JAY — The Select Board faces a busy summer as it works toward an August deadline to draft an ordinance that would limit rent increases for mobile home lots.
The board is also considering whether to replace the Jay Police Department’s outdated Tasers.
Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere told the board Monday night that a mobile home rent‑control ordinance must be approved by Aug. 24 to appear on the Nov. 3 ballot.
On April 28, voters at the annual town meeting approved writing an ordinance to freeze lot rental fees for mobile home parks, retroactive to Dec. 8, 2025. Mobile home residents, who generally own their homes but rent the lots beneath them, had asked the town for a rent moratorium and a rent control ordinance after some parks raised rents by as much as 50 percent over the past two years.
Several Maine municipalities, including Gorham and Waterville, have adopted similar freezes. A proposed state law to stabilize lot rents has not passed the Legislature.
LaFreniere said the board must decide whether to limit rent increases by a set percentage or tie them to the cost of living. She said she and Town Clerk Ronda Palmer have been reviewing ordinances from other towns and cities to prepare a draft for the board and, ultimately, Jay voters.
Although the timeline is short, LaFreniere said, “Thankfully, we’re not inventing the wheel here.”
Because other municipalities’ ordinances have already passed legal review, she said Jay “could have a smooth process.”
The board also heard an update Monday from Chief Joseph Sage of the Jay Police Department on replacing Tasers.
On May 28, Sgt. Brandon Kelly presented the board with a quote from Axon Enterprise Inc. for 10 Tasers at a cost of $64,998. Axon is the only manufacturer of the devices.
Because the department needs eight Tasers, or one for each officer, Sage returned with a revised estimate for eight Axon 10s to replace the department’s Axon 7s. Kelly previously told the board that Axon has withdrawn support for the older model, making repairs and parts increasingly difficult to obtain.
Sage said eight Tasers would cost $58,398. The town would also need to pay $6,400 to train officers on the new devices, including the cost of certifying one Jay officer as an in‑house trainer. The price works out to $7,300 per Taser, about $800 more per unit than the earlier quote but $6,600 less overall than purchasing 10.
Sage said that under a five‑year contract with Axon, the company would replace damaged devices and cover the cost of cartridges used in training. In response to a question from Selectman Gary McGrane, Sage said the department has used Tasers to subdue suspects “at least six times” in the past year.
Sage said Tasers “give officers options in situations where they have few options.”
Select Board Chair Terry Bergeron agreed, saying: “I’d rather have that used than a revolver. It’s a good safety measure.”
Sage also told McGrane that the town had used grants to buy Tasers in the past, but no funding is known to be available now.
“We have calls out looking for grants,” he said, adding that some of the cost could be covered with the Police Department’s reserve funds.
Without taking a vote, the board agreed to continue pursuing new Tasers.
LaFreniere also updated the board on recycling. She said the town needs to find a processor for single‑sort recyclables.
On July 1, Somerset Disposal Service of Madison is scheduled to replace Archie’s Inc. of Mexico as Jay’s trash hauler. The town now sends its recyclables to the Crossroads Landfill in Norridgewock, operated by Waste Management Inc.
LaFreniere said Jay can send recyclables to the Municipal Waste Solutions plant in Hampden for $95 a ton, while other operators quoted $110 or $135 a ton.
No decision was made Monday on hauling recyclables.
The board also approved spending $3,000 from a joint reserve account for the town’s share of the cost of a 48‑inch mower for the Livermore Falls sewer plant, which also serves Jay. Last year, each town approved the purchase, but Livermore Falls later rescinded its approval, so sewer plant staff members continued using the old mower.
Sewer Superintendent Mark Holt said department crews spent about 40 hours over the past year repairing the old mower.
The board unanimously approved the purchase.
