Sagadahoc County hires two deputies and approves trade of cruiser for boat in 2-1 vote

Commissioners on Tuesday authorized the hires of a patrol deputy and a domestic violence investigator and approved a long-overdue updated lieutenant job description, moves Sheriff Joel Merry said will help stabilize staffing.

Sheriff Joel Merry told the board his office has filled three of five open positions and has additional candidates progressing through hiring steps; he said those hires and ongoing training reduce reliance on overtime and improve proactive policing. The board unanimously approved the updated lieutenant job description and the hires of Matthew Fischer (Patrol Deputy) and Dominic Marco (Domestic Violence Investigator). Shaundra Vanella, manager of the District Attorney’s Office, said Marco is a Bath resident with a B.S. in criminal justice and two-and-a-half years at Phippsburg Police Department; she said the DA’s Office intends to fund the position within the DVI pay line.

The meeting shifted to a contested equipment trade: Sheriff Merry proposed accepting a 17-foot Key West boat and trailer from the town of West Bath in exchange for a 2019 Dodge Durango the county no longer needs. Merry said the boat was appraised at about $8,800; the Durango’s retail value was estimated by staff at roughly $5,000 and carries 125,000 miles in the meeting materials. Commissioners debated whether the county should add maintenance and winterization costs to the Sheriff’s budget or treat future vessel needs as a capital request. Commissioner Crosby questioned the trade’s long-term capital implications; Merry described recent incidents where having a local boat would have materially shortened response times to stranded recreational users.

After discussion, Commissioner Crosby moved to approve the trade, Commissioner McPhee seconded, and the motion passed 2-1.

The sheriff also updated the board on Two Bridges Regional Jail operations, reporting Sagadahoc’s local inmate count and that a special management unit is expected to open around January with expanded intercounty arrangements bringing Knox County into a multi-county partnership.

The board recorded unanimous votes on the lieutenant job description and both hires. The boat trade vote was the meeting’s only split decision. The county will record the trade and expected maintenance implications in budget planning as staff and commissioners continue to weigh the capital-versus-operating-costs question.