The committee was to have met Tuesday night to preview the nearly $3.9 million budget for the county and the proposed $1.1 million budget for unorganized territory. Inclement weather, however, kept all but two of the committee members away. The meeting has been rescheduled to Nov. 2.

"This [county] budget is as low as we could bring it in and still provide the promised pay raises and cover increases in fuel costs," County Manager Mike Henderson said Wednesday.

If the proposed budget is adopted, it would mean a 6.6 percent increase in assessments over last year, according to Henderson.

The proposed budget represents the last year of a three-year commitment to give nonunion department heads a 3.3 percent increase to bring their salaries up. It also includes a 3 percent cost-of-living increase.

Henderson said the annual $75,000 request for the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council has been budgeted, but the extra funds requested were not included.

The commissioners want comment from the budget advisory committee before they act on the request, he said. The council has asked for an additional $5,000 to bridge the difference between revenues and expenditures and consideration of funding for a part-time specialist.

The commissioners hope to adopt the budgets by early December before Henderson leaves later that month for his military tour in Iraq.

Serving on the committee are Wayne Huff and Bob Wilson of Monson, Alan McBrierty of Greenville, Gail Stutzman of Sangerville, Judy MacKinney of Dover-Foxcroft, Gary Wakeland of Bowerbank, William Graves of Williamsburg, Amber Gahagan of Milo, and Dennis Green of Brownville.
"This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the Friday, October 28, 2005 edition of the Bangor Daily NEWS and is used here with permission."