BANGOR, Maine — The Penobscot County Commissioners on Tuesday morning passed a $16.23 million budget for 2015, with a significantly smaller tax hike than communities have seen in recent years.
“We have a reputation for being frugal, but we’ve earned it,” Commissioner Tom Davis said of the budget process.
The 2015 budget represents a $200,000 increase from the current budget, which expires at the end of the month.
The total projected tax levy is $13.3 million, or about 1.5 percent higher than it was in 2014. That will mean a 0.48 percent increase to the tax rate, bringing it to $1.26 per thousand dollars of valuation. The remaining $3 million comes from other revenue sources, such as registry of deeds fees, law enforcement contracts and grants.
County officials attribute most of the increases to contractual increases in employee wages and benefits across several departments.
Penobscot County Jail continues to be the largest share of the pie, accounting for about $5.9 million. However, there is uncertainty about how much longer that number will hold. Commissioners say they anticipate legislation in the coming session that could change the way county jails operate in the state — potentially doing away with the Board of Corrections.
The result could be “unpleasant” for Penobscot County taxpayers, according to commissioners.
If the board and its funding go away, the state would continue to fund a portion of the jail’s operations or the costs would be shifted down to the county level. That likely would mean tax hikes from the counties.
The jail was already looking at a $341,000 shortfall earlier this year and is hoping for supplemental Legislative funding early next year to help offset the deficit.
Commissioner Peter Baldacci said county officials plan on sitting down with legislative delegates to lobby for appropriate funding if the state decides to move away from the statewide Board of Corrections system. Otherwise, significant costs could be shifted to the counties.
“In the end, what the state saves could cost us and our taxpayers,” Davis said.
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