AUBURN — Property taxpayers in Androscoggin County stand to lose close to $200,000 in annual revenue if Livermore Falls secedes from the county.

It’s money that would unlikely be saved by a corresponding drop in demand, Androscoggin County leaders said Tuesday.

Livermore Falls doesn’t use enough county services — such as rural patrols, deeds, probate and corrections — to allow for reduced staffing if it were gone, County Commission Chairman Randall Greenwood said.

It’s unlikely that a single county job could be cut in its wake, he said.

Livermore Falls taxpayers fund about 2 percent of the county’s $7.9 million budget.

This year, the town is scheduled to pay about $160,000 in county taxes. It is also contracted to spend more than $33,000 in dispatching fees to the county.

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“If they leave, every other community in the county would have to pick that up,” Greenwood said.

Despite that loss, he’s not ready to oppose the town’s secession, he said.

“I understand that if Livermore Falls feels it has a closer relationship with Franklin County, they have to explore their options,” he said.

Those options have carried the town to the Maine Legislature.

A bill sponsored by L. Gary Knight, R-Livermore Falls, would send the issue to a town vote followed by a Franklin County referendum. If a majority of voters agree, the county lines would change on July 1, 2014.

The measure passed the Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee last month, following testimony that included remarks by Livermore Falls police Chief Ernest Steward Jr. and Town Manager Kristal Flagg.

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They talked about ties to Franklin County, the convenience of county facilities in Farmington and cooperative arrangements with Jay, which is on the other side of the county line.

Steward described the distance his officers must drive to book its prisoners at the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn versus the 72-hour holding facility in Farmington, about half the distance.

In 2012, a total of 80 Livermore Falls residents were booked at the county jail, according to a recent Sun Journal study. The year before, there were 56.

Greenwood, who represents Livermore Falls and eight other small towns in Androscoggin County, said he is working with managers to create a full list of Androscoggin’s services.

He hopes to present the list to Livermore Falls leaders.

“Either way, they need to do what’s best for Livermore Falls,” he said.

Androscoggin County Commissioner Elaine Makas said she, too, supports the wishes of Livermore Falls voters.

“We certainly respect the people of Livermore Falls and like having them as part of Androscoggin County, but ultimately the decision is up to the people of Livermore Falls,” Makas said.

dhartill@sunjournal.com


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