HARPSWELL — The Harpswell Board of Selectmen will look to sign a final warrant this week in preparation for the town’s annual meeting on March 10.

A meeting to hash out the final details of that 69-article warrant tonight may be postponed due to weather, according to Town Administrator Kristi Eiane. If so, it would be rescheduled for 9 a.m. Friday.

Update, 3:18 p.m.: Thursday’s meeting has been postponed to Friday at 9 a.m., where the board will consider the final Town Meeting Warrant, including the Mobile Food Handler’s Ordinance and an appropriation for fencing at Mitchell Field. The rest of the warrant items will be considered at a March 8 meeting.

As recommended, the warrant would increase the municipal budget by approximately 6 percent over last year in light of what Eiane said are “ new areas of expense that we’ve not previously considered.” However, she said that increase does not necessarily mean raising property taxes.

“It’s possible that we won’t see a tax rate increase because the school budget figure in 2012 may be less than in 2011,” Eiane said.

The town won’t know what the final budget for School Administrative District 75 looks like until June, Eiane said.

The warrant, as recommended, would result in an overall budget increase of $246,021 while revenues are also calculated as rising by $195,000, including the use of $ 175,000 more in reserve funds.

The town’s new expense considerations include a proposal for dedicated weekday paramedic service through a contract with Mid Coast Hospital, funds to heat and maintain the West Harpswell School building, and funds to replace an aging marine patrol boat.

The proposal for expanding medical services would put an on-call paramedic in Harpswell from Monday to Friday, from 6 a. m. to 6 p. m., in a garage that Eiane said would likely be built on town-owned land near the town office, if approved.

Expanding paramedic service to the town’s peninsula and islands would require voter approval of $74,000 for the planning, design and construction of a garage to house an ambulance, as well as an increase of $ 108,000 in the emergency response service budget, which was $15,000 to provide regional emergency response services.

Eiane said that proposal came forward after members of the town’s volunteer emergency medical services team told selectmen that it had become increasingly difficult to cover weekday shifts.

Another allocation of $70,000 is listed on the proposed town meeting warrant to provide for heating and maintenance costs at the now vacant West Harpswell School, which SAD 75 closed last year, in order to keep the building open for municipal and rental use.

The warrant also includes a non-binding vote about the ultimate fate of the vacant 17,000- square- foot school building, giving voters four choices about how they would like to see the structure used.

The proposed town warrant also recommends that voters approve adding $35,000 to an existing fund of $ 38,000 to replace an aging marine patrol boat, for which Eiane said the estimated cost is $54,000.

Ordinance changes also slated for discussion and town meeting voted on March 10, with separate proposed bans on the sale and use, sale, and use of consumer fireworks, as well as an ordinance change to permit food trucks, a change to the town’s shellfish ordinance, and an ordinance that would limit dwellings in the Eagle Island Historic District to one.

Voters also will elect one person to the Board of Selectmen and to the post of road commissioner in separate two- way races. Incumbent Selectwoman Elinor Multer is running against challenger C. Matthew Rich to retain the seat she has held for one three-year term.

Road Commissioner Bob Venard will not seek re-election. Ronald Ponziani and Paul Standridge will compete to replace him.

Incumbent SAD 75 board member Joanne Rogers will seek re-election. Hers is the only name on the March 10 ballot for that position.

See a copy of the draft warrant online at http://ow.ly/9n8Om.

Polls are scheduled to be open from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. March 10 with the annual town meeting to begin at 10 a.m. at the Harpswell Community School.

dfishell@timesrecord.com