The Sagadahoc County Budget Committee is considering a spending proposal that would bring about a massive 15 percent tax increase and a big pay raise for the county’s sheriff, Joel Merry.
The Maine Wire acquired the proposed Fiscal Year 2024-2025 budget, which has not been made available broadly to the public, using Maine’s Freedom of Access Act (FOAA).
According to the proposal, the county is planning a budget increase which would result in a 15.62 percent raise in county taxes from the previous budget, an increase of taxes paid from $10.3 million in FY 2023-2022 to FY $11.9 million for 2024-2025.
The tax hike would be more than twice as large as the county’s second-largest recent tax hike, which was a 7.42 percent raise in last year’s budget.
The budget proposal reveals that, if the new budget is enacted, Sagadahoc County taxes will have increased by over 32 percent since just 2020.
“The middle class in town are all struggling and trying to figure out how to live,” said Allen Sarvinas, a conservative activist and the head of the Maine’s Parents Rights in Education (PRIE) chapter in Sagadahoc.
“The credit cards are maxed out and people are pulling from the 401 Ks. And then you know, the county comes with this big tax increase,” he said.
Amid Maine’s ongoing housing affordability crisis, the staggering tax increase would only increase the cost of housing in the ten towns that make up Sagadahoc, including Topsham, Phippsburg, Georgetown, and Bath.
[RELATED: Cost of Housing Driving Homelessness, Per Portland’s 2023 Year-in-Review…]
In the new $11,922,572 budget, the office of Sagadahoc Sheriff, currently held by Joel Merry, would receive a significant 10 percent wage increase, bringing his salary up to $109,013.
The proposed pay increase comes after he and his department have been broadly criticized for failing to effectively enforce Maine’s “yellow flag” laws in the case of the Lewiston shooter, Robert R. Card, Jr.
Earlier this month, the Independent Commission established by Gov. Janet Mills (D) to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting published a report enumerating the failures of law enforcement which led to the tragedy.
Card was known to multiple law enforcement agencies to pose a significant risk due to his deteriorating mental health and access to weapons. Sheriff Merry’s office was informed over a month before the shooting that Card posed a threat, owned numerous firearms, had threatened to perpetrate a mass shooting, and had assaulted his friend.
Sgt. Aaron Skolfield, an officer with the Sheriff’s department, was sent to investigate Card, but failed to conduct a face-to-face interview with him, and eventually determined that it was up to Card’s relatives to remove his firearms.
The Independent Commission argued that Sgt. Skolfield abdicated his duty in failing to take Card into protective custody under Maine’s “yellow flag” laws, given his history of shooting threats and violence.
The Commission continued, blaming Skolfield’s superiors, including Merry, for failing to replace him on Card’s case.
“When something goes wrong, and you made a decision [that] resulted in such chaos and public disruption. The one on top needs to take accountability,” said Sarvinas
Merry is seeking re-election as Sagadahoc Sheriff, and his only opponent is Skolfield.
The Maine Wire reached out to Merry, asking whether he requested the raise, or believes a raise is appropriate given the vast tax increase already in the budget.
“The budget that I proposed had a cost-of-living wage increase for my position of 6%. The county administrator and HR director did a wage adjustment based on survey of other sheriffs and local police chiefs. The number that was put forward in final proposed budget was different than what I had put forward. I have only met with the budget advisory committee once, and that was on the day when all department heads were given the opportunity to provide an overview of the budget,” said Merry.
Merry declined to comment on the tax increase for Sagadahoc residents.
Read the proposed budget here:
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="26746 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=26746">7 Comments
Bungle your job and then expect a pay raise? This guy screwed up so badly he could be cabinet level in a Democrat administration where upward failure is encouraged and rewarded.(see President Brandon).
Merrys been in there way too long. Time to vote him out. of course Sag County is a wicked liberal county and those libs love higher taxes.
We’ve stopped Brunswicks path here, in its track. My advice to my fellow Bath, Topsham neighbors… Follow the money trails. Request all budgets be FOAA transparent, uploaded via MSRA. Made available on town page. Watch closely for conservative interest % undisclosed surpluses, CIP budgets, unstaffed/budgeted vacant positions, and speak up asking for IRS standards records be made available to you general public via public comment during every fiscal 2024-25 budget meeting. Now is the most appropriate time as your audience reach is at its peak. Remember that Liberty has not ever been free, you’ll have to fight for equality but you are all entitled, Constitutionally to fair and just taxation. Google town of Grey misappropriation of funds audit, and empower themselves. I haven’t read this article but I lean towards feeling empathetic toward our police force, and use discernment that they may be targets intended to take the blame of others. Propaganda even, to distract from the bigger picture. In my opinion, had the laws clearly specified protocols and trained deputies to enact them, they would have been utilized properly. Our police and Sheriffs are not incompetent. The liability falls on the Mental Health Services, who released him from his 2 week stay which wasn’t the public’s best interest. ultimately the lack of mental health resources/rooms available for prolonged care falls on State and Doctors more equipped to address these parameters. .
M S R B* not MSRA 😉
“Merry is seeking re-election as Sagadahoc Sheriff, and his only opponent is Skolfield”.
Boy, too bad Robert Card killed himself. He also could have thrown his hat into the ring. What a joke!
Sgt. Aaron Skolfield, an officer with the Sheriff’s department, was sent to investigate Card, but failed to conduct a face-to-face interview with him, and eventually determined that it was up to Card’s relatives to remove his firearms. and this guy wants to be sheriff stupid and a failure
Merry is your typical democrat incompetent and refusing to take responsibility, Most would have resigned especially after the report came out! But, not Merry, he’s just like every democrat in Augusta no honor, no empathy for constituents, only the party counts. Cynically I wonder if the tragedy was really a mistake or a some what planned? Harsh, but democrat would do anything to confiscate firearms..