As Town Manager Dennis Simmons analogized Wednesday night, Feb. 28, Wiscasset is winning the battle and still fighting the war to keep $93 million of Maine Yankee’s property taxable. He described a legislative committee’s “grueling,” two-hour work session held Feb. 27. He said the resulting “ought to pass” vote means the legislature will vote on the bill that would disqualify that part of the property from being considered an air pollution control facility. Being one exempt much of the property from taxes.

“We feel reasonably comfortable that ... we can pull this off,” he said of the bill’s chances. “So that would put $93 million of their property back on our tax rolls, should this pass. Still some hurdles to get by with it, yeah. But yesterday was a good day ...” 

Simmons, town counsel and a hired lobbyist have been working in support of the bill. “We’ve knocked on doors, and with emails and phone calls, we’ve worked hard on this,” Simmons said.

Recounting the latest development to the selectboard and budget committee, Simmons said he brought up the ongoing tax matter for the panels to bear in mind as they continued work on the budget proposal voters will face June 11. “This (tax matter) is a very important backdrop to everything that we do with this budget going forward, because if we don’t get the money that Maine Yankee is currently assessed at (by the town), we’re going to have a revenue shortfall that’s going to end up (being) made up this year out of our fund balance, and possibly next year out of taxation.”

On another front in the issue, Simmons said Maine Yankee’s challenge of its assessed value could go to Maine’s assessment review board and into mediation. Maine Yankee recently told Wiscasset Newspaper the company remained committed to reaching a settlement with the town on a property tax agreement.

In the night’s budget talks, Simmons and Fire Chief Rob Bickford concurred, this may not be the year to try to make the chief’s job full time. Simmons said there are not enough fire calls to justify it, unless the chief also helped with emergency medical service and with custodial work at the town office.

Talks continued on Simmons’ idea to lease certain vehicles as part of departments’ budgets instead of tapping capital reserve to buy them. He recently was unsure whether to try it this year due to high interest rates, but he has been getting quotes and told the panels Feb. 28 what it looks like the leases would cost in the 2024-25 budget: Two police vehicles, outfitted, for $42,000, possibly less; and for the ambulance service for $18,700 or less, a leased “fly” car for a paramedic to respond to a scene. According to documents released ahead of the workshop, public works has said the frame on the fly car bought a couple years ago is rusting. 

Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent Rob Lalli said the $84,000 approved last year to move some pump stations’ underground controls above ground is now proposed to instead go toward an above ground replacement of those controls, which he said are “antiquated” and, it turned out, have been in partly corroded containers. He does not want to move the controls above ground and then have to pay to replace them, Lalli explained. He and Simmons said the ask is for another $116,000 to put with the $84,000.

In other talks, Simmons said there is no space at the community center for a day care, but especially post-COVID there is definitely a local need for day care, and if the town developed a business model and offered daycare, it would help address the need, “so people can go to work,” and a reduced rate could be offered as a benefit for town and school employees, which could help attract and keep them. Simmons said he is not asking the panels to consider a day care center for this year. “This is just spitballing.”

If it does ever happen, Selectman Pam Dunning said she thinks she would be in favor of it, if it is self-supporting. “I can’t see the whole town wide paying for this ...” “No, that (whole town-funded) wouldn’t be the intention,” Simmons concurred.

Tom Joyce of the budget committee added, day care might also help attract economic development to town. “Now if (day care) is another big thing that’s going to lose $500,000 a year, that seems like it’d be a non-starter. But, if you did have a business plan, it’d probably be worth looking at.”

And the panels and school department officials discussed possibly including the Wiscasset Middle High School lot and possibly other paving at the schools in the town’s next bid-seeking on paving, to get the best deal. Town and school department officials said it has not been determined if the school department would be billed. One bid, two bills, Selectman William “Bill” Maloney suggested. Superintendent of Schools Kim Andersson said, as part of a 1984 federal grant, “all of the parking lots and the tennis courts and the track and everything are public lands ... and they actually belong to the town.”

View a recording of the night’s talks on the Wiscasset Town Office YouTube channel.