WILTON – Selectmen began the budget process Wednesday as they met with department heads and heard their needs, wants and must haves.

Seeking guidance from the board before starting their budgets, department heads were told that the board realized reasonable increases are expected, especially in energy costs. Board members also indicated a desire to meet the needs of the town and not defray maintenance that needs to be done.

“I’m skeptical of zero percent increases in budgets. … They’re false,” said Chairman Paul Gooch. “I don’t think zero is the answer, but how much of an increase needs to be weighed.”

The board should learn what people need, want and can’t live without in order to operate their departments, Gooch said. Each department head was asked to give the board an idea of what to expect in the budget.

A new furnace for the Public Safety Building topped fire Chief Sonny Dunham’s list. The building’s furnace, now 21-years-old, has been down for the past 10 days, he said. Dunham gave the board an estimate for a new, two-furnace system for $21,000. Larger buildings are using two smaller furnaces, he said.

Dunham also told the board that the driveway at the building, which houses the fire and police departments, needs to be resealed, a $3,400 expense, he said.

For the department itself, he expects an increase in training expenses for firefighters.

After requesting an increase last year, police Chief Dennis Brown expects only a small increase that reflects the town’s 2 percent pay raise for employees, he said.

Brown is also researching costs on a project that would give town departments a better radio system. Within town, hand-held radios do not transmit well, he said. A repeater installed on Walker Hill Road would improve that communication but he’s working to find a price better than the $9,000 estimate he has.

The Water Department came in 12.8 percent under budget, said Superintendent Russell Mathers II. The department’s budget for 2008 at $473,548.72 was later accepted by the board, said Town Manager Peter Nielsen on Thursday. Expected revenue, from all sources, is projected to be $464,610 including anticipated revenues from the new Comfort Inn that will use several thousand gallons of water per day, Mathers said.

While the budget exceeds the expected revenue, he said, less was spent this year than was budgeted, leaving a balance, he added.

Mathers anticipates a need at some point to replace 3 miles of pipe, a water main that runs from the pond to town and is now 10 years over it’s life expectancy of 50 years. A break could leave the town and North Jay without water until repairs could be made, he said. Mathers proposes replacing the pipe in sections.

Sand, salt and fuel costs will pose an increase in the Public Works Department, said John Welch, highway foreman. Probably not enough was budgeted to cover recent storms so an increase will be needed to cover the shortage, he said.

Road repairs, a sidewalk plow and replacing a truck top his list.

Other items discussed included a $2,000 surveillance camera system proposed by the Recreation Department for Kineowatha Park, and a library increase for personnel, utilities and health insurance for the librarian.

In other business, the board discussed the pros and cons of borrowing money through a bond for road projects but no action was taken, Nielsen said.