Municipal department heads are heeding directives from Edgecomb selectmen and the budget committee to reduce spending. On Feb. 1, the emergency management agency director, fire chief and road commissioner all submitted reduced spending requests for fiscal year 2018.

Last month, the two panels sent letters to department heads requesting a reduction in overall spending. Municipal leaders are reacting to an increasing mil rate in recent years due to rising municipal and education budgets. Property owners saw their tax bills rise eight percent last year. For fiscal year 2017, the mil rate rose from 15.2 to 16.55.

Three department heads appeared at the second budget committee meeting prepared to restrain municipal spending. Road Commissioner Scott Griffin signed a three-year snow plow contract last fall which begins this fiscal year. In year one, Griffin will be paid $238,018 for removing snow from the town’s 31 miles of roads. The first year represents a 1.5 percent increase, but Selectman Ted Hugger explained the contract is expected to save taxpayers approximately $40,000 over the next three years.

For fiscal year 2018, Griffin requested 2.4 percent less for highways and bridges. In fiscal year 2017, he requested $60,169 and for fiscal year 2018 his proposed budget is $1,459 less. He also proposed zero increase for his road commissioner fee, $600; and road project debt service, $199,323.

Griffin hopes to complete road reconstruction on the Shore and Middle roads in 2017. “After we get these two done, we’ll be in pretty good shape. I wanted to do it last year, but we ran out of time and didn’t want to start in November.”

The town approved $120,000 in May 2016 to reconstruct the two roads and those funds are currently in the road reconstruction account which has a $519,251 balance. Griffin expects $120,000 will at least improve the major problem areas of each road.

Budget committee member Jack Brennan told Griffin he’d done a wonderful job over the years plowing and maintaining the roads. He also requested Griffin provide the budget committee with a detailed maintenance plan for all the municipal roads. Griffin agreed that would be a good idea.

EMA director Bill Witzel submitted a 14 percent budget decrease. He requested $1,000 for the director’s stipend, $350 for office equipment, $200 for equipment repair and $150 for warming shelter supplies. His proposed budget of $1,700 is $297 less than the budget voters approved last year.

Fire Chief Roy Potter continued the trend of department heads submitting lower budgets. Potter recommended a $107,067 budget which is $6,568 less than this year. In the budget, firefighter pay increased due to more hours. The department pays $10 per hour and the 221 calls were the highest total in several years, according to Potter. Firefighter wages increased from $7,280 in 2015 to $11,310 in 2016. The fiscal year 2018 savings were achieved in the department’s operational expenses. Potter submitted a $78,532 operations budget which is 12 percent less than this year’s.

Brennan acknowledged the fire department’s work over the past years.

“In the past seven years, the town has been really good to the department, And I think it’s been deserved. The fire department has also been good to the town. It’s been a nice relationship, and I’d like to see it continue,” he said.

The fire department’s  biggest equipment expenditure requested for next year is a $6,500 washer extractor. The machine is designed to remove carcinogens from firefighters’ turnout gear. Last year, the town purchased 12 pairs of turnout gear. According to Potter, the Maine Department of Labor requires carcinogens be removed from the safety clothing. The Edgecomb Fire Department currently uses Newcastle’s washer extractor to clean its turnout gear.

On Jan. 25, the budget committee held its first meeting. Besides Brennan, the committee includes Anita Sprague, Karen Potter, Janet Blevins and Joe McSwain. The Schmid Preserve Trustees proposed a $1,570 budget which is $200 less than this year’s. The Boothbay Region Refuse Disposal District is proposing an overall $1,668,367 FY 18 budget for the four member towns. The proposal is $42,000 more than this year’s. Edgecomb’s share is $117,935 which is 10.36 percent of the total budget and $5,286 more than the town paid this year.

The budget committee will meet next at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8 in the municipal building.