The Wiscasset select board learned recently of pending overdrafts in the police and EMS budgets.

On Nov. 8, Police Chief Jeff Lange notified Town Manager Marian Anderson in writing he had just $4.10 remaining in his overtime budget. He explained this was due to the recent retirement of Sgt. Alfred “Willy” Simmons and the need to cover his shift.

Lange noted the department was also down to three reserve police officers; the department had eight. “The remaining officers, full and part-time including me, have been stepping up and covering the open shifts,” he wrote.

Lange said, for several months he’s advertised for reserve officers and a full-time officer to fill Simmons’ position. 

“We only obtained one qualified candidate for the full-time position who will not be able to start until February 2018 due to his commitment in the U.S. Army,” he continued. Lange said he hired one reserve officer Nov. 8, and gave a conditional offer to another.

Finding qualified candidates to serve as police officers has become a problem statewide and nationally, he said.

Lange said his department was saving some money by not paying a salary and benefits for the vacant full-time position, but not enough to offset monies spent for overtime coverage.

To deal with the possible overdraft, Lange said he was temporarily reassigning Sgt. Craig Worster from his role as School Resource Officer. Lange said Worster and Officer James Fisher will work a modified work schedule that will lower the overtime rate by about 85 percent.

“This was agreed by both employees and will not constitute a labor issue with the police union,” added Lange, who hopes the reserve officers can pick up the other 15 percent of the overtime rate.

“All of the officers, including myself, will be checking in on the schools from time to time to maintain security and safety for our students and staff,” wrote Lange.

He added Fisher will be attending the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in January.

Lange was away for the holiday and did not attend the select board’s Nov. 21 meeting.

EMS Director Toby Martin reported the uniforms line of his budget will be overdrafted by about $29,000.

In his monthly report to the select board and town manager, Martin explained a set of personal protective equipment was needed for all members of the department to comply with OSHA standards. He noted the purchase totaled just shy of $39,000.

“Our department had roughly $42,000 available from the remaining balance of last year’s (2015-16 budget) to help with the cost for PPE. During the July book closure I found out that approximately $32,000 that was requested for staffing from revenue would be returned back to its allocation and we (EMS) would only have $10,000 to purchase the required PPE,” he wrote.

Martin stated he used the remaining $10,000 to begin purchasing PPE for department members, leaving the balance of $29,000. He said Anderson directed him to apply the remaining balance to the EMS operational budget.

“The additional cost to my operational budget was not planned and could cause the operational budget to be overdrawn at the end of the (2017-18) budget year,” continued Martin. To offset the $29,000, Martin indicated he’d have to adjust staffing.

He said he was already putting in extra hours to subsidize staffing needs. “I cannot work extra hours to offset the purchase of the PPE,” he wrote.

Martin told selectmen Nov. 21 he was considering reducing ambulance staffing from three to two personnel, noting he would prefer if the uniform purchase had been financed through the capital reserve account.

Judy Colby, select board chair, said she’d prefer Martin continue with the present ambulance staffing. She recommended the board revisit the issue in a few months.

Also Nov. 21, the board accepted the resignation of Bryan Buck from the Budget Committee and appointed Judy Flanagan to the committee.

The board also accepted the resignation of Susan Blagden from the Historic Preservation Commission.

Anderson reported E. Davies Allen of Westport Island had made a generous donation towarc repair of the town clock. Allen recently made a donation to help restore pieces of the former Wiscasset schooners, Hesper and Luther Little. The select board is awaiting an engineering report on the condition of the tower housing the town clock.