FARMINGTON — Members of the county Budget Advisory Committee voted 6-1 Wednesday not to reject the commissioners’ $7 million budget, which wraps up the spending package for 2021-22.
A couple of committee members were supportive of commissioners for not leaving a 3% raise in the budget when they decreased it to 2% on June 24.
Tiffany Estabrook of Chesterville said she would like to thank commissioners “for coming back with actual numbers” instead of using 3% just for budgetary purposes.
Gary McGrane of Jay, a former commissioner for 27 years, who made the motion to reject the commissioners’ budget, said the salaries should have been negotiated prior to the budget process starting. He also said he would like to see the $6,470 increase from the budget committee’s spending plan be taken out of the commissioners’ department budget.
Estabrook pointed out that the committee did the same thing when department heads came to the committee with needs that came to light after commissioners had approved their initial budget.
Commissioners finalized their budget Tuesday to make sure taxpayers were not going to be taxed for money not going to be used.
Finance Manager Vickie Braley said she went through the budget thoroughly and discovered a miscalculation for the new human resource/assistant administrative position salary.
When the budget was developed, they were in the process of hiring for the position and hours and salary were put in the budget. The person was hired at a higher rate of pay, $25 an hour, and for more hours, 37½ hours a week, which was more than what was estimated originally.
The budget, including the jail, is $213,810 more than 2020-21.
McGrane voted to reject the budget while Travis Pond of New Sharon, Estabrook, Tom Goding of Jay, Bob Luce of Carrabassett Valley, Tiffany Maiuri of Wilton and Morgan Dunham of Phillips, who participated through Zoom, voted against it.
Matt Smith of Farmington and Ray Gaudette of Phillips were not able to attend the meeting.
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