AUBURN — The proposed 2026 Androscoggin County budget is nearly $4 million more than the current budget and would increase the county tax by 14.9%.

The Androscoggin County Budget Committee has completed its review of the $24 million spending plan and to date has offered no cuts. The committee will hold a public hearing Oct. 22 and finalize the preliminary budget before sending it back to the commissioners for final approval.

The committee considered slashing all $100,000 requested by Kadenz Kitchen for its Lewiston homeless shelter, which commissioners and county Administrator Jeffrey Chute included in their proposed budget. The committee voted 8-3-1 to eliminate the funding request, but the vote failed because it lacked the 11-vote supermajority as required by the county charter.

County expenditures are increasing by 18.99%, with the jail consuming nearly 60% of that increase. The jail portion of the budget now nearly equals the rest of the county budget.

Meanwhile the county expects revenues to increase by 33.01% from the current fiscal year. Helping the bottom line on revenues, however, is the $1.5 million shortfall from the jail listed as a positive under revenues. That is money that will likely never be collected.

The jail account is listed separate from the rest of the budget.

The county is anticipating additional revenue of $125,000 from the Register of Deeds and Probate offices.

In addition to the jail, which will cost the county an additional 25%, the drivers that are increasing expenditures include the building account by 19.8%, the sheriff’s public safety account by 18.6%, and dispatch by 18.5%. Although smaller amounts, interest and auditing are each up by more than 30%.

The public safety increase includes replacing the WatchGuard car and body-worn camera system.