Regional community action agency seeks Hancock County public-sector appointees; asks for 40¢ per capita support

A representative of the Worcester County Action Program told Hancock County commissioners on Feb. 18 that the agency has been asked to serve as the community action provider for Washington and Hancock counties and plans to expand its board to include representation from all three counties.

The representative said the reorganized board will grow from 21 to 30 members, with 15 members from the University/County area and 15 from the Downeast area formerly served by Downeast Community Partners. "We're actively working, on building a new board of directors that's inclusive of representation from all 3 counties," the representative said.

The agency described two public-sector seats for Hancock County. One seat can be filled by an appointee selected by county government; the agency's nominating committee will present a second nominee for commissioners to appoint. The representative said public-sector members may be elected or appointed officials, and that the county administrator could provide one name for consideration.

On funding, the representative explained municipal appropriations are requested as a fixed per-capita match tied to the decennial census. He said, "our rate is fixed until 2030 at 40¢ per capita" and that the board’s per-capita assessment is set once each decennial census cycle. Commissioners asked whether Hancock could fund the request from its community benefits account; staff said the timing of county and state budget cycles means any appropriation likely would not take effect until the 2027–28 fiscal year.

Commissioners also raised questions about conflicts of interest when elected officials serve on nonprofit boards. The agency representative said commissioners who sit on the community action board generally abstain from voting on appropriation warrants that would directly benefit the agency, and that the nominating process aims to offer a broad mix of consumer, public and private sector members.

The agency said it expects to seat the new 30-member board by May and to present a formal update and nominees for the Hancock County public-sector seats at the commissioners' March 3 meeting. The representative also said the organization expects to adopt a regional name change by mid- to late summer.

What's next: The agency will return March 3 with two names for Hancock County’s public-sector representatives and a formal transition update. Commissioners did not take a formal vote on funding at the Feb. 18 meeting.