FARMINGTON — If terms for 10 members of the Franklin County budget committee expire in the same year, it could be “problematic,” county Administrator Amy Bernard told commissioners Tuesday.
This is the first year there are five commissioners representing five new commissioner districts. It is also the first year that there are 11 selectmen on the Budget Advisory Committee.
A law that expired in 2024 provided for nine budget panel members from the then-three commissioner districts to have staggered terms: one, two and three years. That provision did not carry over into the new law that was approved in 2023 and took effect this year. Ten members of the committee now have three-year terms.
One of the members elected by selectmen peers on March 26 has a one-year term to represent District 1, which covers part of Farmington, west of the Sandy River, Temple and Wilton. That position will move on to District 2 next year, which means District 2, which covers majority of Farmington, will have three members.
When the Budget Advisory Committee meets at 5 p.m. on Tuesday in the Superior Courtroom of the county Courthouse, the members elected to District 1 will choose one of the three selectmen elected to represent District 1 as the rotating member with a one-year term.
Bernard and Wilton resident Nathan Hiltz said Tuesday they both believed that the staggered terms would be in effect for the new budget committee.
If all but one budget committee member is elected to three-year terms, it could be “problematic” that they could lose the majority of budget panel at the same time and there would be no consistency, Bernard said.
Commissioner Thomas Saviello of Wilton, a former state legislator who represents District 1, said he is going to review the new law to try to better explain what it changed.
He plans to work with state Rep. Stephan Bunker, D-Farmington, to see if they can change the law to make it staggered terms to avoid losing all members of the committee at once. Former state Rep. Scott Landry, D-Farmington, who didn’t seek reelection last year, wrote the new law prior to leaving office.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Join the Conversation
We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It’s a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. Read more...
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
For those stories that we do enable discussion, our system may hold up comments pending the approval of a moderator for several reasons, including possible violation of our guidelines. As the Maine Trust’s digital team reviews these comments, we ask for patience.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday and limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs.
You can modify your screen name here.
Show less
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your Sun Journal account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.