Sagadahoc commissioners approve hires, adopt procurement policy and interest rate; discuss courthouse cooling tower, EMA vehicle and tax timing

The Sagadahoc County Commissioners met and voted on personnel and administrative items, then spent extended discussion on facilities, emergency management and county tax timing.

County Treasurer Dale Eden, the first public speaker, opened the meeting during public comment saying she had been prevented from speaking during the final budget vote at the previous meeting. “I was rather upset with being cut off at the last meeting when it was time to have final vote on the budget,” Eden said, and urged commissioners to consider reserve levels and unmet needs in future budget cycles.

The commissioners approved the consent agenda and moved several formal actions. They set the state delinquent-tax interest rate at 7.5%, approved the hire of Lily Brindley as a 9-1-1 dispatcher effective June 11, 2025, authorized hiring Arwin Sherman (start late June, pending background checks), and readopted a procurement policy to ensure compliance with federal grant requirements. Motions were made and seconded in each case; the board voted to carry the items (recorded as motion and carry; roll-call tallies were not provided in the transcript).

Why it matters: the personnel moves immediately affect the county’s 9-1-1 staffing and training pipeline; the procurement policy ties county purchasing to 2 Code of Federal Regulations requirements for grant-funded procurements; and the interest-rate setting applies the statutory state rate for delinquent taxes.

Facilities and cooling tower Commissioners devoted substantial time to the courthouse cooling tower, where commissioners and facilities staff described a failing unit, a cracked pump patched with epoxy, a deteriorated base and exposed electrical components. Facilities staff (Aaron, maintenance director) explained the unit is exposed to the elements and that some repairs previously done (an epoxy patch and a replaced motor) may not be long-term fixes. One commissioner summarized: “If we have another one, it should have some kind of roof over it.” Commissioners noted that even if the county ordered a replacement now, lead times would likely put delivery after the current cooling season; that timeline was a principal reason the item was not budgeted for the current year.

Emergency management vehicle, community navigator mileage and funding Phil Davis, the county EMA director, outlined a proposal to provide an outfitted EMA vehicle for the county’s newly funded community navigator position. Davis said interviews with other communities suggested the navigator will drive extensively — the county estimated roughly 20,000 miles per year — and that reimbursing mileage would cost about $70,000 across five years at current rates. Davis proposed using opioid-settlement funds and the trade-in value of a facilities truck (estimated at about $30,000) to purchase and outfit a replacement vehicle, with an additional outfitting cost estimated (by staff discussion) at up to $20,000. He raised concerns about the current EMA vehicle’s condition and lack of equipment; one commissioner urged a fuller review of the county fleet before a final decision. Commissioners asked for more detail (cost breakdown, lease vs. purchase, fleet condition) before making a funding motion.

Tax-payment timing (staggering municipal payments) Finance staff briefed commissioners on a request from Woolwich and other towns to stagger the county tax payment schedule to give municipalities more time to collect taxes from their residents. The finance director presented a preliminary analysis showing that moving to an alternate schedule (examples discussed included August/November or August/February) would reduce interest income to the county (a cited example reduced interest from roughly $63,000 to $34,000 under one scenario). Staff warned that a multi-month shift could require a short-term tax anticipation note to cover cashflow, and commissioners discussed options that would give towns extra time without jeopardizing county liquidity. Commissioners asked staff to return with firm numbers and a proposal for a schedule that would not require the county to borrow in an amount that would threaten operations.

Other business - Procurement policy: The board readopted a procurement policy aligned with federal grant rules (2 C.F.R.), noting new boilerplate language that requires considering veteran-owned businesses among minority or disadvantaged procurement goals. - Lawn-care contract: Commissioners reviewed bids for seasonal grounds maintenance and tabled the award pending confirmation of bid math and optional services. The item was tabled for further staff verification. - Food vendor/site-permit discussion: Commissioners discussed a vendor (Perry) seeking to use county parking or other nearby public property for a food-cart location. Staff noted the city of Bath C-1 zoning and site-plan/licensing requirements would apply if the vendor used those municipal spaces; commissioners and staff clarified the county does not control the state-run West Bath District Court site the vendor had mentioned. - Opioid-settlement paperwork: Commissioners added a clerical agenda item to allow the finance director to sign a reimbursement agreement tied to a previously approved opioid settlement allocation for a warning-center program; staff indicated the county had already disbursed funds and the signing would formalize the paperwork.

Votes at a glance - Adopt state delinquent-tax interest rate at 7.5% — motion carried (motion and second recorded; vote taken orally). - Hire: Lily Brindley, 9-1-1 dispatcher, effective 06/11/2025 — motion carried. - Hire: Arwin Sherman, 9-1-1 dispatcher (start late June, pending checks) — motion carried (conditional on background/polygraph processes). - Readopt procurement policy (2 C.F.R.-aligned) — motion carried. - Consent agenda (minutes, warrants, financials) — approved. - Lawn-care contract award — tabled pending clarification of bid calculations and optional services. - Addition to agenda: finance director authorized to sign opioid-settlement reimbursement paperwork — added/authorized for signature.

What’s next: staff were directed to return with cost and procurement details on the cooling-tower replacement or housing options, a detailed proposal for the EMA vehicle (including lease vs. purchase and full outfitting quotes), and a more robust cashflow analysis and proposed staggered payment schedule for municipalities. Commissioners then entered an executive session under Title 1, M.R.S.A. §405(6)(A) and adjourned.

Quotes attributed in this story are drawn from the meeting record: Dale Eden, county treasurer; Fred Straub, sheriff; Phil Davis, EMA director; Aaron (maintenance director); and other named staff and attendees recorded in the county transcript.