PARIS – Oxford County’s unorganized territories have a population of about 600 people, compared to the nearly 55,000 who living in the county as a whole.

But residents of the unorganized townships’ 410,000 acres need infrastructure maintenance services, too. They need roads maintained in summer and plowed in winter. They need animal control, cemetery maintenance, landfill services, as well as fire and rescue services.

The services are provided by county government. On Tuesday, Oxford County commissioners passed a budget of $586,120 for the 18 unorganized townships and other tracks of land.

Minus revenue of $222,639, the tax assessment for 2004 will be $363,481, an increase of less than $1,000 over this year.

“I’m very pleased that the budget has annually held to a very low increase,” said Commissioner Steve Merrill.

On hand for the budget workshop and vote were Albany Township Selectman Crawford Perry and Richard Halacy of Milton Plantation.

Perry asked the county to fix pot holes on the old Town Farm Road, up from Hunt’s Corner.

County Administrative Assistant Carole Mahoney said she would look into it, as well as Halacy’s question about lights for the salt shed and town house in Albany.

Both men said they thought the county was doing a good job keeping up with roads.

The county provides $180,000 for maintenance of roads and bridges in the unorganized territories, and pays $135,000 for snow removal. Landfills account for another $56,650, while fire protection costs $30,700, and ambulance service, $3,200.

The county keeps a capital reserve in the unorganized territories budget of $100,000, and a contingency of $25,000.

Revenues come from local state road assistance, $60,396; $70,000 in excise taxes, $375 in snowmobile revenue and $3,000 in interest.

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