Sagadahoc County February Meetings Focus on Budget, BAC Public Comment Limits

Sagadahoc County moved this week to tighten public-comment procedures for its Budget Advisory Committee and to advance recommendations for how opioid settlement funds could be spent, while officials warned that the county must restore reserves used for prior capital purchases.

The Board of Commissioners scheduled a regular meeting at the courthouse in Bath, and the Budget Advisory Committee set an organizational session later in the week. “The Board of Commissioners will hold their regular meeting on February 10th, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. in the Commissioners' Room on the 1st floor of the Courthouse, 752 High Street, Bath, Maine,” the county notice states. “The Budget Advisory Committee will hold their organizational meeting on February 12, 2026, at 4:00 p.p. in the Commissioners' Room on the 1st floor of the Courthouse, 752 High Street, Bath, Maine.”

Budget Committee members and county leaders focused discussion on both process and priorities. Commissioner Crosby outlined the BAC structure: “each district has two elected officials, and one public member. There are three districts, and nine members of the committee. The public is invited to attend any of the Budget Advisory Committee meetings.” Administrator Amber Jones confirmed a procedural change requested at the last BAC meeting by David Hennessey, telling the committee that Hennessey “did request to put public comment at the end of BAC agenda, so we’re doing that, but there will be a time limit on public comment.” That shift will affect how and when residents can speak during budget deliberations.

On substance, commissioners and the committee flagged fiscal constraints tied to capital spending. “It’s why our budget went up a little too much last year. We had to take some money out of surplus to pay for some capital items, which we’ll have to replace in 2026,” a committee speaker said. The meeting record also stressed limits to the BAC’s authority on personnel: “the ultimate decisions on hiring and firing people are at the Commissioners level with our Administrator and not at the Budget Committee’s level.”

The BAC moved recommendations for opioid settlement spending to the Board of Commissioners. “Vote – Commissioner August moved to approve use of opioid settlement funds in the amount of $50,000 for the Naloxone training and access, $100,000 for the Sagadahoc Community Navigator, Bath and Topsham PD and Sagadahoc Sheriff’s Department funding of $7,500, $18,000 for Sagadahoc County EMA for Canine, and $7,000 to” appears in the committee record, ending mid-phrase. The committee also noted staffing intent for the Navigator: “The [Community] Navigator is going to be posted as a grant-funded position, so if funds get sparse, we can terminate the position.” Commissioner August described the list as recommendations: “Commissioner August stated that all the items (less the Tedford request) had been fully discussed by the committee and are recommendations to the Commissioners for support.”

Several items in the committee text are truncated, including the recipient of a $7,000 allocation and the nature of the “Tedford request.” The BAC motion as recorded is a committee recommendation; a final disbursement requires Board of Commissioners action. Residents who care about policing budgets, overdose response, or capital spending should monitor the Feb. 10 commissioners meeting for any formal vote and review the county Document Center entry for the Feb. 10 agenda (record id 1144) for attachments and vote records. Additional clarifications that remain outstanding include the $7,000 recipient, the substance of the Tedford request, and the details of any time limits set for public comment at BAC meetings.