WELLS — It’s back to the drawing board for proposals for a new public safety building and fire substation, as well as an expansion to the Wells Public Library.

The Board of Selectmen are now aiming for the June ballot for two questions that will ask voters to decide if the town should spend money on the projects.

The board had considered putting the referendum questions on the November ballot.

One referendum would have asked voters to allow the town to borrow $19.1 million for a new public safety building that would house the police and fire stations and build a fire substation that would replace two current substations.

Another question, if approved, would have allowed the town to borrow $4.8 million for a 25,000-square-foot expansion to the library.

However, the combined proposals would, if passed, required raising property taxes more that the allowable amount under LD 1, a legislative mandate passed in 2004 that limits the amount a municipality can raise in property taxes each year.

The selectmen agreed Tuesday night that they did not want to put the combined $24 million bond proposals on the November ballot, and will instead ask architects to scale down plans, said Town Manager Jonathan Carter.

Carter said the select board is looking to get the combined projects down to $15 million to $19 million, and plans to ask residents to vote on the proposals in June.

The Police Department moved into its current building at 1563 Post Road in 1987, said Carter. The building was built in the 1940s or 1950s as a town hall.

“The force has grown substantially,” said Carter, and the building is not only in poor condition, but is too small for the current needs of the department.

Carter said the Fire Department’s main station, Corner Station, 1563 Post Road, and the two substations were not built to house modern equipment, and fire trucks have to be modified to fit into garage bays.

Police Chief Jo-Ann Putnam said she’s worked for the department for 30 years, and officials have been trying to get a new police station for the past 10.

“This is long overdue, and it just keeps getting put off,” she said.

Putnam said she understands that $24 million may be too big of a pill to swallow for taxpayers, but new infrastructure is critical for the department to continue to do its job safely and to the best of its ability. She said she hopes some balance can be struck with a new proposal.

Over the past several years, Putnam said, there have been mice and insect infestations and sewer issues in the police station. Staff use space heaters in the winter. There have also been incidents of snow coming out of walls, and a mouse falling out of the ceiling, she said.

There is no storage or interview rooms, and in general, the facility is over-crowded, she said.

“The prisoners use the same bathrooms as we do,” she said.

The Wells Library was built in 1978, and expanded in 1992, according to information from the institution’s website, and is in need of another expansion to meet the current demands and the increased population.

According to library officials, bookshelves are full, and there is no more room for additional shelving; activities with more than 15 people must be held in the children’s area; seating for quiet reading and study is extremely limited; and folding chairs and other items must be stored in a shed.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.