Commissioners restore program grants to county budget

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Program grant cuts to 12 organizations in the proposed 2026 Piscataquis County budget have been restored by the Piscataquis County Commissioners, some partially and some in full compared to the current year.

County officials restored over $102,000 in funding for the 12 groups during a meeting Tuesday morning.

Commissioner Paul Davis made a motion to fund $1,500 for the Moosehead Lake Economic Development Corporation, $1,500 for Destination Moosehead Lake, $30,000 for the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council, $500 for Penquis CAP, $500 for Eastern Area Agency on Aging, $1,800 for the Piscataquis Regional Food Center, $20,000 for the Piscataquis Area Community Center, $2,200 for hospice, $13,500 for the Piscataquis County Soil & Water Conservation District, $27,534 for University of Maine Cooperative Extension and $1,800 for the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter.

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

The motion passed 2-1 with Commissioner Chair Andrew Torbett voting no.

“Since our last meeting I have been to a number of towns, talked to town managers, talked to business people and there is a huge issue in Guilford with the mill — Duvaltex,” Davis said about the possible precarious financial situation of the business.

Davis, who served in the Maine Senate nearly three decades ago when the Eastland Woolen Mill in Corinna closed, said about $45 million was spent to clean up the site.

After speaking with Guilford officials, Davis said they feel the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council should be in operation to assist in applying for clean-up grants.

Eastern Area Agency on Aging was included in the list of program grants restored to show the organization has local support, Davis said. Support strengthens agency grant applications.

At the commissioners meeting two weeks prior, six of the 12 program grants were restored following a public hearing the night before in which about two dozen people attended with 10 speaking against the program grant cuts. The figures for these half dozen remained the same in Davis’ proposal.

The commissioners wanted to be respectful to the spirit of what the budget advisory committee sent to them, Torbett said last month. The committee wanted to see spending reigned in where the budget has been climbing quite a bit in the last few cycles.

The current year’s county budget, which 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. These were all added back into the budget two weeks prior.

The $500 for Penquis CAP is the first Piscataquis County funding for the organization in several years.

Program grants restored on Tuesday morning that are down from 2025 are Piscataquis County Economic Development Council, $30,000 from $60,000; Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce, $1,500 from $4,500; Destination Moosehead Lake and Moosehead Lake Economic Development Council, $1,500 from $3,500 for each; and Eastern Area Agency on Aging, $500 from $5,000.

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

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

This is scheduled for Thursday, Greenville Town Manager Mike Roy — a member of the budget advisory committee — told the community’s select board last month.

The commissioners need to vote on the county and Unorganized Territory 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.