FARMINGTON – After picking, paring and pruning, Franklin County commissioners agreed on a proposed county budget, sending it to taxpayers for comment at a Dec. 8 public hearing.

At the hearing, people will get a chance to voice concerns. Immediately after the hearing closes, the county’s nine-person budget committee will vote to accept or amend the proposed budget.

On Dec. 16, county commissioners are expected to give it the final thumbs-up and the budget will be officially set, said county clerk Julie Magoon.

The proposed budget, $3,879,204, is up 9.61 percent or $340,224 from last year’s approved spending of $3,538,980.

The amount to be raised from revenues is estimated at $637,000 and from taxation, $3,242,204. Magoon has the proposed mill rate listed at .00129 on the county budget fact sheet. That number may change based on valuation.

A pending last minute change, however, could change the entire total. Magoon said she factored into the budget an increase of 15 percent for county employees insurance. But she recently received information that insurance for non-union employees was up only 7.9 percent and for union employees 10 percent. The new calculations will definitely held to lower the mill rate, Magoon said.

The county budget is up due in part to those health insurance costs, as well as the second phase implementation of salary increases for county employees.

Most departments’ budgets are comparable to last year. The Sheriff’s Department’s budget, however, is up over $120,000, more than 10 percent of its total proposed budget of $859,107.

Increases in that department are due to personnel raises, gas, training, uniform and other costs. There is also $8,000 set aside to move a fuel tank to where Farmington’s and other entities’ vehicles can access it and collaborate on bulk purchasing of fuel.

However, Magoon said that project is still in the planning stages and may not be carried out this year.

One stop funding

Another reason the budget is up is because area social services are now coming to the county for one-stop funding instead of soliciting money from each of the county’s 17 towns and four plantations. That budget for program grants is up from $192,990 approved last year to $229,330.

For the first time, the county will provide one-stop funding of $11,335 to SAVES, and to SeniorsPlus, $36,000.

Other program grants were flat-funded with last year.

Janine Winn, executive director of SAVES, says one-stop funding is a smart idea because it’s a “tremendous time-saver” and her staff can “put more of our attention into providing services.”

It also means that the cost is spread out. At their 2003 town meetings, both New Vineyard and Industry chose not to support social service agencies, Winn said, which makes it tough for agencies.

It doesn’t always balance out though. Some towns, like Jay and Carrabassett Valley will pay more for agencies with one-stop funding from the county. Jay pays more than 30 percent of the county budget, which is based on property valuation, because it has the International Paper mill. However, it doesn’t have a third of the county’s residents living in the town.

Meanwhile, Farmington pays about 11.6 percent of the budget, Carrabassett Valley about 11.3 percent and Rangeley and Wilton pay the next highest percentages.

At the Dec. 8 public hearing, which will be held at 7 p.m. at the court house, the unorganized territory budget will also be the focus of a public hearing. After that hearing, commissioners will vote approve the UT budget, before passing it onto the state, which has the final say.

That budget is up $129,981 from the amount approved for fiscal year 2003-04 of $784,029 to a proposed amount of $914,010. Increases are mostly attributed to road improvements.

sdepoy@sunjournal.com

Copy the Story Link