County Budget
Process Troubling

On Nov. 29, I attended a preliminary hearing on the Orange County budget in Chelsea. I believe other tax payers should know what is happening there as it will effect our taxes.

It seems that the assistant judges are tasked with formulating the budget that runs our County Offices. This includes their salaries and benefits. They have a preliminary and an annual meeting (Jan. 8) to present this to the voters. Then they approve their own budget.

The basis of their budget process is determined by their organization, Assistant Judges Association. This organization of assistant judges recommends the salary be a percentage of the total budget divided by the number of judges. So it is to their benefit to have as large a budget as possible to justify their income.

When Prudence Pease, the senior assistant judge, took office five years ago the salary was $2700 dollars per year with no benefits. It is now $9500 per year with the county paying 100% of her $2500 retirement and 100% of her health insurance. This is in addition to money paid to her from the state for the time she spends "on the bench." There were many questions from the audience that were answered by Prudence. I never got the sense that she was going to decrease the benefits or salaries based on any comments/concerns expressed last night. There were several questions about the validity of the process and she did finally agree to consult the state attorney general.

There is apparently no oversight of this office except by the voters and no written job description.

In contrast, Sheriff Bill Bohnyak presented the Sheriff’s Office portion of the budget with little or no discussion or opposition.

Mary Daly

Fairlee