Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Transparency topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sagadahoc County unveils digital budget book and plans tax-apportionment workshop
Summary
Finance Director Jill Flaherty and Administrator Amber Jones previewed a ClearGov-based digital FY26 budget book that staff say is 80–85% complete; Commissioners agreed to schedule a December workshop on FY27 tax apportionment and authorized the Administrator to attend a NACO legislative conference in February 2026.
Sagadahoc County officials on Nov. 13 showed Commissioners a new digital budget book intended to streamline budget preparation and increase transparency.
Finance Director Jill Flaherty demonstrated the ClearGov-based format, saying the product follows the Government Finance Officers Association template and includes fund summaries, departmental pages, staffing history, demographic charts and line-item detail. "The book was fairly easy in terms of set-up," Flaherty said, adding that about "80–85% was done." She described features for version control, audit trails and permissioning so department heads and the Budget Advisory Committee can view but not edit pages unless explicitly authorized.
Administrator Amber Jones and Commissioners discussed the county’s FY27 tax-apportionment options. Jones said she would search for a December date to hold a workshop so municipalities can be updated; Commissioners debated whether to offer a discount to municipalities that pay tax bills early, noting concerns about fairness to smaller towns and cash‑flow implications. Finance Director Flaherty said she is modeling scenarios, including the potential cost of a Tax Anticipation Note, and Treasurer Gail Eaton asked that the Budget Advisory Committee be able to view only the latest version of the budget to avoid outdated discussions.
Commissioners also authorized Administrator Jones to attend the NACO Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., Feb. 18–22, 2026. Jones said she will provide estimated conference costs once sessions and registration selections are finalized.
Next steps: staff will finish the remaining modules (capital and personnel were not yet fully built), set up user accounts and training for department heads and BAC, and circulate a municipal survey in advance of the tax-apportionment workshop.
