Penobscot County Commissioners gave the green light to a new budget on Tuesday, and it’s a big change. The approved budget is now $29.2 million, which is $2.3 million more than last year’s plan.
This increase means there’s an 8.5-percent rise in municipal taxes for the county.
Commissioner Peter Baldacci expressed a hope that next year’s budget won’t have such a significant increase. He understands that a big hike in taxes can be tough for communities and taxpayers.
A large part of this year’s budget, $15.8 million, goes toward paying county employees and their benefits. The county decided to give employees a boost, increasing their salaries by up to 15 percent. This decision was made because the county found out it was paying employees 12 to 18 percent less than the market rate.
The Penobscot County Jail also got its share from the budget, taking up $15 million. This is a $1.4 million increase compared to last year, which is around 4 percent more.
The Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office has a budget of nearly $8.3 million. This includes $340,000 for body-worn and dashboard cameras and $23,000 for ammunition. There’s an $11,000 increase from 2021, mainly because the cost of ammo is going up.
About $3.5 million, which is around 17 percent of the budget, is dedicated to county services and utilities. Additionally, there’s $157,000 set aside for building repairs and maintenance.
