March 29, 2024
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Somerset officials squabble over budget Committee reduces salary and benefit packages recommended by commissioners

SKOWHEGAN – Budget committee members butted heads Thursday night with county employees and county commissioners as they slashed benefits and salaries throughout Somerset County government.

The committee cut commissioner-recommended raises from 4 percent to 2.7 percent, slashed the county treasurer’s pay by $6,000 and dropped health and dental benefits for all part-time employees.

But when one committee member attempted to direct the commissioners to shift their insurance coverage to a specific company, Chairman D. Dwight Dogherty of Pittsfield put on the brakes.

Dogherty said the committee could not wander from budget matters into policy issues.

Still, there were complaints that the committee was overstepping its duties and the result could be litigation, warned Somerset County’s attorney Warren Shea. Shea maintained that the 4 percent raises had already been negotiated in union contracts with communications, jail and Sheriff’s Department employees.

“The county commissioners can pay the full 4 percent,” countered Vice Chairman Philip Roy of Fairfield, “if they find it in the budget. They also have the ability to make adjustments in personnel, because of budget cuts.”

Shea said that since the budget committee addressed the $6.2 million 2005 budget in a line-by-line fashion, they illegally were cutting in a line-by-line fashion.

Shea also cautioned that it was illegal for the committee to cut the salary for an elected official, in this case, the treasurer. Last year, the treasurer’s position paid $16,392. The committee proposed cutting that figure to $6,000.

Former state legislator Pamela Hatch then accused the committee of acting purely in a political manner. She insisted that if Louise Greenier had lost the treasurer election, the salary would have remained intact.

“You are doing the county a disservice,” she said.

After Hatch’s comments, Roy upped the salary by $4,000 to $10,000.

Probate Judge John Alsop, who is also a local defense attorney, made a plea for state and county officials to work together to solve jail overcrowding issues. The proposed 2005 budget included $300,000 for boarding prisoners when the Somerset County Jail’s capacity is exceeded.

“In 1992, we spent $6,900,” said Alsop. “We engage in the luxury of locking up people because it makes us feel better. There are people sentenced to 60 days in jail when clearly 10 days would do.” Alsop asked the District Attorney’s Office to work with judges and the sheriff to seek more forcefully alternative sentencing programs and ideas.

District Attorney Evert Fowle said he was already working on diversion programs but would be happy to make it a greater priority.

“Public safety is the bottom line,” said Fowle. “There are sentencing codes, sentencing criteria.”

The hearing was still under way late Thursday. Should the budget committee recommend a budget that the commissioners find unacceptable, they can send it back to the committee. The committee can then override the commissioners by a two-thirds vote.


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