Advisory committee prefers cut in PCEDC allocation to fund DA positions

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Piscataquis County Budget Advisory Committee has recommended a $3.969 million allocation for next year, which would be $20,000 less than the current expenditures.
    To get to that level, the committee recommended that the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council’s request for $105,500 be cut to $80,000.

    While praising the council’s efforts at the Nov. 26 public hearing, committee member Buzz Small of Sebec said that his main concern was that the funding is generated from county funds, but the larger communities like Milo, Dover-Foxcroft and Greenville are the biggest beneficiaries. “My position is that some of the funding needs to come from the towns,” Small said. “The council has a strong, dedicated professional staff and you should not eliminate it. But you should reconsider how you’re funding it.”
    Keith Smith of Harford’s Point said that he also voted for the smaller PCEDC allocation, but for a different reason. “We had a hole to fill in the budget,” Smith said, referring to the salaries of the part-time domestic violence and sexual abuse investigators in the district attorney’s office. “From my perspective, we cannot afford to lose those positions,” Small said. “Unfortunately, PCEDC had the biggest budget (to cut).”
    County Manager Marilyn Tourtelotte explained that the two positions, totaling $27,000 per year, were often funded by grants. “However, during each year at budget time, we are uncertain if the grant will be awarded or not,” Tourtelotte said. So the advisory committee added the funds to this year’s budget just in case.
    But several PCEDC executive committee members defended the increase in their agency, noting that they’ve been successful in creating and preserving business and recreation opportunities in the county.
    Dover-Foxcroft Town Manager Jack Clukey said that taking a regional approach to economic development makes more sense than towns “going it alone.” Since PCEDC was formed 13 years ago, Clukey said that numerous projects have led to “new investment and job creation … We hope that when you finalize this budget you recognize the value we bring to the region, and support our funding request. There are no frills. It’s just the amount we feel we need to fulfill our mission.”
    Richard Mullins of Milo told commissioners that the additional funding will “help us fill our business parks” by recruiting tenants. “Businesses don’t come to us. We have to go to them,” Mullins said.
    Paul Stearns also cited the plans to revamp the Penquis Higher Education Center (PHEC) which has not been fully utilized in recent years. “For a variety of reasons, things have tapered off at an alarming rate,” Stearns said. “One of PCEDC’s anchor points for the upcoming year is to revive that facility, and work is already under way.”
    Stearns said that Eastern Maine Community College “is committed to putting staff in the building and we’re contemplating moving the adult education program over there.” Plans have also been discussed to utilize some of the Tri-County Technical Center’s programs such as commercial truck driving at PHEC, Stearns said.
    Matt Pineo, vice president of the PDEDC Executive Council, displayed a map of the county with pins where economic development projects have taken place since 2010. “The investment by the county has been $360,000 in the last three years,” Pineo said. “The return has been $18.92 for every dollar spent.”
    Pineo added that every corner of the county has benefited from PCEDC. “Every dollar that went into this is based on building a foundation to help the businesses we currently have and add more,” he said.
    Tourtelotte said that the department head requests were very frugal this year, which made creating the budget “the easiest one I’ve worked on in the five years I’ve been here.”
    But she cautioned that the commissioners haven’t decided on a wage increase for non-union workers and negotiations with union employees are currently in mediation. The county does have the option of using $170,000 in unexpended funds to help balance the budget next year.
    A final vote on the budget is scheduled at the Dec. 17 county commissioner’s regular meeting.