Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Oxford Hills, River Valley

Committee adopts trimmed county budget

PARIS — Members of the county Budget Committee trimmed more than $64,000 from the 2014 budget, dropping the proposed property tax levy to its lowest amount since 2011.  Following more than two hours of deliberation in a meeting at the Oxford County Commission room Tuesday, the nine-member committee unanimously adopted $6,172,296 in expenditures, compared to the […]

Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Oxford Hills, River Valley

Oxford County payroll almost $84,000 over budget

PARIS — Oxford County officials predict this year’s payroll for employees may exceed budget by as much as $100,000. As of Nov. 14, the county was $83,948 over projected payroll expenditures, according to figures provided by Deputy County Administrator Judith Haas. The payroll overages are mainly in the Sheriff’s Office and Oxford County Regional Communications Center.  The […]

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Posted inOxford Hills

Sheriffs agree on Oxford County inmate arrangement

PARIS — Sheriffs from five counties have worked out an agreement to house Oxford County prisoners in nearby facilities to prevent traveling to and from jails as far away as Wiscasset. On Friday, Oxford County Sheriff Wayne Gallant said sheriffs, chief deputies and jail administrators from Oxford, Cumberland, Androscoggin, York and Kennebec counties had a “very […]

Posted inLewiston-Auburn

Poland officially ‘certified business friendly’

POLAND — News that Poland had been named Maine’s newest Certified Business-Friendly community was received by selectmen Tuesday with great pleasure. “This is good news,” Selectman Steve Robinson said. “I am pleased the town has received this well-deserved business-friendly recognition. Our goal is to continue Poland’s growth and development for many years to come.” The letter from […]

Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Oxford Hills

Bethel man pleads not guilty to July assault

PARIS — A Bethel man accused of assaulting and terrorizing a woman in July pleaded not guilty to four charges at his arraignment in Oxford County Superior Court on Tuesday.  Last month, an Oxford County Grand Jury indicted Brian Cronkite, 28, for aggravated assault, domestic violence terrorizing, domestic violence assault and criminal restraint.  The charges stem […]

Posted inLewiston-Auburn

County commissioners’ compensation examined

LEWISTON — Amid debate on an $8.1 million budget for 2014, Androscoggin County leaders are weighing pay and benefits for the county’s three commissioners. The trio annually earns at least $7,273 each — plus health care and retirement benefits worth thousands of dollars more — for their roles as the county’s principal policymakers and administrators. […]

Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Oxford Hills, River Valley

Commissioner’s budget $443K more than 2013

PARIS — The $6.3 million budget proposed by Oxford County commissioners for 2014 is $208,500 less than the budget requested by county department heads, but still represents a 7.5 percent increase from last year’s spending.  In a meeting Tuesday, Commissioners David Duguay of Byron, Caldwell Jackson of Oxford and Steven Merrill of Norway finalized a $6,342,738 […]

Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Oxford Hills

Commissioners approve jail fund payment

PARIS — County commissioners approved the release of a payment to the Maine Board of Corrections’ investment fund at its Oct. 15 meeting, but cautioned that further payments will depend on the performance of the state’s jail system.  Oxford County pays $187,073 annually to the fund, which goes to offset the additional cost of housing inmates […]

Posted inFranklin, Maine, Oxford Hills, sj-web

Franklin, Oxford counties have state’s lowest per capita income

That’s one of the main takeaways from the Maine Development Foundation’s quarterly economic report released on Thursday. While MDF’s annual Measures of Growth report tracks Maine’s per capita personal income and compares it to the rest of the country, the quarterly reports allow for a deeper dive into the data, according to Ryan Neale, MDF’s […]