AUBURN – The Budget Committee nixed a proposed 3 percent pay hike for county commissioners and cut $6,200 from the jail budget Thursday night.

With a $1,606 shortfall for a contract renewal with Maine Pretrial Services, the committee voted to authorize that amount, making Thursday’s total budget cuts $4,594.

The committee reduced the proposed 3 percent pay raise to 1.5 percent for all elected department heads, including the sheriff, register of deeds and the register of probate. The commissioners’ draft budget also called for the three commissioners to receive 3 percent raises, and that was eliminated.

The Budget Committee rejected the entire 2005 budget Nov. 9 and sent it back to the County Commission with instructions to whittle a proposed 15.8 percent tax increase to zero. The commission cut the tax increase to 2.81. Several Budget Committee members said Thursday that was too much.

The 2.81 percent “does not take into consideration cost of living increases, gross national product or the consumer index,” said commission Chairman Elmer Berry.

Budget Committee Chairman Paul Labrecque said he wanted to be assured that the cuts would be prudent. “We want to make sure that this is a doable budget and not just slashed for the sake of slashing it. I don’t think anyone is interested in getting down to a zero levy without knowing where it came from and how it’s going to affect the county,” he said.

Labrecque then asked whether the committee has the capability of getting the levy down to zero, and what effect it would have on public safety and the operation of the jail.

“I think we do,” responded Lewiston City Councilor Renee Bernier. She cited municipal cuts, including layoffs.

“Then we will have to go through this line by line,” Labrecque said.

Bernier also called for the committee to peruse the budget line by line.

She and Lisbon Selectman Michael Bowie questioned Jail Administrator Capt. John Lebel throughout the breakdown of the jail budget, which took more than two hours. Lebel was asked several times if he felt comfortable with the cuts. “Absolutely not,” was his response several times.

The new version of the commissioners’ budget calls for spending $6,685,877, down from $7,483,730 in the commission’s first draft. Berry called it “bare bones.”

The Budget Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 22; meet at 6 p.m. Dec. 1 and Dec. 8; and hold additional public hearings, if necessary, at 6 p.m. Dec. 15 and 22. All meetings and hearings will be held at the courthouse and all are open to the public.