"Westport county taxes from 1994 to 2002 have increased close to 135 percent," Westport First Selectman George Richardson said at a January 15 meeting of selectmen in Lincoln County towns.

"This is in eight years," Richardson said. "Where are we going in 2003?" The selectmen showed strong support for creating a county budget committee that will have final approval of the county budget. Currently Lincoln County has an advisory budget committee, but the commissioners make the final decision.

Richardson, who proposed that a bill be put through the legislature to make the change, recommended using the Aroostook County budget process as a guideline in writing the bill. There are also several other counties within the state that the legislation could be modeled after, which give the budget committee/finance committee the final word.

According to a written statement from Geoff Herman from the Maine Municipal Association, the selectmen will need to find a legislator to sponsor the bill.

State Senator Chris Hall told the group he would be willing to sponsor the bill, saying he would need it by the first week in March.

"The drop dead date is March 15," Hall said.

When Edgecomb Selectman Rodd Hopper asked if there was interest in developing the legislation, over half the selectmen from 12 towns raised their hands.

It was decided that Richardson would work with other selectmen to come up with the wording for a bill to amend the county budget process.

State Representative Peter Rines, District 57, and William Earle, District 56, also attended the meeting. Newcastle Selectman Phil Wright was the moderator for the meeting, which covered a wide area of topics.

Rines told the group he will sponsor a bill asking the state to provide a specialized facility for the mentally ill, and for those who have addictions. Jails are often where these people are sent when no other place can be found. The Lincoln County Sheriff's budget represents 60 percent of the county's budget, according to Commissioner John O'Connell.

"The re-classification of prisoners would lighten the burden to the county," O'Connell said. "About one third of the prisoners would be removed from our jail. Reducing the cost of housing prisoners will reduce the county tax burden."

"We want to know when these bills are coming up," Wright said. "We want to be kept informed of their status so we as selectmen can take an active role in their passage."

After a brief discussion a decision was made that the county commissioners would be responsible for communications between the state representatives and the selectmen.

Damariscotta selectman Charlotte Davenhill presented legislation that will create a statewide cable television franchising authority or board.

The Community Television Association of Maine, a non-profit affiliate of the Maine Municipal Association, is recommending this new legislation.

According to the information provided at the meeting, the intent of the legislation is to create a board that will provide a model franchise, and establish a review process for all franchises prior to final approval by the towns to insure that the towns (especially small towns) have access to the same information and resources that the larger towns have.

The funding for the board will come from the cable operators.

According to a letter from Tony Vigue from the Community Television Association, there is a precedent for this type of board in Maine. A similar board met for six months during the franchise transfers from FrontierVision to Adelphia. It was agreed at that time it would be beneficial to set up a similar board for these purposes, but there was no authorization or funding at the time.

Other topics discussed at the meeting included: the cost of prisoners' health care; Adelphia contract extension; property tax reform referendums in November; recycling; General Assistance programs; reports from the legislative delegation; and the proposed regional jail.

Selectmen from Alna, Bremen, Bristol, Damariscotta, Dresden, Edge- comb, Jefferson, Newcastle, Waldoboro, Westport, Whitefield, and Wiscasset were in attendance at the meeting.

The next quarterly meeting of the selectmen in Lincoln County will be held Thursday, April 17, at the Damariscotta Firehouse, beginning at 6:45 p.m.