PARIS – County department heads have submitted $4.9 million in budget requests for 2005, but they’ll have to wait a bit before hearing what the Oxford County commissioners propose.

At a regular meeting Tuesday, Commissioner Fred Kennard said the commission is “not even close” to being done with its preliminary budget review.

Each year, the county receives the department heads’ budget proposals, then suggests any changes before forwarding the package to the county budget committee. The committee then reviews the requests and proposed changes. It suggests its own alterations before the county commissioners vote on a final budget package.

According to county Administrative Assistant Carole Mahoney, the commissioners have until Nov. 1 to make their recommendations.

Commissioner Steve Merrill said Wednesday this is likely a requirement of state law.

The budget committee, composed of three selectmen from each of the county’s three commission districts, is scheduled to meet Nov. 17.

In the past, commissioners said Tuesday, the preliminary budget review may have gone more quickly. This year, however, a review of employee salaries may take some time.

This salary review was not disclosed Tuesday, but when asked later about an executive session that was held, Merrill said it pertained to an assessment of county salaries.

“We provide our services for less money than any other county in the state on a per-capita basis,” Merrill said. While that’s a good thing, one reason for the trim budget may be inadequate pay for some employees, he said.

“My personal opinion is that we haven’t spent enough time on it,” Merrill said of the issue.

This year, the county is working with a labor negotiator to carry out the salary assessment, Merrill said.

Although the commissioners discussed the budget Tuesday, they did not discuss an appeal filed Oct. 7 by Canton Selectman Christopher Wainwright. Wainwright, who is also employed by the Oxford County Sheriff’s Department, is protesting the commission’s decision to remove him from the budget committee.

And while the county commissioners have to hand the budget to the budget committee by Nov. 1, Mahoney said no date was set for a follow-up meeting.

The commission’s next regularly scheduled meeting is Nov. 16.