MECHANIC FALLS — The RSU 16 School Committee and members of the Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland budget committees met Tuesday in an attempt to fix the school budget approval process which all agreed was broken.

The solution, all also agreed, was one that had always been right in front of them: A return to the traditional preconsolidation process of having the town budget committees review and make recommendations early in the approval process.

“A lot can be said for the second pair of eyes going over the budget,” Poland Budget Committee Norm Beauparlant said.

Voters in all three towns voted down two proposed budgets earlier this summer.

The committees agreed to meet again at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, at the Poland Community School gymnasium. Town budget committee members are to submit questions and concerns to Superintendent Dennis Duquette by this Friday, giving Duquette opportunity to respond by Tuesday, Aug. 2.

School Committee Chairman Dave Griffiths said it is his intent for the committee to formulate a budget recommendation that could be acted on at the committee’s scheduled Aug. 8 meeting.

Preliminary attempts to discuss areas where the budget might be trimmed to avoid an increase local property taxes proved futile.

“We’re not comfortable lowering the budget any more,” School Committee member Terri Arsenault said.

Immediately following Arsenault’s comment, Selectmen Dan Gilpatric from Minot and Lester Stevens and Larry Moreau from Poland walked out of the meeting.

“The voters said lower the budget. If you don’t want to listen to us, we are out of here,” Gilpatric said.

Their action prompted Mechanic Falls Budget Committee member Ed Piirainen to insist that he would like to see what a budget cut that would not affect property taxes would look like.

“Not to take to heart the result of the two votes rejecting the budget is wrong,” Piirainen said.