what town and school officials described as a “fence with a roof over it.”

King also suspected the tractor was used for non-school purposes.

“The old tractor wasn’t maintained properly, and I suspect there were some unauthorized use on the weekends,” King said. “A better monitoring procedure will be in place going forward. Those problems will all be addressed.”

The school purchased the tractor from Chad Little Outdoor Power Equipment in Brunswick this fall for $20,577. King said the school is paying about $5,000 less than it did for the 2002 model. The loan is at 2.68 percent for five years.

School officials had now answered why the tractor was needed, but the selectmen still questioned why Aug. 25 was the first time they heard about it.

The selectmen criticized an apparent lack of communication between the two boards.

Selectman Jessica Chubbuck said she was unaware of the loan because there was no $5,400 line item in the budget indicating a loan payment.

King said the loan was discussed during the budget hearings. She said it was part of the budget presented and approved by the voters last spring. She agreed that more information should be provided in future communications.

However, Edgecomb Budget Committee chairman Nort Fowler believed the criticism was uncalled for.

Fowler said the school committee did a “fantastic job” and the selectmen were “being overcritical.” He praised the school committee for not only “holding the line” on spending, but reducing it by five percent. Fowler said the school committee’s decision to seek a loan instead of buying the tractor kept spending down.

“You’re Monday Morning Quarterbacking the school board,” Fowler said. “We asked them to hold the line on spending and that’s exactly what they did. I’m a little nervous now with you saying they should’ve been more upfront with the voters. The purpose of the budget committee is not to micromanage the school. We were more interested in the big ticket items like staffing and special education.”

Smith agreed that the school committee did an “outstanding job” with the budget. He said: “It’s not a budget problem, but rather a communication problem.”

The board will meet next at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22 in the municipal building.