AUBURN — The Androscoggin County Commission will hold nominating caucuses next week to select candidates for the county Budget Committee.
Municipal officials will gather at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 20, at the Androscoggin County courthouse, immediately following the commissioners’ regular business meeting.
Each of the seven county districts will hold a caucus moderated by the commissioner for that respective district.
The districts will nominate candidates for the Budget Committee. At least one of the Budget Committee positions in each district must be held by an elected municipal official.
After the caucuses, commissioners will prepare written ballots with the names of the candidates for each district and distribute them to the municipalities for a vote by the municipal officers.
Those ballots must be returned to the commissioners to tabulate at an upcoming meeting. No date has been set for that meeting, county Administrator Larry Post said.
There could be one glitch — the County Charter is unclear as to how many candidates can be nominated for the Budget Committee in each district. The charter initially states that officials will meet at a nominating caucus “for the purpose of nominating two residents of the district.” It later states that nominations from the floor need to be approved by a majority vote.
But the next section describes the process of printed ballots being sent to the municipalities for members to vote for two “from the candidates on the ballot,” which indicates that more than two names would be on the ballot.
Post admits the language is not clear.
Budget Committee members serve three-year terms and are allowed to serve three consecutive terms.
Residents interested in serving on the county Budget Committee should contact their municipal leaders.
Androscoggin County Districts
District 1 — Part of Lewiston
District 2 — Part of Lewiston
District 3 — Greene, Durham, part of Lewiston
District 4 — Lisbon, Sabattus, Wales
District 5 — Part of Auburn
District 6 — Poland, Mechanic Falls, part of Auburn
District 7 — Leeds, Livermore, Livermore Falls, Minot, Turner
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