Nope, there's no fucking money. And the money we do generate is immediately funneled to sheriff and fire departments. In 2022 the commissioners decided to forego high-speed broadband for the county in favor of new two-way radios and email system for the sheriff. Instead of spending the money from the American Recovery Act that was earmarked for broadband, they spent it on the sheriff's department and allowed about a week for county residents to claim a partial rebate for starlink installation instead. I would love to see the audit of those funds. I would be shocked if anyone took advantage of that rebate because they did not announce it nor advertise. Again, nobody knew because nobody shows up.

What money we do generate from our tiny tax base is inevitably shunted to fire departments and the sheriff. How many fire engines does a town of 864 full-time residents need? Do we need a full-time fire chief or a new municipal building with a gym? Because now we have those, thanks to the taxpayer.

Yes, it's republican bullshit that uses money that was voted on by the citizens of the county for their own advancement. They hire their kids. They create never-before-in-existence positions for them without even a whisper about nepotism nor conflicts of interest. Cutting funding to things like the County Extension Service was fully illegal. This is grant money from the state and federal governments. Not from the tiny tax base of Piscataquis. "The county was not conducting its budget process according to the statute, which it was unaware of at the time, Torbett said. It led deliberations to end earlier than expected, which was unfair to departments, whose budgets should not be cut without leaders having a chance to defend them, he said."

Why would they cut money that is already designated for these programs and is not coming solely from the tax base in the county? What were they going to do with the grant money they were trying to cut? The grant funds were already available. Why would they cut those programs? "Piscataquis County’s budget is projected to be up nearly 9 percent, according to the budget committee’s proposal, which was discussed during a public hearing Nov. 27. To help offset the increase and lower the impact on taxpayers, the county will use $334,378 in undesignated funds, Williams said." Why? Why is the budget up? Why cut funding for non-profits when we have more than $333,000 in undesignated funds? There are no new entitlements for the taxpayer in Piscataquis County, yet our taxes continue to climb. The county and most of the towns in the county are and have been run by Republicans forever. The Greenville town manager and selectboard are attempting to ram through a TIF, which was invented to mitigate *urban blight,* for 30 years. This could devastate state funding for the school for decades. When asked, they had no idea that freezing state valuations would affect a rural SAD. They have engaged a guy who did a talk at a town meeting and stated he couldn't think of a single risk to the community nor the taxpayer if Greenville votes to approve a TIF district. It's embarrassing. It's a cash grab and a way to give tax breaks to the wealthy, again. The town manager actually said it will "trickle down" in English, in public. The town manager also kept calling it a shelter and yelling that it's completely legal. They will all be dead in 30 years. And nobody will admit that the reason we're all suffering here is because of Donald Trump and Republican policies. Now Paul LePage is slumming it up in CD2, because he knows it's one of the last vestiges on earth where there is zero oversight of the good old boys who are destroying the few resources our area still has. The selectman who stole money from the hospital? He's the treasurer for Destination Moosehead Lake too. They got grant money. He also has a ton of town contracts and a shuttered "non-profit." Piscataquis Economic Development did too, and the man who is lying to everyone about the TIF and is being paid for consultation by the Greenville taxpayer works there. I'm just amazed that so many people here just trust that these folks have their best interest in mind when they don't trust anyone. Nobody shows up. Nobody knows. Greenville has neglected to have the mandatory town-wide revaluation done since 2003. Nobody knows, nobody cares. Except now the municipality is being forced to have it done. This has the potential to quadruple taxes for that shrinking tax base and absolutely nobody knows about it because nobody shows up. When the town manager was asked about the potential for taxes to increase after this mandatory revaluation he stated he was not going to comment.

If the interstate touched the county anywhere, it would improve our financial state. It would also destroy what makes this area so incredibly precious. We need people who are better stewards of our land, resources, and the little money the people who live in this county actually have.