County budget vote postponed until Dec. 30

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Piscataquis County Commissioners took no action on the 2014 budget at their last meeting because some line items were still being finalized, County Manager Marilyn Tourtelotte said.
    Final approval is expected at a special meeting on Monday, Dec. 30 at 8:30 a.m. at the Greenville town office.

    Based on recommendations by the Budget Advisory Committee, however, the new figures aren’t expected to be much different than this year’s $4 million operating budget.
    One major difference between the county manager’s proposed budget and the one recommended by the advisory committee is the level of funding for the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council (PCEDC).
    Tourtelotte recommended $105,500, up $5,500 from last year’s account. However, the advisory committee wants to cut the allocation to $80,000.
    Most of the Dec. 17 meeting was dedicated to routine business such as authorization of payroll and expenses.
    Tourtelotte attended a Department of Transportation subcommittee meeting earlier this month where she said the major topic of discussion was abandoned and discontinued roads. “Once the subcommittee started looking at the state statutes, they realized how complicated they are,” Tourtelotte said. One problem is that there isn’t any “master file” at most county offices on discontinued roads, although keeping these records at the registry of deeds office “would make sense to us,” she added.
    The DOT would like to see towns do an inventory of their roads, but not dating back to “ancient history. One of the proposals was to take the last 50 years and determine which roads are abandoned, discontinued, maintained in the summer only, winter and summer and things like that,” Tourtelotte said.
    County Commissioners’ Chairman Fred Trask said he was surprised that the “Maine Real Estate Association isn’t really pushing this.” The county manager agreed, noting that the status of roads can be a sticking point on property deeds.
    The DOT subcommittee plans to hold additional hearings or work sessions on the issue and may recommend a bill in the upcoming special session of the legislature.