PITTSTON -- Voters at a special town meeting on Thursday said no to a request by selectmen to make the job of administrative assistant full time.

Selectmen wanted to increase the hours from 30 to 40 a week because of a large workload.

William Baxter, resident, insisted on knowing how much a full-time administrative assistant would cost the town.

Selectmen hadn't included a dollar figure in the warrant article residents were asked to vote on.

"You can't buy a pig in a poke," Baxter said. "I want to see the pig."

Selectmen said the town would pay Administrative Assistant Justin Van Dongen an annual base salary of $37,440 with a $6,500 health package.

Residents at the meeting said they couldn't afford a to pay that amount.

Louise Kruk, member of the Budget Committee, said selectmen never said anything about increasing the hours of the administrative assistant to the Budget Committee before they put it to residents for a vote.

Selectman Stanley Byrne said the board didn't discuss it with the Budget Committee because there was enough money already budgeted to pay that salary until the end of the year.

"We're all careful with our money," said Kruk, a resident. "We need to be saving some money. We don't need to be paying this assistant 40 hours and benefits."

Selectwoman Wanda Burns-Macomber said selectmen needed someone full time to help out because they aren't able to keep up with the work.

Ted Zagwyn, resident, said officials need to see what other towns are paying their administrative assistants as a comparison.

He said residents needed more information before they could vote and asked that the article be tabled until the March town meeting.

Residents voted to table that article and a request to accept the Shoreland Zoning Ordinance as amended.

Code Enforcement Officer Ernie Martin said the proposed ordinance had some deficiencies, including a section left out that dealt with roads and driveways, and a sentence that said the code enforcement officer would do site inspections to ensure compliance.

"I don't want to send something to the taxpayers that is not legally binding," Martin said. "The procedure was a little off and we need to do it right."

He said the Maine Department of Environmental Protection gave the town a waiver until July 1, 2009.

The ordinance also will be voted on at the March town meeting. Until then, he said the Planning Board will use the old shoreland zoning maps.

After a lengthy discussion, residents did agree to let the Fire Department sell an old tanker truck to the Pittston Fair Association for $1.

The town will get a new tanker truck that Fire Chief Jason Farris said should arrive by the end of the year.

The old truck has a GMC chassis and a body, tank and pump that were made in town. It has been in use for 21 years and is no longer roadworthy.

Mechele Cooper -- 623-3811, Ext. 408

mcooper@centralmaine.com