FARMINGTON — Selectmen Tuesday night, May 9, approved two expenditures for the police department.
The Town of Jay will be reimbursed $34,428 from the department’s Training Reserve Account. Newly hired officer Rex Schweighofer completed his Maine Criminal Justice Academy training while employed by Jay.
“We are lucky we have a reserve training account that is used for that purpose,” Police Chief Kenneth Charles stated. “It was just a matter of if Jay was going to invoice us. We were lucky with our last hire to not get an invoice, so that was definitely helpful.
“The unfortunate thing is the reserve account is healthy because we had lost people and I was quick to get the invoices out.”
The Academy Board of Trustees requires that when a department hires a full time certified officer from another agency, they are required to reimburse the former agency the expense of training the officer, according to information Charles provided Selectmen. Schweighofer graduated in December 2021, reimbursements adjusted for time spent with the previous agency are required for five years after graduation, the information notes.
Selectmen approved spending $52,515.80 from the department’s Vehicle Reserve Account to purchase an outfitted 2022 Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicle.
“We had gone under contract back in November for two vehicles,” Charles said. “During the budget process we had planned for one vehicle out of the operating budget, the second would be out of vehicle reserve.”
Selectmen also voted to have interim Town Manager Cornell Knight approach KRT Appraisal about assessing services. Last month the town hired the company for the upcoming revaluation.
The town’s assessor, Allison “Alli” Brochu stepped down last month. The position was advertised the first week of April, no applications were submitted, Knight said. The town needs to get updates done from last year to this for building permits and name changes, construction, he noted.
Knight approached John O’Donnell about contracting the work as he did it for Farmington for years. He is too busy, if the board approves, contacting KRT was Knight’s next proposal.
Selectman Joshua Bell asked if a request for proposal could be put out for tax assessing services.
Knight said one could be, time is his concern. “I am guessing a lot of them are similar to John, that they are right out straight,” he continued. A number of towns have assessor openings listed on the Maine Municipal Association website, he noted.
“We are not the only ones, it is a problem in a number of communities,” Knight added. Because of time concerns, he would rather try KRT as they are going to be working in town. If that isn’t possible he would approach other companies in the Central Maine area.
“We have got two issues, immediate and long term,” Selectman Stephan Bunker said prior to the vote.
In other business Selectmen:
• Tabled a decision on naming a new road as Gantley Drive pending verification from the town’s E911 officer that no other road has that name
• Set voter registration hours for the upcoming election [Regional School Unit 9 budget referendum] as 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., June 13, at the Community Center. Polling will also be 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., June 13, at the Community Center, 127 Middle Street. [Residents may also register to vote during regular business hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at the Municipal Building]
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