The Boothbay Harbor Board of Selectmen put in long hours last week as they met on four separate occasions to review proposed ordinance changes and compile their final budget recommendations.

During Wednesday's meeting regarding code and ordinance changes, the board agreed that the proposed blasting ordinances were redundant with existing federal and state legislation. No blasting ordinance will appear on this year's warrant.

Relative to the budget, the board diverged several times from both the town manager's proposed budget and the budget committee's recommendations, in some cases proposing more than the budget committee and, in other cases, significantly less.

The budget committee and selectmen agreed on the majority of the over 300 line items in the budget prepared by the town manager. Areas where the selectmen's recommendations differed are outlined below:

In their meeting on Saturday, March 21, the selectmen agreed to recommend that the cost of living increase (COLI) for all full-time, non-union town employees be reduced from three percent to two percent. Selectman Robert Splaine stated that "every working person in Boothbay Harbor doesn't automatically get a three percent increase every year," and proposed that the COLI be reduced to 0. That motion failed. A subsequent motion by selectman Brian Schutrumpf to reduce the COLI to two percent was approved, 3-1. Selectman Tom Carbone opposed the motion; selectman Louis Burnham was absent.

Splaine also recommended that the town's contribution to all employee YMCA memberships, except those specified in union contracts, be cancelled. Schutrumpf amended that motion to reduce the town's contribution to non-union employees' individual Y memberships from $279 per full-time employee to $140 per full-time employee. After much discussion, this motion carried as well, 3-1. Carbone opposed.

Splaine noted that the state had proposed reducing its contribution to state employees' health insurance costs by 10 percent. He stated that the town of Boothbay Harbor covers 100 percent of employees' health insurance costs and 80 percent of their dependents' insurance costs. Splaine proposed reducing individual health insurance coverage for employees from 100 percent to 90 percent this year, and to reduce that share progressively over time until the coverage was split at 80 percent employer/20 percent employee. Carbone suggested that the reduction should be phased in over a longer time period. Denise Griffin noted that the employees' health care plan started on January 1 so changes in coverage probably could not be made until next year.

Schutrumpf proposed that the town fund 100 percent of the non-union employees' individual health insurance costs from July 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008, and fund 90 percent of those costs from January 1, 2009 through June 30, 2009. The motion passed unanimously, 4-0.

A lengthy discussion, due in part to the absence of the town manager and finance officer, ensued over the appropriate town's contribution to employees' retirement plans. Splaine, affirmed by Griffin, stated that the town contributes 10 percent of an employee's salary to an employee retirement account. Splaine proposed reducing the town's contribution to non-union employees' retirement accounts to five percent. That motion failed, as did several subsequent motions. Selectman Bruce Engert, noting that "corporate America funds retirement on average at about three percent," suggested that five percent was a reasonable goal, perhaps best done in stages. Ultimately, the selectmen voted unanimously, 4-0, to reduce the town's contribution to non-union employees' retirement accounts to seven percent.

In addition, to the above, the selectmen's budget recommendations were less than the budget committee's for the following items: They removed $2,800 for riprap at the footbridge from the capital improvements line; reduced administrative travel/training by $1,200; reduced the assessor's budget by $10,000; reduced the accounting contract budget by $6,000; reduced DPW tires account by $500; reduced emergency management travel/training and wages by $2,000; reduced harbor management travel/training and supplies by $520; reduced the police department's vehicle maintenance account by $4,000; reduced the library funding by $5,000, and reduced parking facilities uniforms and wages by $3,600.

The board also voted to not set up certain reserve accounts recommended by the town manager and budget committee. Schutrumpf noted that the town manager had just cleaned up several extraneous accounts from the budget and that for accounting purposes he was not in favor of creating new ones. He advocated that rather than setting up separate accounts, it would be simpler and cleaner to just fund the necessary items. For example, he suggested that instead of setting up a storm reserve account for $15,000 as recommended by the budget committee, it would be preferable to just increase funds to the undesignated account. Similarly, he recommended that rather that set up a $12,500 reserve account for a new police cruiser, it would make better sense to just fund the full amount in the purchase year. The board concurred and recommended that these two accounts not be established or funded.

The board did concur that a reserve account for property reevaluation should be established. However, in light of falling property values, they took a less aggressive savings approach and recommended $10,000 rather than $30,000 for this account.

The selectmen took a very different approach to funding the Boothbay Region Ambulance Service. Palmer Payne told the board that the document submitted by the BRAS was inaccurate and extremely late. In light of this, Payne stated that the BRAS request should not even be on the town warrant. Carbone noted that BRAS bills the town even when individuals reimburse them for their services. Ultimately, the selectmen recommended $5,000 for the ambulance service instead of the $58,398 recommended by the budget committee.

There were a few areas where the selectmen's recommendation exceeded the budget committees: The board recommended funding the heating fuel budget by $3,000 more to cover rising fuel costs; increasing travel/training for selectmen by $500; increasing DPW paving budget by $20,000 in light of road conditions and rising pavement costs; increasing the undesignated fund account by $43,200; and increasing the grant matching fund account by $10,000. They also recommended $2,500 for St. Andrews Home Health (budget committee recommended 0) and $2,000 for the Historical Society (budget committee recommended $1,000).

The voters will have their opportunity to make the final budget decisions at town meeting on Saturday, May 3.