FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners voted 2-1 Tuesday to release $207,050 in the 2023-24 budget for nonprofit organizations.
About 20 people attended the meeting where several spoke in favor favor of releasing the funds and how it would help the agencies assist people who need services.
The organizations use the local funds as a match to get state and federal money, and possibly other sources, to help with operating expenses.
It was stated that every $1 locally brings between $2 and $3, maybe more, as a match.
The discussion lasted more than 90 minutes.
Commissioners Lance Harvell of Farmington and Bob Carlton of Freeman Township approved releasing the money, Chairman Terry Brann of Wilton opposed. Brann said when he was a Wilton selectman he thought it would be best if the county funded the agencies. Now that he is a commissioner, he changed his mind. He said he doesn’t support most of the programs, because they are not run efficiently and some get high salaries.
Some in the audience disagreed.
Prior to the meeting, only Carlton had signed the warrant to given agencies the money the Franklin County Budget Advisory Committee added to the budget. Overall it was $207,050, but Brann and Harvell didn’t sign the warrant to give six agencies a total of $176,100. Those agencies are Franklin County Children’s Task Force, $10,000; Adult Basic Education, $12,750; Western Maine Community Action, $55,850; SeniorsPlus, $40,000; Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services, $20,000; and Western Maine Transportation, $37,500.
Commissioners had previously approved $25,002 for the six agencies.
All three commissioners approved money previously for Androscoggin Home Health Care + Hospice and Franklin County Firefighters Association in the combined $9.4 million county budget, which includes the jail. It was over a 20% increase from the previous year.
The issue for commissioners came down to who sets the budget, which drives the tax rate. Commissioners set the tax rate but in this case, the budget committee set the amount of the budget which is funded by taxes.
State law gives the Budget Advisory Committee the final say over the budget, unless they don’t have the votes to override a commission vote to make a change.
When the tax bills go out, commissioners’ names are on them, Harvell said.
Harvell also brought up that it only takes two-thirds of the nine-member budget panel to override the commissioners but it takes a unanimous vote by commissioners to send a change back to the budget committee. That will be changed to a majority of commissioners when the commission becomes a five-member board Jan. 1, 2025.
Some people expressed concern that taxpayers are already paying for the nonprofit organizations because they were included in the tax bills sent to the towns earlier this year. But if not approved by the majority of the commission, the services would not be given to the residents of the county.
Several people urged commissioners to release the money.
“I was horrified when I saw these numbers,” Judy Rawlings of Chesterville said. “I know how much these people do. I hope you reconsider.”
Betsy Sawyer-Manter, president and chief executive officer of SeniorsPlus, asked commissioners to give the agencies the money, and have a conversation in the future about what needs to change to make the system work better so everyone has an understanding of what is expected.
Years ago towns used to receive requests from the nonprofit agencies, but to make it more equitable so all towns paid a share of the cost, the agencies were told to go to the county for money. The agreement was if an agency went to the county, then it could not go to the town.
Carlton echoed what late Commissioner Clyde Barker of Strong said, “People are hurting. We can’t ignore the people we represent.”
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