PARIS — A committee of selectmen from around Oxford County passed a $5.6 million county budget Tuesday night, a 0.33 percent decrease from the 2010 budget.

Despite the slight drop, residents’ tax burden will increase because less grant money and other non-tax revenues decreased 12.5 percent to about $1.9 million. In addition, a 2.8 percent drop in property valuation means taxes may increase about 6.4 percent for the county to make budget.

“You’re looking at a certain tax increase,” county Administrator Scott Cole said Wednesday after the totals had been calculated.

County Commission Chairman Steven Merrill said the commission had worked to curb departmental growth for next year. “Taxpayers are struggling and we asked (department heads) for flat-funded budgets,” Merrill said.

A few department budgets, like the office of the county treasurer and the Registry of Probate, saw modest cuts as commissioners recommended trims wherever they could find them.

The Probate Court took a $2,000 cut to its usual $10,000 fund to pay court-appointed attorneys. So far in 2010, the court has used $3,362 of that fund. Register of Probate Bruce Rood said there was no way to predict how much the fund would use from year to year, but that the judge was very conservative in spending it.

The longest debate among the Budget Committee covered county contributions. Bethel Airport and Eastern Slope Airport Authority in Fryeburg asked for $15,000 and $20,000, respectively. After a long debate, the commission voted to give $3,000 to each airport in a 5-3 vote. The consensus was that the airports are financially important to the county, but many didn’t like funding private companies.

The Western Maine Economic Development Council, a nonprofit based in Paris that works to attract business to the region, asked the county for $115,000 to cover a majority of its operating costs. The committee debated the group’s merits and considered funding only $25,000 but decided to fund the full $115,000 by a 5-3 vote.

“We’re thrilled,” said Linda Walbridge, director of the development council. “It’s a big step for the county to take that on.” Walbridge said that in the past two years, the council helped attract the Nateva Festival to Oxford and found investors to buy the Saunders Brothers in Locke Mills after it went under.

The Budget Committee is made up of selectmen chosen at caucuses from the three districts of Oxford County. Making up the Budget Committee were Robert Everett of Bethel, Fran Head of Gilead, Fred Henderson of Greenwood, Russell Newcomb of Norway, Lee Holman of Hartford, Rick Micklon of Otisfield, Robert Heard of Porter, Brad Adley of Rumford and Wade Rainey of West Paris.