Wiscasset selectmen held an emergency meeting Thursday, evening, October 4 to sign the warrant for the Regional School Unit proposed cost sharing formula change.

Town Clerk Christine Wolf said the emergency meeting was a necessity because the selectmen are required to sign the warrant for the regional school unit ballot, which was not received at Wiscasset town office until October 5, just making the 30-ay deadline for the absentee ballot availability before election day November 6.

The proposed cost sharing formula, if accepted by a majority vote of the eight towns within the RSU 12, would become effective the 2013-2014 school year. RSU 12 comprises schools in Alna, Westport Island, Wiscasset, Palermo, Somerville, Windsor, Chelsea and Whitefield.

The new cost sharing formula appears to benefit Wiscasset and Westport Island, lowering the towns’ assessment to the district.  However, Wiscasset and Westport Island have voted to withdraw from Regional School Unit 12.

Wiscasset’s withdrawal committee recently voted to recommend the town go it alone, and not join another RSU or AOS. According to the Withdrawal Committee Chairman Mary Myers, the committee is not basing their decisions on the upcoming possible change in the cost allocation formula.  

During a meeting with Deputy Commissioner Jim Rier, the question came up about adding a ballot question should the proposed formula change pass would the town exit from the withdrawal process. According to Myers, the answer was simple; there is no exit from the withdrawal process. Once a town votes to withdraw from an RSU, the withdrawal agreement must be put before the voters of the town to accept or to reject.

Voting

Wiscasset voters will be given four ballots for the November 6 election; the state general election ballot to elect the President of the United States; U.S Senator; U.S. Representative to Congress; State Senator; State Representative to the Legislature; Judge of Probate; and County Commissioner.

The state referendum ballot includes the question of same sex marriages, and four bond issue questions.

The town of Wiscasset’s ballot has three questions, asking for the exceptions of the Subdivision Ordinance Review and the Site Plan Review Ordinance. The third question is asking the voters, for the second time, if they want to accept the Montsweag Brook property from Central Maine Power Company with $100,000 of dedicated funds to be used for stewardship and monitoring obligations.

The RSU ballot has just the one question asking the voters if they want to change the method of cost sharing that has been used for the past 3 years. For this question to pass it must have a majority vote among the eight towns in the RSU.

It is conceivable that some towns could reject the change and the question still could receive a majority vote. Should this happen it would force the towns opposing it to accept the formula change.

Wiscasset’s town clerk announced that absentee ballots are available now through November 1.

Charlotte Boynton can be reached at 844-4632 or cboynton@wiscassetnewspaper.com