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Commissioners ask departments to report town-level service counts as budget is mapped digitally
Summary
Sagadahoc County commissioners asked staff to include town-level breakdowns in monthly department reports so the proposed budget can show how county services affect individual towns; staff will collect the data and present initial proposals in a Trello digital format with version controls.
Commissioners voted to seek more granular reporting from county departments to show how services are distributed among towns as staff finish mapping the fiscal 2026 budget.
The request, raised by the Chair in the Dec. 9 meeting, asked departments to include town-level service counts — for example, how many calls, probate actions or transfers originated from specific towns — so commissioners can present clear, local impacts when they review the budget. “I would like it to be part of the whole package,” the Chair said, asking that the data appear in administrative or department reports.
Amber, a county staff member, said the budget team is preparing digital budget templates and plans to deliver initial proposals in a Trello format to make the process more collaborative. She told the commission that some mapping work remains before staff can finalize proposed budget lines.
Commissioners pressed staff on practicalities: whether departments can break calls down by town, how frequently the data could be reported and which office would collect it. One commissioner said a simple monthly line in the packet showing counts by town ("this town had four probate this month, this town had two") would be sufficient to answer residents’ questions.
Staff acknowledged the effort would be challenging for some departments but said it is possible in many cases and that the sheriff’s office and emergency services can provide year‑to‑date call totals broken down by town. Commissioners and staff also discussed safeguards for the new digital workflow; the county’s Trello-based mapping can save immutable versions to avoid multiple, conflicting files.
Next steps: staff will work with department heads to collect town-level metrics and include them in upcoming administrative reports and the Trello budget package ahead of the budget advisory committee review.
