AUBURN – The Androscoggin County Commission this week recommended a budget of $9.4 million for 2004, an increase of $423,255 from this year.

There is very little in the new budget that is not from fixed expenses, said County Commission Chairman Elmer Berry. “The commission has held the line on salaries and wages, and recommended to the Budget Committee a cost of living increase for all employees.”

Berry said the commissioners have spent many hours preparing their proposed budget. He said they have held the line and not approved new positions, opting for authorized overtime instead, that could be eliminated when no longer justified by the workload.

He added that the county is expecting to receive between $25,000 and $30,000 from other counties for boarding prisoners next year. “The OUI programs are now profitable. They haven’t been in the past. Deed revenues are up,” Berry said.

The county Budget Committee will meet weekly to consider the budget, department by department.

The proposed amount to be raised by taxation is $6,965,755. The amount raised this year was $6,542,500. The total proposed expenditures for 2004 are $9,455,817. The total for 2003 was $9,059,367. The proposed increase in expenditures is $396,450, or 4.38 percent.