SUSAN JOHNS
File photo
Wiscasset voters take up a proposed $6,116,034 municipal budget Tuesday, June 8. The sum is $249,575 higher than the 2020-21 budget, Town Manager Dennis Simmons said in a May 28 email response to questions.
Simmons said leading factors in the increase include the 2.5% wage hike for all employees except the police department, whose union contract is not yet settled. “We are also requesting the addition of one full-time police officer, though we are applying for a grant to pay for 75% of the wages and fringe benefits.”
The town saw an increase in water rates and hydrant rentals, Simmons continued; and selectmen are requesting an increase in their contingency from $30,000 to $50,000.