Commissioners’ Meeting Minutes April 18th, 2017

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Penobscot County Commissioners’ Meeting Minutes April 18th, 2017 #2134 9:00 AM Commissioners Tom Davis and Laura Sanborn. 35° Commissioner Peter Baldacci was absent. Approval of Minutes- • Commissioner Sanborn made a motion to approve the April 11th, 2017 minutes. Commissioner Davis seconded the motion. Vote to approve passed 2-0. Unorganized Territory Update- • Department head Barbara Veilleux presented that Lew Payne and Jason Bird have agreed to serve on the UT’s new TIF committee. We will be holding their first meeting on Wednesday morning. • Barbara communicated that Maine Revenue has returned the parcel listing with the increased assessed values of the county’s TIF district. The total increased value of the district is $ 49,664,314. She explained the taxes on that amount at the current mill rate would be $ 386,385 and the county’s 90% capture rate of that figure would be $347,747. Barbara noted she had notified county attorney Ed Bearor. • Deputy Director George Buswell stated that there are bid packages out for the metal roofing project at the Prentiss Shed. Barbara communicated that contractors Dave Trask and Larry Hamm have requested packets, and the bid packets have also been posted to the UT website. George and Barbara will be holding a pre-bid meeting on Thursday afternoon. Commissioner Davis asked George what the specs of the metal and the sizes of the screws where in the bid. George explained the specs called for a .029 gauge metal and specified the screws to be galvanized/coated and long enough to firmly attach the strapping to the roof. • Barbara commented that she and George have captured all of the 911 points in Kingman, Grindstone, Soldiertown, Herseytown, and all the structures around Smith Pond in IP3. She noted that approximately half of the structures in Prentiss have been captured. They plan to finish up the remaining locations after the roads are cleared of snow. • Commissioner Davis asked if George had taken the “Posted” signs off of the UT’s roads. George responded that he would like to wait a little longer because there are still areas of roads that are soft due to a lack of sun exposure. • Commissioner Sanborn relayed a compliment from a Greenfield resident to George and Barbara for attending to a road issue in the resident’s area. The Commissioners thanked George and Barbara for responding to UT resident’s concerns and being proactive in road maintenance. Administrative Update- • Administrator Bill Collins stated that he and Commissioner Baldacci attended last week’s MCCA meeting. Bill distributed a list of applicants who applied for the MCCA’s Executive Director position. Bill noted that interim executive director, Charlie Pray, informed Commissioner Baldacci that he does not plan to apply. • Bill stated that he and Sheriff Morton will be attending Wednesday’s legislative session in regards to LD-1266. The proposed bill establishes the process for transferring county jail facilities and operational responsibilities to the State as of July 1, 2020. • Bill reminded the Commissioners that in last week’s Commissioner’s Meeting, IT department head Cliff Warren hoped to renew the county’s current telephone/voice contract with OTT. Bill reviewed the expired contract and found no language exercising a contract extension or a reduction in the contract price. Bill believes the County must re-bid this service. • Bill has been contacted by Jack Parlon of the FOP in regards to the Fixed Income sponsored Deferred Compensation program through Voya. This account will be lowering its guaranteed fixed rate of return from 4% to around 1-1.5%. This change will go into effect September 15th of 2017. Bill noted there are employees who understood the fixed interest rate of 4% was perpetual and are threatening to file a class-action suit. Bill plans on inviting Voya representative Karon Noyes and the program’s regional Vice President to come before the Commissioners and employees to discuss the upcoming changes. Bill had requested a copy of the county’s contract stating the original terms of the account in question. He has still not received a copy. Commissioner Davis expressed the importance for the county to see the original contract before the Commissioners and Union reps meets with Voya. • Bill recently spoke to county attorney Ed Bearor in regards to the county acquiring the property at 127 Hammond Street, Bangor Maine. Ed notified him the closing is scheduled to take place Thursday, April 20th. • Bill stated the Commissioner Baldacci will be returning Thursday from Florida. • Bill’s group, MACCAM group will be meeting in Augusta May 5th. • Sheriff Troy Morton was unable to attend today’s Commissioner’s meeting but sent Bill the jail’s current population statistics. The jail is currently at 194 inmates, comprised of 165 males and 29 females. There are 29 boarded out, 11 of those at Cumberland County Jail. The total number of inmates in pre-trial services are 55: comprised of 37 in Pre-trial, 10 in deferred disposition, 4 in home detention, 3 in graduated sanctions, and 1 in post-conviction. • A gentleman from the State Democratic Rule Committee (George Burgoyne) asked if his committee could use the Commissioners’ room on Sunday, May 7th. The Commissioners noted they see no problem with their committee using the room as long as the building’s front door isn’t propped open. • Bill noted that former county janitor John Churchill has recently been admitted into the hospital with a serious illness. • Payroll Warrant to be approved for $ 212,532.05 • Accounts Payable Warrant to be approved for $ 52,018.30 • Unorganized Territory Warrant to be approved for: $ 40,185.72 • Payroll change notice signed for: Lucas Babcock – Hired Full Time. Ann Burgess. • Compensation notice signed for: Tyler Thompson – 1.125 Hours. Public Comment- • Judy Harrison of the Bangor Daily News asked when she would be able to access the 127 Hammond Street property to take pictures. Bill explained that after the county closes on the property, he will contact the local code enforcement to get permission to enter for Judy to take pictures of the property. Executive Session- Commissioner Davis motioned to go into Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter at 9:28 am under 1 MRSA §405 (6) (A). Commissioner Sanborn seconded the motion. Vote to approve passed 2 – 0. Commissioners Davis and Sanborn, Administrator Bill Collins, and Treasurer Dan Tremble were in attendance. Executive Session ended at 10:31 am with no votes taken. Meeting Adjourned- The meeting was adjourned at 10:32 am with no further business on the agenda. Certified By: /s/ Penobscot County Administrator William Collins Absent Peter K. Baldacci, Chairman /s/ Laura J. Sanborn, Commissioner /s/ Thomas J. Davis, Jr., Commissioner