[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6165922,"mediaKeyId","5416816-e6fb823c38966ce0891e3b5400f7e787","parentId",5416816,"title","Finance committee approves minutes and adjourns; roll-call votes recorded","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",130000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5416816-e6fb823c38966ce0891e3b5400f7e787&start=130&end=130","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5416816-e6fb823c38966ce0891e3b5400f7e787/thumbnail_130000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6165922/Cumberland-County/Maine/Finance-committee-approves-minutes-and-adjourns-roll-call-votes-recorded","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6165922-2e7d815d52470237134609c2ecf1e1a7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162118&Signature=JzDOTFDe26VYnmzpaeDCGek2Myn9Yn-ZeK~W9h8Ol5~gVoi5hLdTG~0e14BUxgKn2RjmZ7jyEE4LIcM06efbUMJhGDiWmTiBDsBG9Hl-VIkqX75tsIBuGDN1F6BWvTRRxzdoHQxtBawZvuarmZWdHSda96TsN9M2DGc6K28u0~vomFlJlnlz1f7VBE6aHrgoxseiloLIUcjsq~SBKFFWRGQ-SWpH67FZDeBHS2ayrHP96BexwsyDC4GKCjwuMw8ecuyB6qaCBdVowp-zyuTpm3HPPVKAfFjoyLECAPUUiaYQQxGO2bWnuU7EGzrVhFN2Me1k0z1HBQ47QlByVvr~iw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Cumberland County, ME","date","2025-07-18T05:21:11.107Z","article","At the start of the Oct. 12 meeting, the Finance Committee moved to approve the minutes of July 13 and Sept. 21, 2022. A motion to accept both minutes was made by Lee Pratt and seconded by Paul Thurag. The committee conducted a roll-call vote and members recorded votes in the affirmative (Paul Thurag, Lee Pratt, Mayor Kate Snyder and Chair Dustin Ward among those named on the roll call).

At the end of the meeting committee members moved to adjourn. The motion to adjourn was made by Mayor Kate Snyder and seconded by Bob (committee member). The committee took a roll-call vote; votes recorded as yes included Kate Snyder, Bob, Paul Thurag, a member identified as “Billy,” and Chair Dustin Ward. The meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m.

The committee did not take other formal recorded actions on Oct. 12; several departmental presentations and follow-up questions were discussed but no additional formal votes were recorded.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cumberland County Finance Committee","oneSentenceSummary","The committee approved minutes for July 13 and Sept. 21, 2022, and later voted to adjourn; roll-call votes were recorded for both actions.","taxTitle","Cumberland County, Maine","taxId",2576,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6165927,"Cross Insurance Arena GM reports narrowing losses, seeks ARPA and capital upgrades",2441,2613000,5054000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5416816-e6fb823c38966ce0891e3b5400f7e787&start=2613&end=5054","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5416816-e6fb823c38966ce0891e3b5400f7e787/thumbnail_2613000.jpg","/articles/6165927/Cumberland-County/Maine/Cross-Insurance-Arena-GM-reports-narrowing-losses-seeks-ARPA-and-capital-upgrades","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6165927-cdd14099e7fa9a8b40ae0f2f891c92e2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162118&Signature=e9PAepcUXJpZq1sKoIWQdiccRMilOrgKmyX1tPo4FUztot0oMvKA0tszb8AGlVf97L2-ag5PBnpJwz9bd06MzReT4WZCyeHiliChvgvnK522tTiqZ8qPc47eXqTucLZxzAmnssI9Cil~4CSaPBMPwqJstlZIDp1LPwWsSvWt2hudy1JeZFvv64GGTRSqNe2NaXcza8p0RN14oezc5In8YPg77MhxNjlI4DIQOE8XYVnbsdlDfeCq-1CH1UCiibjXUgt4b2TPOj2eMU0JbyqiysCrQ2MkpZAp~8kSJUTpsKRdQTbcGitAq8UKVTF~iCnmW9bv3R6y493-RpDdn1qs3w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mike Locanti, general manager of the Cross Insurance Arena, told the Cumberland County Finance Committee on Oct. 12 that the arena is diversifying events, improving ancillary revenues and trimming losses after the pandemic.

Locanti said last year’s projected $980,000 loss was reduced and the arena finished the fiscal year about $36,000 in the black. For the 2023–24 trustees’ budget, he reported projections of about 100 events, operating and ancillary revenues of roughly $1.4 million, other income (advertising, naming rights, suites) of about $650,000, and indirect operating costs of about $2.6 million, leading to a projected net loss of $512,000.

He described capital priorities: an arena marquee to boost visibility and messaging; a completed Wi‑Fi upgrade that now covers production and dressing rooms; and plans for eventual sound-system work. Locanti said suite and luxury-suite revenues were lower in recent actuals but that the first three months of the current year were off to a stronger start.

Committee members questioned large capital requests funded through ARPA and other sources. Manager Jim Gailey and others explained that some ARPA items—such as a generator and an airlock—derive from planning during the pandemic when the arena was evaluated as a possible alternate hospital site. Gailey said a previously estimated full standby-generator option became cost‑prohibitive (he cited an engineering estimate that rose to $22,100,000 and was canceled) and that staff now plan a lower-cost “plug-and-play” solution to allow portable generators to connect quickly to the arena electrical grid. The trustees’ budget includes a $700,000 line for generator work and an $85,000 airlock estimate, though Gailey said the $700,000 figure may decline as staff refine options.

Locanti said a management incentive fee in the trustees’ budget is calculated from financial performance, food-and-beverage metrics and qualitative promoter feedback. Committee members asked how long the arena is expected to run at a loss and were told that a general manager must forecast conservatively while booking events; staff noted the arena’s fiscal year (July–June) will remain unchanged.

No formal committee vote was taken on the Cross Insurance Arena presentation on Oct. 12; members asked staff to provide further details and follow up during upcoming budget deliberations.","Arena general manager Mike Locanti told the county finance committee the venue reversed a projected $980,000 loss in 2021–22 to finish about $36,000 positive; the trustees' budget for 2023–24 currently projects a $512,000 operating loss while requesting ARPA-funded capital including a marquee, Wi-Fi and a deployable generator solution.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_46":92,"_48":93,"_50":94,"_52":95,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":96,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":97,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6165932,"Cumberland County 911 director outlines staffing gains, ARPA-funded upgrades",825,731000,1556000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5416816-e6fb823c38966ce0891e3b5400f7e787&start=731&end=1556","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5416816-e6fb823c38966ce0891e3b5400f7e787/thumbnail_731000.jpg","/articles/6165932/Cumberland-County/Maine/Cumberland-County-911-director-outlines-staffing-gains-ARPA-funded-upgrades","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6165932-733f1568ddcd933f4264a6324375af75/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162118&Signature=GJRldL233OGDJbhM-SRH3x44YyV5TvbNiKsJZIjYAPc435uVm3uo3AQ5okH0Z2PAyZWcZtzpiFeQOXqPCZlZoNiJytSmdREvnoWB4M6Ud5y0Sw~ATq7Pp9GqN2huY54DUXff4MfR6Iq7Ie5Gnoh9Eck4v6s6fW4kSGQvK~OAtHHxshUdNPMd8rRubUacygXKTw91YN2T5G2pGM9xQ9UQGYj5Z7X5vKKfmd9plThauNdd8gBmjDsGDVpgm9hewzw6wfLnNH-npNOa6HaCxcyyveTn3wjKjZWRpVYpKtR3MDusLllQpewlHlkcQTmmptvZPwEgMtrX4-N6LxDN8HYuWA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Melinda Fairbrother Dyer, director of Cumberland County Communications (the regional communications/911 center), told the Finance Committee on Oct. 12 that the center is seeing staffing improvements and outlined planned capital and program spending largely funded with federal ARPA and grant dollars.

Fairbrother Dyer said the center partners with 19 communities and answers about 95 911 calls per day for the Cumberland County RCC line item. She listed current staffing as the communications director, one deputy director, six shift supervisors, 16 line staff and eight trainees; vacancies include four line staff and one shift supervisor. Two staffers who left during COVID have since returned.

On capital needs, Fairbrother Dyer said the county has applied for a roughly $40,000 grant to buy laptops for leadership and evacuation planning. She said the county expects to use ARPA “revenue loss” funds—about $500,000 to $700,000—for a regional radio infrastructure upgrade that the sheriff’s office and municipal responders will use, and that approximately $1 million has been identified to help partner agencies buy portable radios compatible with the upgraded system.

The director said the county has secured roughly $1.4 million in ARPA funds for a center upgrade—new chairs, furniture, flooring—and to build a room with a dedicated air system so ill employees can work apart from others during infectious-disease events. Fairbrother Dyer described an initiative to expand first-responder mental-health services, funded from the county’s workers’ compensation reimbursement fund, that will include clinician access and a clinician-recommendation app tailored to public-safety culture.

Committee members asked about alternatives to trailers for isolated dispatching (such as using partner municipalities’ dispatch centers) and coordination to reduce radio “dead spots.” Fairbrother Dyer said the proposed isolation room is to avoid sending potentially ill employees into other centers and explained the ARPA-funded radio work aims to reduce regional coverage gaps. She and County Manager Jim Gailey said some ARPA funds have constraints: they cannot be used to offset taxes and must reasonably connect to pandemic response or disproportionate impact mitigation.

No formal committee vote was taken on the communications budget on Oct. 12; members said they would follow up with written questions and receive updated budget materials before the November meeting.","Communications director Melinda Fairbrother Dyer told the finance committee the county’s regional communications center is filling vacancies, has grant applications pending, and plans several ARPA-funded radio and facility upgrades including an isolation room and a first-responder mental-health initiative.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_46":104,"_48":105,"_50":106,"_52":107,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":108,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":109,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6165937,"Finance committee told health-insurance error lowers projected budget increase",350,213000,563000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5416816-e6fb823c38966ce0891e3b5400f7e787&start=213&end=563","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5416816-e6fb823c38966ce0891e3b5400f7e787/thumbnail_213000.jpg","/articles/6165937/Cumberland-County/Maine/Finance-committee-told-health-insurance-error-lowers-projected-budget-increase","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6165937-62311eb6f9d813d74a292252ecd86ada/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162118&Signature=ojxgZfDbqSOt9S6bLp8L8WBT6mF-UVcCbpv~yP89jpU9DmYeH1ruIW9EtwKsF1E83Ollv8H1sFWsv70jkpxw6JOoKiD5PcybvdVd-WmwTUuAQuTE2msSnpc6f8ejegkAEfEgaWU1QKrGFUYSRUYGgWF4a8x9jDajux1O5enChSw9FXDJyeJuc1XA7HlMnQKYVlObl8jPY2v~rPM6h2cGKKjA0LvxxDRsZVNdPgElIjl2FoovjJ7eKYsxWo~GTi4h91YQKWMD1raYFenWg0OwO5Fpfu6Ph~yKVKIrujyxCIB-tDgub6MU20A-SU7bDTm4I9mqMUDDpObhHAvjYB-Dcg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Alex Kimbell, deputy manager of finance and administration for Cumberland County, told the Finance Committee on Oct. 12 that he discovered a major calculation error in the health-insurance line used to build the 2023–24 budget. The mistake, Kimbell said, came from applying an 8% insurance increase twice when constructing a half-year baseline, which overstated department costs.

Kimbell said the error reduces the committee's end figure “all the way from 5.99% increase down to 5.26,” and that the change is isolated to the health-insurance line. He told the committee the 2023–24 budgets for departments will show lower health-insurance amounts and offered to prepare a two-column spreadsheet comparing the original and corrected numbers for each department.

County Manager Jim Gailey and other committee members asked whether the error affected other lines such as cost-of-living adjustments. Kimbell said the error was localized to the health trust calculation, noting that PERS and COLA adjustments are driven differently and were checked. He described the mistake as an “overthinking” of the timing of an annual January 1 increase when preparing a July-starting budget.

Committee members asked for a clear, revised presentation of the numbers. Kimbell agreed to produce a brief spreadsheet showing prior and corrected line items and said it would “only take like a half hour” to prepare. Gailey confirmed staff would circulate the corrected figures to committee members.

The committee did not take any formal vote on the correction at the Oct. 12 meeting; members requested the revised materials ahead of their November meeting.","County finance staff reported a calculation error in health-insurance budgeting that reduces the projected overall increase for the 2023–24 budget from 5.99% to 5.26%; staff offered to circulate corrected department lines.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Finance committee approves minutes and adjourns; roll-call votes recorded

Cross Insurance Arena GM reports narrowing losses, seeks ARPA and capital upgrades

Cumberland County 911 director outlines staffing gains, ARPA-funded upgrades

Finance committee told health-insurance error lowers projected budget increase