FARMINGTON – Franklin County commissioners agreed Tuesday, after reviewing costs and hearing from the district attorney, that the county should remain in a cost-sharing agreement with Androscoggin and Oxford counties for a restitution specialist .
Franklin and Oxford each pay 25 percent of the full-time position and Androscoggin County pays 50 percent. The specialist works out of the District Attorney’s Office in Lewiston.
The specialist has brought in $841,798.09 for victims from January 2013 to June 10, according to information provided by District Attorney Andrew Robinson. During that time, $481,028.16 was collected in restitution for victims in Androscoggin County, $230,871.90 in Oxford County and $129,876.76 in Franklin County.
The position was formerly funded by a grant but it ran out and the counties began paying for it.
The Franklin County Budget Advisory Committee agreed in June to leave Franklin County’s share of $14,618 for the position in the budget. They strongly recommended commissioners break away from the sharing-agreement and have someone provide the service in the county.
Some budget panel members said if the position was in the county then there would be more control and money would be spent in the county.
In 2013 the specialist collected $44,893.52 owed to Franklin County victims. In 2014, the number climbed to $50,509.11. From Jan. 1 to June 10 this year, $34,473.13 was brought in, which is on track to bringing $20,000 more than last year, Robinson said.
If Franklin County were to go it alone, Robinson estimated the cost at $14,680 versus the $14,618 in the budget for the county’s share of the position. That included paying a part-time employee $14 an hour for 15 hours a week for a total of $10,920 a year.
There would be approximately $2,560 in technical setup. And, if a new laptop/personal computer was needed, he estimated another $1,200. In addition, and not included in the annual estimate, is a need for more office space.
Currently, the DA’s office in Farmington has used all of its space. There is one space directly adjacent to the office that was offered at roughly $200 a month previously for a total of $2,400 a year. It is unknown, Robinson said, if that number would be the same now.
The restitution specialist is not just collecting a check, he said. She sends letters to people who owe restitution and she audits files to make sure restitution is being paid, among other tasks. If people are not paying restitution, she files paperwork with the courts to enforce payment, he said.
The position does close to what a collection agency does, he said.
The full-time clerk is available for people to contact during business hours.
If the position is part-time in Franklin County, people who receive letters are more likely to get a voice message recording compared to having a human answer the phone, Robinson said.
He and commissioners said they understood where the budget panel was coming from. Robinson asked committee members during a public hearing to leave the money in the budget and give the commissioners an opportunity to weigh in.
After discussing the matter with Robinson, commissioners asked him what he felt makes the most sense.
“I think what makes sense is leaving it a full-time position,” he said.
One of the Budget Committee’s concerns was that by having the position in the county, money would be spent here, Robinson said. If people owed restitution are getting their money back, it would be spent in the county, he said.
dperry@sunmediagroup.net
Send questions/comments to the editors.
