Wiscasset Select Board Rejects Registrar Hours, Advances Sewer Plant Planning

The Wiscasset Select Board voted 5-0 to reject a request to suspend extended registrar hours, then approved a general assistance ordinance update and a plan to begin site review for relocating the wastewater treatment plant. The board also authorized grant applications, approved a special town meeting for October 20 on pump station funding, and approved a $110,000 Larabee fund request for the school department.

Key points

• The board voted 5-0 to reject a request to suspend extended registrar hours, with members citing voter access concerns; the chair noted the motion failed.
• The board approved the Maine Municipal Association's general assistance model ordinance and appendices for 2026-2027 by a 5-0 vote after a public hearing.
• The board approved a wastewater treatment plant site review and selection plan focused first on the town-owned Mason Station property, with members noting other sites could still be considered.
• Resident Jim Crowley asked whether the former public works site could be re-evaluated; the town manager said the plan does not completely close off that option.
• Resident Steve Christensen questioned whether Larabee fund money should pay for a band director's salary, saying he believed the bequest was for equipment and school functions; the board approved the $110,000 request 5-0.
• Superintendent Kim Anderson said state data shows Wiscasset's per-student cost was $25,060 in 2024-25, compared with Richmond's $18,412, which she called an outlier.

Next steps

• A special town meeting is set for October 20, 2026, for additional funding for the pump station improvement project, with the venue to be determined.
• The board authorized the town manager to apply for and accept a Northern Border Regional Commission grant for planning the wastewater treatment plant relocation.
• The board entered executive session to discuss a legal matter with counsel.

Read the full transcript