County okays budget

OXFORD COUNTY - The county commissioners and the budget advisory committee have spoken, and the 2011 budget for the county is set, unless the commissioners have second thoughts.

The budget process formally began in October, when the commissioners and committee received the requests from department heads in a public hearing. Then, the commissioners met and whittled away at the amounts requested, trimming the budget by $168,322, which would translate to a smaller increase over last year's budget, but an increase, nonetheless.

The original requests totaled $5,010,011. The commissioners made several reductions of these requests.

Emergency Management was dropped by $2,609, but the budget committee voted to restore it based on information the commissioners did not have at the time they met. The courthouse budget was reduced by $15,650, much of which was for capital expenditures and heating oil.

The Communications Center shaved the conversion of a part-time clerk to full time, saving $12,992, while Deeds West was reduced by $500, but the budget committee retored it.

The Probate Court was told to use $2,000 less in professional fees, and the District Attorney's request was clipped by $1,000 requested for a capital fund.

The commissioners also reduced  employee benefits costs by $16,920.

The largest single hits were taken in the contributions line item. Not funding the requests of the Fryeburg and Bethel airports was no surprise. Those entities have asked for county funding for years without getting funded.

Having their requests dismissed saved the county budget $35,000. However, the Western Maine Economic Development Council took a $90,000 hit, leaving $25,000 of the $115,000 sought.