Commissioners partially restore program grant cuts

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Program grant cuts to six organizations in the proposed 2026 Piscataquis County budget have been restored by the Piscataquis County Commissioners.

The finances recommended to the commissioners by the budget advisory committee had $110,000-plus in program grant cuts across a dozen organizations and county officials restored nearly $67,000 combined in funding for a half dozen groups during a meeting on Tuesday morning.

“The commissioners have reviewed the budget received to us from the budget committee and after the public hearing last night we have decided to make some adjustments going forward,” Commissioners Chair Andrew Torbett said.

“As I mentioned last night at the hearing we also want to be respectful to the spirit of what the budget committee was sending to the commissioners and that they want to see spending reigned in where the budget has been climbing quite a bit in the last few cycles,” he added.

Commissioner Adam Coover made a motion to adjust the 2026 budget with University of Maine Cooperative Extension to receive $27,534 from the county, the Piscataquis Area Community Center would receive $20,000, $13,500 to be earmarked for the Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District, $2,000 to be for hospice care and $1,800 each for the Piscataquis Regional Food Center and $1,800 Bangor Area Homeless Shelter.

Coover’s motion also has county salaries being held to a 4.25% percent increase, per the recommendation of County Manager Michael Williams.

The current year’s county budget — this follows a calendar year timeline — includes the same figures for Cooperative Extension, the soil and water district, hospice and homeless shelter. The food center share would be down from $5,000 and the community center’s is a brand new request with the organization launching earlier this year.

Program grants from 2025 not included in next year’s budget are $60,000 for the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council, $5,000 for Eastern Area Agency on Aging $4,500 for the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce and $3,500 for Destination Moosehead Lake and Moosehead Lake Economic Development Council and $2,000 for hazmat.

“The latest figures from the Maine Office of Tourism for our tourism region show visitor spending of more than $650 million annually, support for thousands of jobs and an average tax-savings of over $1,400 per household,” PCEDC Executive Director Angela Arno said in a statement after the morning meeting. “The decision to cut funding for the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council, the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce and (Moosehead Lake area organizations) threatens to reverse this progress. These organizations are the boots-on-the-ground teams driving tourism development and promotion, job creation and visitor investment in our community. Reducing these budgets means less tourism promotion, fewer jobs in the tourism sector, fewer business growth opportunities and potentially higher taxes or reduced services for local households. I strongly encourage our county leaders to reconsider these cuts and protect both our economy and our community’s future.”

During the public hearing on the county budget and 2026-27 Unorganized Territory budget on Monday evening, about two dozen people attended with 10 speaking against the program grant cuts.

“This is not the time to cut these services in Piscataquis County, we need them now more than ever, all of these services are vital,” Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Denise Buzzelli said.

The Chamber is willing to forfeit its $4,500 with the money instead going to the food center, she said. “Because we believe that strongly that food insecurity is a major thing.”

The Piscataquis Regional Food Center has served over 450 households this year, food center board member Dr. Lesley Fernow said, with 60 new applications being made since October.

“Right now $5 will buy 31 pounds of food for the food center, so we are very careful how we spend our money,” she said.

“$5,000 can go a long way to feeding hungry and food insecure people in this community and I think it’s worth making that investment in this community and showing that you care,” Dr. Fernow said.

“I think it is a complete disgrace not to support some level of community grants and services that they provide,” Guilford Selectperson and former budget advisory committee member Peter Martell said.

“To be from one extreme, spend too much or take it all away, the answer’s probably in the middle,” he said.

“I just think cutting all of these organizations is going to hurt everyone, the rest of us are the ones who are going to try to step up and help,” Piscataquis Area Community Center Executive Director Manda Stewart said.

The budget advisory committee met several times from Sept. 4 to Oct. 9 and recommended a budget for the commissioners to consider. 

Program grants have been debated for a number of years by the committee, Torbett said on Monday night.

“Certainly we are taking into consideration all of the information that we have received but we will also make a decision – it should be noted – in the spirit of what the decisions the budget committee decided to make in their debates,” he said.

Any changes made to the budget, increases or decreases, will result in Williams calling the budget advisory committee back in. The commissioners will explain to the group the adjustments that have been made.

The commissioners need to vote on the two budgets within 15 days of the end of the current budget and this would likely be done at the Tuesday, Dec. 16 meeting.

Before the adjustments from Tuesday morning, the proposed 2026 Piscataquis County budget totaled $7,119,933. This figure is up by nearly $325,000 (4.78%) from 2025’s $6,794,951.

After applying $933,601 in county revenues, a net amount of $6,186,333 needs to be raised proportionally through taxes across the 18 county towns and plantations.

The largest 2026 assessment is $820,531 for Greenville, followed by $758,902 for Dover-Foxcroft, respective increases of nearly $23,000 and $43,400.

Wellington would have the smallest county assessment at $51,171, followed by $55,354 for Medford with these figures being up by $3,368 and $838 respectively.

The 2026-27 UT budget shows a proposed total of $3,076,525, a $417,800 increase (15.7%).

A summary sheet of the budgets says the lion’s share of the overall rise is due to increases in capital accounts and is offset with undesignated funds so there is no increase to the taxpayer on the UT budget.