PARIS — A committee of Oxford County selectmen approved the 2012 county budget of $5,733,977 on Tuesday.
It’s $309,111 more than the statutory tax levy limit.
The total was higher than the $5,635,896 recommended by the county commission, but lower than the $5.9 million requested by departments.
The commissioners’ proposal would have raised taxes by about 3.8 percent. The county tax hike for the new budget will be more than 4 percent.
Passing the higher tax levy required a special vote by the committee. “If the motion passes, we have to answer to taxpayers,” committee Chairman Rob Heard of Porter said. The tax levy increase passed unanimously.
The committee’s largest deviation from the commissioners’ budget was to contribute the $112,000 requested by the Western Maine Economic Development Council, up from the $25,000 commissioners recommended.
County Administrator Scott Cole told the committee that the commission was uncomfortable with the idea of giving public funding to facilitate private development. Committee members said economic development was beneficial to the county and voted 6-2 for the $112,000 figure.
Another discussion arose when committee members asked why the commissioners’ budget called for cutting the salary of Register of Probate Bruce Rood.
Rood said commissioners felt that because he didn’t work full-time hours, the job shouldn’t pay a full-time wage. Rood, who runs a law practice in Norway, said he is completing the work he’s assigned to, even if he only spends about half his time in the Register of Probate Office.
“It’s still a full-time job that I do half the time,” he said.
Commission Chairman Caldwell Jackson said the previous Register of Probate worked 40 hours or more per week.
Cole said covering the office was also a concern. The commission wanted to have two people in the Probate Office at all times, he said.
The Budget Committee could not set salaries, but they voted to reinstate the $8,000 to the Probate budget, with the recommendation that Rood’s full salary be reinstated.
In most department budgets, the committee passed the commission’s recommended budget without discussion.
The committee consisted of Russ Newcomb of Norway, Bob Everett of Bethel, Rob Heard of Porter, Lee Holman of Hartford, Lisa Cummings of Canton, Brad Adley of Rumford, Fred Henderson of Greenwood, Rick Micklon of Otisfield and Floyd Thayer of Oxford.
treaves@sunjournal.com
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- Register of Probate Bruce Rood explains why county commissioners voted to cut his salary at the Oxford County budget meeting Tuesday at the Oxford County Courthouse. The budget committee voted to return the suggested $8,000 cut from Rood’s back to his department, with the suggestion that the commission reinstate his full salary.
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