Wareham will fully fund the Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School's budget for fiscal year 2013, despite a Town Meeting vote to spend no more on the regional vocational school than the town did last year.

Selectmen on Tuesday requested that the Finance Committee to transfer of $220,346 from the town's reserve fund to fill the gap between the amount approved at spring Town Meeting and the amount the town is now required fund Upper Cape because all other towns in the regional school district approved the school's original budget.

Upper Cape, a regional school, accepts students from Wareham, Marion, Bourne, Sandwich, and Falmouth.

Each town pays a portion of Upper Cape's budget based on how many students attend the school.

The School created its fiscal year 2013 budget in the spring and went to the five towns' town meetings to seek approval for each town's share.

Upper Cape requested $2,595,519 from Wareham, $220,346 more than had been appropriated in fiscal year 2012.

At Town Meeting, citizens argued that Wareham should not be giving the regional school additional money while the town's own school budget is lower than last year's. As a result, the meeting voted to give Upper Cape no more money than the town had in 2012.

However, before Wareham's decision, Falmouth had already agreed to fully fund Upper Cape's fiscal year 2013 budget.

Since Wareham's decision, the other three towns voted to approve the full budget.

Because the other four towns have approved the full budget, Wareham is required to pay its share of that budget and must send the additional $220,346 to Upper Cape.

The town had set aside the money in its reserve fund in preparation for the full funding request, and Selectmen approved the transfer of funds on Tuesday.

Still, members of the board expressed concern at how the money being given to Upper Cape is being used.

Citing an article featured last week in a Bourne newspaper, Selectman Alan Slavin said he was "dismayed" that Upper Cape had saved $100,000 from a mild winter this year and had used the money to purchase press boxes for one of its fields.

"They're putting in new press boxes. Really they should be giving it back to the towns," he said.

In other town business:

• Selectmen approved the Special Town Election Warrant to send four ballot questions to voters on July 25 regarding proposed tax increases to fund school expenses. The vote was 4 to 1, with Selectman Ellen Begley voting against approval.
• The town has received 20 new "wildlife resistant" trash barrels as a donation from the Carver Marion Wareham Regional Refuse Disposal District. The donation is worth $8,000, according to Interim Town Administrator John Foster.
• The Board of Selectmen determined the members of a screening committee that will review applications for the Town Administrator position and make recommendations to the Board based on those reviews. The members of the seven person committee will be: the chairman or designee of the School Committee, the chairman or designee of the Finance Committee, Director of the Community and Economic Development Authority Salvador Pina, Town Clerk Mary Ann Silva, the chair or designee of the Capital Planning Committee, and Selectmen Begley and Cara Winslow. Alternates are the chair or designee of the Board of Assessors and Town Accountant Brian Kudish.