Select Board approves dock inspection, vehicle purchase, small-contract payment and accepts $1,000 gift; appoints Rustin Taylor

The Mount Desert Select Board approved a series of routine expenditures, accepted an out-of-town gift to the local fire department and authorized an appointment during its meeting.

Appointment and gift: The board received a request to appoint Rustin ("Rustin") Taylor to the Warren Committee; the nomination was moved and seconded. The board also considered accepting an unconditional $1,000 gift from the town of Castine to the Mount Desert Fire Department; members were told the gift related to Castine's assistance with a fire response and described the gesture as "extraordinary." Both items were moved and seconded.

Expenditures and contracts: The board authorized payment of $2,185.75 to Alva Barge Service, Inc. for top-and-bottom chain inspection at the Northeast Harbor Commercial and Public Dock, charged to the Northeast Harbor Mooring and Float CIP 6410-24681. It authorized release of funds from PDCIP 4044100-24405 to purchase a used Ford hybrid police interceptor SUV from Darling's Bangor Ford; the package in the memo listed a gross price (transcribed as "$50,58"), a trade-in allowance of $4,120 and a net purchase price of $46,388, and members asked questions about the vehicle's mileage (noted in the memo as "a little over 100,000"). The board also approved an overage payment of $3,825 to Kelly and Sun Small Excavation for portable restroom installation work, to be charged to account 40552000-24571 (approximate unencumbered balance was noted in the materials).

Warrants and payroll: The board approved treasurer warrants and signatures for a town invoice (AP2631) and routine payroll and benefits items (AP2629, AP2630, DD2609, PR2610) with a listed total of $273,180.14. The payroll vote recorded one abstention (the transcript did not identify which member abstained). The board also acknowledged school invoice and school payroll items (MDES entries recorded). All these routine items were moved, seconded and approved during the meeting.

There were no recorded substantive public comments in the public-comment period. The board then adjourned after approving the listed items.

Notes on transcript figures: Several monetary amounts and account codes were read from meeting materials; where the transcript was unclear (for example, a partially transcribed vehicle gross price), the article reports the figures as listed in the meeting record rather than attempting to correct them.