AUBURN — A state plan to reconstruct Park Avenue between Lake and Summer streets in 2015 will get a public review March 6. The Maine Department of Transportation will pay for the bulk of the $1.7 million project. The review meeting is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. at Auburn Hall. Project Manager Paul MacDonald […]
budget
Posted inMaine
Maine budget committee eases forward with fix ideas for 2014 and 2015
AUGUSTA — State lawmakers on the budget-writing Appropriations Committee are gaining steady ground as they work to create a supplemental budget that will balance spending and revenues for 2014 and 2015. The Maine Constitution requires a balanced budget, and without a supplemental budget offering from Republican Gov. Paul LePage, the committee has been left largely […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Lewiston superintendent: Tough budget ahead
LEWISTON — School Superintendent Bill Webster told Lewiston School Committee members to brace themselves for difficult budget decisions when he released the proposed 2014-15 budget next week. Reasons for possible cuts in positions, programs and/or higher property taxes include expected flat funding in education dollars from the state, higher MaineCare costs and no leftover cash […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Consultant recommends UMaine System trim ‘building infrastructure’
BANGOR — University of Maine System buildings are underutilized compared to similar public universities, and backlogged maintenance for its aging facilities could cost more than $400 million, according to a facilities consultant. The seven-campus system’s finance, facilities and technology committee heard a report from the consultant, Sightlines, on Feb. 14. Sightlines is paid $107,000 annually […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
State forecasts revenue surplus but not enough to solve budget woes
AUGUSTA — Hopes expressed by lawmakers earlier this month that higher-than-projected state revenues associated with the improving economy would help solve budget woes shriveled Friday when new data showed that little has changed from previous predictions. A panel of experts on the state’s revenue forecasting committee, which met Friday morning, found that although revenues are […]
Posted inFranklin, The Franklin Journal
Franklin County budget process underway
FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners are set to begin the 2013-14 budget review April 15-16, county Clerk Julie Magoon said Tuesday. The review will start with the program grants in the afternoon of April 15. The remainder of the budget will be reviewed the following day. The caucus to see who will serve on the […]
Posted inFranklin, The Franklin Journal
Rangeley school budget aims to update standards
RANGELEY — Superintendent Sue Pratt says her proposed budget for the 2014-15 school year would maintain a facilities upgrade and align staffing levels to improve student achievement. The spending plan also would cover transportation costs and family services and would update curriculum materials for more rigorous standards, she told the school board Tuesday. “What I […]
Posted inMaine
Bill to restore state employee pay raises draws emotional testimony
AUGUSTA — A pair of Maine State Police troopers were among dozens of state workers who told the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee on Monday that state merit and longevity pay increases that were frozen in 2013 are taking a toll on their family finances. The two were testifying in support of a bill, LD 1639, […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine House votes 114-21 in favor of revenue sharing bill
UPDATED 1:25 P.M.: LD 1762 advances in the Maine House after a 114-21 vote. AUGUSTA – A bill meant to restore $40 million in state revenue sharing for cities and towns will go before the Maine House of Representatives today. The bill, LD 1762, was approved by the Legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee earlier this week on […]
Posted inOur View
Our View: Public needs accountability. Not the shaft
“In an unprecedented move by majority lawmakers Monday night, the Democratic members of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee voted ‘ought to pass’ on a $40 million budget proposal without a single Republican present.” So says the GOP. Democrats say they were forced to make this move to restore $40 million in revenue-sharing cuts that […]