The Wiscasset Selectmen voted to endorse an upcoming special town meeting article that would give the town three months to rework the code enforcement officer’s budget if that budget fails.

The endorsement came at a special meeting on July 27 at 7 a.m., called in response to a Budget Committee vote to oppose the same article.

At town meeting in June, voters rejected the code enforcement budget. A reduced budget is being put before voters at a special town meeting Sept. 11. The article the selectmen voted to endorse would give the town three months of funding for code enforcement while the selectmen rework the budget again if it fails a second time at the special town meeting.

The article asks voters to approve spending 3/12 of the previous year’s budget in the event the code enforcement budgets fails at the Sept. 11 special town meeting.

Budget Committee member Robert Blagden said at a July 19 budget meeting he felt the Budget Committee should make a recommendation because money was attached to the question.

“I am not trying to set precedent, or change policy,” Blagden said. “But perhaps we should check with the Maine Municipal Association to find out.”

He was right. The Maine Municipal Association advised the town it would be the right thing to do because the article appropriates money

The Budget Committee voted unanimously against the article.

After the Budget Committee had made their recommendation, the selectmen decided to make a recommendation. The deadline for the warrant to be signed was July 27 at 4 p.m. so the special meeting was called.

Article 3 on the Sept. 11 warrant asks voters to raise $48,674 for the code enforcement officer’s budget. The new proposed budget reduces the hours of the code enforcement officer to an average of 25 hours per week from 32 hours, as well as reducing the training budget. This would be a total reduction of $6,322. Voters turned down a budget of $54,996 at town meeting on June 12.

“If it fails this time, I don’t think I would put it before the voters again,” Selectman Judy Colby said. “In a way, I agree with the Budget Committee, how many times do we bring it back?”

Selectman Pan Dunning said, “We will bring it back until we come up with something the voters are willing to fund. We are legally required to have a code enforcement officer.”

Code Enforcement Officer Rick Lang serves as the town’s plumbing inspector, health officer, director of the safety program, and is responsible for issuing sign permits.

According to the monthly report submitted to the selectmen, as the town’s code enforcement officer, Lang, during the month of June, issued six building permits, which raised $1,320 in fees and an increase of $195,000 in property values; as plumbing inspector, he issued three plumbing permits for $855 in fees with $588.75 of that going to the town, $196 to the state and $45 to the Department of Environmental Protection; he issued six sign permits for $200 in fees; he held a monthly safety meeting; and as health officer he issued ways to deal with summertime heat.

Lang also has been involved in dealing with the cleanup of the Hart property and the Koehling property. The Hart property was recently purchased by Ray Soule, who has restored the site back to the original condition. As to the Koehling property, there is a party interested in purchasing that site, according to Lang’s monthly report.

Other items the Sept. 11 warrant are a request for a contingency fund of $50,000, down from $60,000 rejected June 12, and a $5,000 request for Lincoln County Television, a decrease of $2,000.

Dunning did say that if the Lincoln County Television article failed, she would not be in favor of bringing it back. However, voters can expect if the contingency request or the code enforcement budget is rejected it will be brought back to the voters because the town is required to have a code enforcement officer and needs a contingency fund, selectmen said.