Penobscot County approves its largest budget increase in years

By Kathleen O’Brien, Bangor Daily News Staff

Penobscot County Commissioners unanimously approved the county’s new $29.2 million budget on Tuesday, which is about $2.3 million higher than last year’s spending plan. 

That increase carries a 8.5 percent municipal tax increase. 

Commissioner Peter Baldacci said he hopes next year’s budget doesn’t hold another hefty tax increase due to the burden it places on communities and taxpayers.

Employee payroll and benefits account for $15.8 million of this year’s budget. Employee salaries also received up to a 15-percent boost this year after finding Penobscot County paid 12 to 18 percent below market rate. 

Funding for the Penobscot County Jail took up another $15 million of the budget, which is a $1.4 million — or 4 percent — higher allocation compared to last year. 

The Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office’s portion of the budget is nearly $8.3 million. That includes $340,000 for body-worn and dashboard cameras and $23,000 for ammunition, marking an $11,000 increase from 2021 due to the rising cost of ammo. 

Just under $3.5 million — about 17 percent of the budget — is devoted to county services and utilities and another $157,000 is set aside for building repairs and maintenance.