MACHIAS — Citing Washington County’s new spending policy, Jail Administrator Capt. Rich Rolfe asked county officials Thursday for permission to buy a backup freezer for the jail.
County commissioners adopted the policy in March to tighten financial oversight. It requires commission approval before any unbudgeted purchase of more than $500.
Commissioners said the change aims to correct years of poor financial controls and ensure closer monitoring of county spending.
Rolfe sought permission to buy a backup upright freezer that can hold up to a week’s worth of food. Walls TV, Appliances & Home Furnishings quoted a price of $949.50, which commissioners approved after a brief discussion about the need for the purchase.
In a separate spending matter, commissioners held firm on their decision to deny cellphone stipends to two members of Teamsters Local 340, which represents the county’s clerical staff.
A revised memorandum of understanding, or MOU, presented to commissioners in April would give any bargaining unit member a $30 monthly phone stipend if they choose not to use a county‑issued cellphone. The updated language differs from the previous agreement, which limited stipends to employees who were required to use a phone outside work hours.
In April, after learning two clerical staffers are not required to use cellphones outside work hours, commissioners directed County Manager Renée Gray to return to the union with revised language limiting stipends to employees who must use a cellphone after hours.
On Thursday, Gray told commissioners the union argued the new language had already been negotiated and that refusing to honor it would constitute an unfair labor practice.
Saying he was “sick of bickering over $30,” commission Chair David Burns moved to amend the memorandum of understanding to allow stipends only for employees required to use personal phones outside work hours, eliminating eligibility for the two clerical workers.
“If that doesn’t set well with the union, we’ll see what happens,” Burns said, citing the commission’s responsibility to fiscal discipline.
Commissioners then discussed whether moving the Regional Communications Center, which dispatches emergency services, could save money, but they ultimately agreed the center should remain where it is.
In April, Burns asked the Washington County Sheriff’s Office to examine the feasibility and cost of relocating public safety dispatch operations.
In a written report Thursday, Sheriff Barry Curtis said his office quickly ruled out the old Sheriff’s Office building because it lacks space to accommodate four 911 stations.
Staff members also considered renovating the basement fitness area in the new county building, including removing a closet to gain about 100 square feet, but the space would still be smaller than the current dispatch footprint and would have no windows, so they ruled out that option.
Curtis noted that relocating the communications center would also require significant IT and electrical work to support 911 equipment, adding substantial cost.
If commissioners chose to move the communications center and sell the 28 Center St. building, they would also need to determine where to relocate the county’s Emergency Management Agency and its emergency operations center, which must remain close to dispatch, according to the sheriff’s report.
Last year, the emergency operations center received a U.S. Department of Justice grant to upgrade equipment, including ongoing work on the 911 communications system. Curtis said his understanding is that if the work is not completed by this summer, the county would have to return $3.1 million to the federal government and surrender any equipment purchased through the grant.
The Center Street building also offers substantial storage, a kitchen, a shower and bunk rooms, along with room for future expansion and a relatively new roof.
Curtis noted that original plans for the new Sheriff’s Office included a third floor for the communications center and the Emergency Management Agency, but that level was never built. Without that space, he said, it is not possible to move additional departments into a building that is already full.
If the two operations could be squeezed into the new building, the county might save up to $7,000 a year, but doing so would jeopardize the federal grant, require more parking and involve costly renovations for a space that would be less adequate than what they have now. Curtis added that another option would be to build a new complex, but the cost makes that unrealistic at this time.
The sheriff’s recommendation was for the dispatch center and the Emergency Management Agency to remain where they are.
Commissioners discussed ways to make the current dispatch space more accommodating and were told the only significant issue is inadequate cooling. The heating system uses an on‑demand boiler, but the cooling system cannot keep up in warmer months.
Burns asked the Sheriff’s Office to look into the cost of installing a heat pump in the current space and report back.
In other matters, Heron Weston, supervisor for the county’s unorganized territories, told commissioners the outstanding 2020-21 audit has been completed and work is underway on the 2021-22 audit.
He also presented a three‑year contract allowing unorganized territory residents to continue using the Danforth transfer station, and a five‑year contract for them to vote in Danforth, at a cost of $600 per year — about 30 percent of the town’s polling expenses.
Gray, the county manager, also mentioned a curious ticket the county received from Colorado for a vehicle with Washington County plates that allegedly passed through a toll without paying. The plate had long been retired and, she said, “after we chased a rabbit down a hole we found it was a misread plate error” by an automated toll system. The ticket was not paid.
Commissioners voted to create a subcommittee to work on shifting the county’s budgeting year from a calendar year to fiscal year. Burns recommended appointing three members from each of the county’s three districts to the budget committee.
Commissioners also recognized and congratulated three employees who were honored last week at the 28th annual Maine Chapter of the National Emergency Numbers Association convention in South Portland.
They are Emergency Communications Specialist Eileen Simpson, who received a Silent Hero Award for exceptional professionalism in emergency communications; Emergency Communications Specialist Gloria Rodriquez, who received the Phoenix Award from Maine Emergency Management Services for guiding a cardiac arrest patient through lifesaving steps; and Shift Supervisor Cindy Moore‑Rossi, one of nine supervisors nominated for Shift Supervisor of the Year.
