WISCASSET — Wiscasset voters approved a $12.1 million budget Tuesday.

Wiscasset School Department’s proposed $9.3 million budget is down $450,602, a 3.9% decrease from the current $9.8 million budget.

The town will raise $6 million to fund the school department.

Administrative Assistant Kathy Onorato said a new tax rate will be calculated in September factoring in any new valuation in town. Assuming the town’s revenue and valuation remained the same in 2019-20, the spending approved by voters Tuesday increases taxes an estimated 2%, and would increase the tax rate from $19.55 to $19.95 per $1,000 of assessed value. For a home assessed at $200,000, that would mean an $80 increase to the tax bill.

All of the town’s 54 proposed budget articles passed at the polls.

Voters backed the police department’s school resource officer by a narrow 31-vote margin. While the five-member select board unanimously recommended spending $50,166 for the position, the Budget Committee had opposed approving the position 2-3.

Voters also agreed by a 40-vote margin to spend $40,000 from the capital reserve account on new lockers at the Wiscasset Community Center. The article was approved 232-192.

Wiscasset also held the election for several local boards and committees.

Incumbent Katharine Martin-Savage and Jefferson Slack won two seats on the Board of Selectmen with 320 votes and 251 votes, respectively. 

Incumbents Michael Dunn and Jason Putnam ran unopposed for two seats on the Wiscasset School Board.

The Budget Committee only had two candidates on the ballot running for four seats. Incumbent William Maloney got 321 votes for a three-year term on the Budget Committee. Former selectman Bob Blagden received five votes as a write-in candidate and former Budget Committee member Judy Flanagan had three votes as a write-in candidate, for the additional two three-year terms.

David Flynn ran for and won a two-year term on the Budget Committee, pulling in 307 votes. Bob Blagden also got five write-in votes for one of three two-year terms.

Blagden also won four write-in votes for the one-year seat on the Budget Committee.

Incumbent Dean E. Shea was the only candidate on the ballot running for one of the two three-year terms on the Wiscasset Water District. He got 355 votes. Former water district trustee Gregg Wood had eight write-in votes.

Onorato said Wednesday she didn’t know what if any positions the write-in candidates have accepted.

There were 440 total ballots cast.

dmoore@timesrecord.com