Strafford County commissioners reviewed department budgets and maintenance accounts across county facilities and discussed operational issues at the jail and Riverside nursing facility.

Speaker 2 told the board that, after reviewing trends, staff trimmed roughly $3,000 from the department’s budget overall by cutting overtime and better aligning utility estimates, and that some specific savings were achieved at Riverside (including reduced sand-and-salt spending). Speaker 2 also described equipment and maintenance needs, including a $1,000 request for new lawn equipment.

Infrastructure costs were discussed in detail. Speaker 2 said a grinder/controller unit failed and the replacement control box was sourced through Sulzer Pump at an on-record cost of about $25,100; vendor Jamie and others were credited for fast programming and installation. Commissioners also discussed building HVAC upgrades: staff described a new heating system with increased air-exchange rates, improved filtration (described as advanced filtration rather than explicitly HEPA), and expected operational efficiencies that should reduce recurring filter replacement costs.

The jail budget summary was presented as a net decrease compared with last year, but Speaker 5 highlighted a significant reason for an increase in certain line items: food costs. The budget now assumes about $3.00 per meal (up from about $2.75 previously) to account for higher occupancy and rising food prices. On staffing, Speaker 5 said four positions were cut, about seven openings remain, and the county recently hired six employees over two months; commissioners said the new hires and an anticipated labor agreement should reduce the extreme forced overtime that staff experienced earlier in the year.

Speakers addressed nursing-staffing dynamics at Riverside and Hyder. They noted the county has been able to fill some aide classes and that Hyder handles higher-acuity care with specialized staff; by contrast, nursing pools—contracted temporary nurses—tend to pay higher hourly rates without benefits, creating recruitment competition. Speaker 4 said the county is dissatisfied with reimbursement rates for the Social Behavior Unit (SBU) and planned to discuss potential rate changes with the state Medicaid lead.

Commissioners did not take formal recorded roll-call votes on these operational items in the transcript; staff were directed to return with any required follow-up details and to proceed with vendor repairs and staffing adjustments as budget workflow allows.