AUBURN — Once again, the Androscoggin County Budget Committee was frustrated by the seven county commissioners and the county treasurer not appearing at its meeting Wednesday to review the 2016 budget.

The committee unanimously agreed to send a letter to the commissioners, imploring them to join the process. 

“It is unfortunate that the Board of Commissioners has chosen as a collective and elected body not to participate in the budget process that is so vital to public representation and stewardship,” the Budget Committee wrote.

For the third consecutive week — and this time in writing — the committee requested that “commissioners, or at least representative members of the board” and County Treasurer Robert Poulin attend the budget hearings. The committee also asked that department heads attend the meetings when their respective budgets would be discussed.

“These requests are so that questions and answers can occur in real time without unnecessary, bureaucratic and cumbersome delay,” the committee wrote.

Several department heads have attended meetings, but neither a commissioner nor Poulin has attended.

Instead, commissioners have provided a form for the Budget Committee to fill out and submit to their office seeking additional information or clarification of budget items. The idea is that the commissioners will review the question and provide a written response at a later date.

Budget Committee members say that policy does nothing but delay and clog the budget process.

“I don’t know what we’re doing. Without the information we’re just running around chasing our tail,” committee member and Auburn City Councilor Belinda Gerry said.

Gerry added that she has taken part in numerous budget discussions over the years at both the municipal and state levels and has never seen anything like this.

“We’re here trying to do what’s right for our towns and county, and this is how we’re being treated. It’s not right, and it’s not fair,” she added.

“As far as I’m concerned, this is just a stalling tactic that we’ll have to work through,” committee member and Lewiston City Councilor Michael Lachance said.

“The frustration is clear that we don’t have sufficient information provided to us to make the best decisions that could be made,” committee Chairwoman Emily Darby said. “However, they have what we want. We can ask for more. They can give it to us or not, and we do the best we can with what we’ve got.”

The committee reviewed the proposed budgets of eight departments, including five headed by District Attorney Andrew Robinson. Budgets were also presented by Joanne Potvin, director of the Emergency Management Agency, and the telecommunications budget by IT Director David Parker.

The committee cut $750 combined from those budgets. Another $400 in cuts failed to get the required super-majority of 11 votes from the 13 members present.

The Androscoggin-Sagadahoc Extension Association had $2,000 cut from its proposed $48,372 budget.

Eight items were tabled to next week because of the absence of a department head or the treasurer. Those included human resources, auditing, interest, insurance, contingency and the Androscoggin Valley Soil and Water Conversation District.

Those items will be added to an agenda that features the sheriff’s budget, including the jail, which is expected to receive much scrutiny.

Budget Committee members hope commissioners will reverse their decision to skip budget hearings.

“We regret the adversarial nature that this year’s budget process has taken. As a Budget Committee, we welcome a return to past practices and a level of cooperation that the public rightfully expects.”