Proposed county and Unorganized Territory budgets are both up

DOVER-FOXCROFT — The respective finances can still be adjusted if needed over the next few weeks, but both the projected 2025 Piscataquis County budget and 2025-26 Unorganized Territory budget would rise from the current spending plan amounts.

During a public hearing on the evening of Monday, Nov. 18 County Manager Mike Wiliams said the proposed 2025 county budget totals $6,694,951, an increase of $77,421 (1.7 percent) from the current year’s $6,617,530. A hearing memo said this amount does not include negotiations with the union which are ongoing.

The county non-union payscale was adjusted to account for the change in minimum wage from $14.15 to $14.65 per hour.

The proposed budget for the sheriff’s patrol division comes in at $1,652,548, an increase of $101,083 (6.5 percent) from 2024. Williams said the increase is driven by bringing an officer back from the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency “who has been on assignment for them for the last couple of years.”

The sheriff’s telecommunications division has a proposed $980,745 budget, down by $55,349, for dispatch center operations. The decrease is from not paying a retention bonus. Williams notes none of the sheriff’s department expenses include pay raises due to ongoing negotiations.

Mentioning various other expenses, Williams said workers comp increased $6,000, program grants were funded at $149,034 as presented, and there is a $28,000 increase in capital accounts.

The 2025-26 UT budget shows a proposed $2,658,725 total, a $190,050 increase from the current fiscal year. Williams said the bulk of the increase is due to a rise in road maintenance expenses, both summer and winter roads, and for waste disposal tipping fee and hauling expenses. Additional monies were put into capital for road paving and dirt road work.

The county budget advisory committee began its work on Sept. 5 and finished on Oct. 17 after six meetings. Williams said should adjustments be needed, then the county commissioners could do this at the Tuesday, Dec. 3 meeting (none were made at the Tuesday, Nov. 18 session) and then meet with the budget committee to explain any change.

The commissioners need to hold a special meeting to adopt both budgets on or before Dec. 15. “The reason behind that is we have to have the budget approved 16 days before the end of the fiscal year,” Williams said.

The second regular December meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 17 would be past this deadline.

After nearly $757,000 in revenues have been applied, the $6,694,951 county budget would equal $5,937,978 to be raised through taxes or a $459,587 (about 8 percent) increase. This is divided between $4.1 million-plus for the county and just over $1.8 million for the UTs, an approximate 69.7/30.3 percent split.

Each of the 18 Piscataquis County communities would see an increase in its proportional share of the budget, which are based on valuation. The largest is Greenville’s $797,684 assessment, up by $125,460 for 13.43 percent of the municipalities’ county tax. The smallest increase is $2,281 for Wellington’s $121,165 (2.04 percent of the county share).