FARMINGTON — The Franklin County Budget Advisory Committee plans to hold its first meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday upstairs in the Superior Court room at 140 Main St.
The panel will elect a chairperson before reviewing the proposed 2024-25 budget with department supervisors, social service agencies and others.
This is the last year the committee will have nine members. Next year, there will be 11 to represent five new commission districts that will go into effect Jan. 1, 2025. There will be two representatives for each of the five districts, except for one, which will have three, said state Rep. Scott Landry, D-Farmington. Landry and other local legislators were involved in changing the law to create five districts.
The additional person will rotate each year throughout the districts. Next year, District 1, which will represent a section of Farmington west of the Sandy River, Temple and Wilton, will have three members, Landry said.
The following year in 2026, District 2, which represents the rest of Farmington, will have three members, and the other four districts will have two. It will continue rotating through the districts.
Having a third member in one district each year will offset a tie vote, Landry said.
This year, the committee has three members representing each of the three districts.
Serving District 1 are Tom Goding and Gary McGrane, both of Jay, and Tiffany Maiuri of Wilton. The district includes Carthage, Jay, Wilton, Washington and Perkins townships, Weld, and Dallas, Rangeley and Sandy River plantations. Commissioner Terry Brann of Wilton represents the district.
Serving District 2 are John Archer of Chesterville, Dennis O’Neil of Farmington and Dean Collins of Temple. It includes Chesterville, Farmington and Temple. Chairman Lance Harvell of Farmington represents the district.
Serving District 3 are Morgan Dunham of Kingfield, Janet White of Phillips and Rupert Pratt of Strong. It includes New Sharon, Industry, New Vineyard, Strong, Avon, Phillips, Kingfield, Carrabassett Valley, Eustis and Rangeley. Also, Freeman, Salem, Madrid, Redington, Mount Abram, Wyman, Lang, Stetsontown, Tim Pond, Jim Pond, Alder Stream, Seven Ponds, Massachusetts Gore, Chain of Ponds, Kibby, Coburn Gore, Skinner, Merrill Strip, Beattie, Lowell, Gorham Gore and Lowelltown townships, and Coplin Plantation. Commissioner Bob Carlton of Freeman Township represents this district.
Once the Budget Advisory Committee finalizes its proposal with a vote, it will go back to commissioners for review and a vote. It will take an unanimous vote of commissioners to override the budget committee’s proposal. If they do, it will go back to the budget committee. It will take six of the nine-member committee to override the commissioners’ proposal.
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