The Calais City Council met with Washington County Commissioner Vinton Cassidy on December 14 to discuss the five percent increase to Calais' county tax for the next year's budget. During the workshop, Cassidy handily explained the cause of the increase in the county's budget, most of which is because of the county shouldering the full cost of the jail as a result of the state stopping funding earlier this year.
      The increase to the county tax for Calais had previously met with objection by the mayor and councillors on the grounds that the taxes have been increasing steadily year after year. Calais currently pays just over $270,000 in taxes to the county; the increase will be an additional $15,000.
      "Our towns can't absorb this kind of cost," said Mayor Billy Howard. "We're trying to live within our means. It doesn't sound like much, $15,000, but it was $17,000 last year. We might have to cut a person in the future."
      Having served previously as mayor for the city, Cassidy acknowledged the many challenges it faces related to budgeting. However, he said that the county is in a similar situation and added that the county budget committee tries to have representation from every community involved. "I've felt that the committee worked really hard, nickeling and diming the budget to where it is now," Cassidy said, explaining that every line was reviewed over the course of five meetings.
      This is the first year that the state has shifted the cost of the jail back onto the counties, an event that Cassidy described as a "horror show." As a result of the shift, the county's costs increased by $276,000 for the jail alone. In addition to the jail's increase in costs, the commission decided to add another deputy sheriff in recognition of the ongoing drug problem, and vehicles that were over 200,000 miles were replaced. "It's a big, big county," Cassidy said, highlighting how many miles the patrol vehicles accrue in a short period of time.
      The other costs of the county were briefly touched upon. "We, like you, have buildings C although we have more," said Cassidy, referring to their cost of maintenance. He pointed out that there are many in need of repair, including the jail, which he described as "deplorable."
      "Well, we don't want them to be too comfortable," replied Mayor Howard. "It's a jail." Howard also challenged the fact that even though Calais does have the largest population in the county, not all of its citizens are taxpayers because of the apartments and subsidized housing in the area. It was also pointed out that Calais pays taxes for sheriff patrols even though it has a full-time police department.
      When questioned regarding the raises given to the sheriff's department, Cassidy explained that it was the decision of the budget committee to prevent the department from losing any officers to the state or other areas. Cassidy added that he did not feel that two percent was a significant raise and emphasized the point that if no raises are given, then "you're going to lose your good people."
       Calais Finance Director Crystal Gallina pointed out that the county tax does not seem to be a "value‑added tax." Gallina said that the highest amount of taxes are being paid by municipalities that need the fewest services. Gallina proposed that a discount be applied for those municipalities that do have their own services, such as law enforcement.
In response, Cassidy agreed that the situation needed further discussion and said that efforts are under way to coordinate municipal managers and county managers across the state to determine if a better method of statewide assessment is feasible. Cassidy emphasized that all county meetings, including budget meetings, are open to the public.      The meeting schedule and notices are posted at <www.washingtoncountymaine.com>.