Commissioners’ Meeting Minutes July 11th, 2017

For a downloadable copy click HERE

Penobscot County Commissioners’ Meeting Minutes July 11th, 2017 #2145 9:00 AM Commissioners Peter Baldacci, Tom Davis, and Laura Sanborn. 70°

Approval of Minutes- • Commissioner Sanborn made a motion to approve the June 27th, 2017 minutes. Commissioner Davis seconded the motion. Vote to approve passed 3-0. Sheriff’s Department Update- • Sheriff Troy Morton said the Jail has had two very sick inmates. Troy noted that this presents a hardship on the facility as we have to allocate man-power and resources to house and transport the inmates to and from the hospital. Sheriff Morton noted that the DA’s Office has been very helpful with trying to get these cases through the court system. • Troy explained that the jail’s population has been extremely high the last few days. The jail had 34 new admissions over the weekend and the count was at 193 last night (148 Pretrial Inmates and 45 sentenced). In addition, 22 inmates are currently boarded out to other county jails. Troy explained it is becoming more difficult to send our inmates to other jails as their populations are high as well. • The Sheriff’s Department has begun an investigations for an assault that took place in Passadumkeag and later recorded on social media. Troy noted the Department was unaware of the crime until it was reported two days after the initial online posting • The Department is also investigating a shooting of a young child in the Town of Winn. Troy noted it is a complex case. The Department is working with DHHS with the individuals involved. • The Department of Corrections recently inspected the Jail. The facility passed 100% of the non-essential requirements and approximately 96% of the Essential items. The one item the jail was written up for was due to overcrowding. The Sheriff explained the compliance audit also communicated a need for the separation of male and female inmates in the intake & holding areas. • Sheriff Morton presented three more supplemental law enforcement contracts for the Commissioners to approve. Troy has been very pleased that many of the full time contracts (including the three presented today) are for three year terms. The contracts are for the Town of Glenburn and Enfield. Glenburn has two contracts to be signed as they have a full time officer through the department and a supplemental contract. Commissioner Davis motioned to approve each Contract. Commissioner Sanborn seconded the motion. Vote to approve passed 3-0. Contracts signed. • The Sheriff said he has been in contact with the National Institute of Corrections’ (NIC) in regards to assistance on possible jail expansion. NIC plans on holding an information class to better understand the expansion process and building support. Troy feels it would be good for local legislative leaders to attend the sessions, but the class will not focus on providing detailed feedback for the specific logistics of expansion. • Troy stated that the jail’s new mental health contract with CHCS has been going very well. He commended CHCS’s staff and Psychiatrist for the amount of time they have spent working with the county’s inmates. • Administrator Bill Collins noted that the funds for Maine County Jails ($12.2 million) have been included in the new State Budget. Three million for supplemental funding is still on the table to be approved but no final decision has been made. Scott Ferguson, accountant for the DOC has informed Bill that all jail budget information must be entered into the State’s CRAS system for Counties to receive their share of the $12.2 million funds. Bill has made Finance Director Judy Alexander aware of this request. Bill is not sure if the supplemental funds are included in the formula to distribute state funding. Commissioner Baldacci commented that hopefully there will be more clarity of the supplemental funding after the appropriations committee meets this week. • Sheriff Morton stated that the Correction Officer hiring ad that the department posted through Facebook received roughly 25,000 views. He was disappointed however that the department has only received one application in response to the posting. Troy added that there are four new hires that are finishing up training academy that should help fill the many open correction officer positions. • Sheriff commented that the supplemental overtime list the jail has been using has been going well. The one downside is the added cost of the shift is to senior employees who are paid a higher hourly wage. • Sheriff stated that the medical bills for this month are roughly $9-10,000. Seventy Five percent of that total is compromised of the bills of one single inmate. • Troy stated he will be attending a forum at the Cross Point Church discussing the opioid addiction/crisis. Troy plans to attend and discuss the jail’s Rise Initiative that aims to counsel and rehabilitate inmates that struggle with substance abuse Franklin Street Building Roof Project, RFP Bid Opening- • Commissioner Baldacci opened four bids in regards to the replacement/repair of the county’s building on Franklin Street in Bangor. The prices were for the total cost of the project as outlined in the bid. The results are as follows:

Contractor Total Project Price Kevin Smith $115,000 GR Roofing $ 92,980 JB Roofing Systems $ 87,000 Roof Systems of Maine $ 89,100 Commissioner Davis motioned to take the bids under advisement. Commissioner Sanborn seconded the motion. Vote to approve passed 3-0. Treasurer Dan Tremble suggested considering the warranty terms of each bidder when reviewing the bids. Commissioner Baldacci asked Maintenance Department Head Cap Ayer to look over the bids and check the contractor’s respective references. Unorganized Territory Update-

• UT Department Head Barbara Veilleux and Deputy Director George Buswell presented the new waste collection contract for Argyle & Greenfield with Maine Waste Systems. The contract was awarded to Maine Waste Systems in a prior Commissioners’ Meeting. Barbara, George, and Commissioner Sanborn commented that Maine Waste has already collected once for the territories and did a good job. Contract Signed. Barbara explained that the owner of Maine Waste Systems had asked if he could weigh the collection truck at Folsom’s or JRL after collecting Argyle & Greenfield and before assisting with collection in Alton. George noted that this was common practice and does not see any issues with it. The Commissioners approved Barbara to draft a letter to ok his request. • Barbara then presented a liquor license renewal for Matagamon Wilderness, LLC in T6 R8 WELS for the Commissioners approval. Barbara noted that there has been no issues reported by the Sheriff’s Office and that she would recommend signing the renewal. Commissioner Sanborn motioned to approve the liquor license for Matagamon Wilderness, LLC. Commissioner Davis seconded the motion. Vote to approve passed 3-0. License renewal signed. • The culvert repairs have been completed on the Greenfield Road. The road is now ready to be paved. • Barbara presented two new road name requests in T6 R8 WELS. For the first road the territory would like to use either “Krazy Kidz Drive” or “Seasonal Drive”, and the second road “H & M Way”. Commissioner Davis motioned to name the two roads “Seasonal Drive” and “H & M Way” respectively. Commissioner Sanborn seconded the motion. Vote to approve passed 3-0. • Barbara and George have been working on completing the 911 addressing throughout the County’s Unorganized Territories. They recently were in T5 R8 & T6 R8 and hope to finish those townships with one more day of work. • TIF committee member Jason Bird provided feedback on the draft financial services RFP. Barbara has incorporated his suggestions and has sent the draft to other committee members. If the Commissioners approve the revised RFP she would like to send the service out to bid. • Barbara explained that Denise Worster, who handles vehicle registration for Kingman residents, has requested if the County would pay for a new program to be set up on her computer that allows her to print out the vehicle registrations. The cost to install the program is $75.00 and Barbara feels it is a reasonable request. Commissioner Sanborn motioned to approve paying the installation cost of the registration program. Commissioner Davis seconded the motion. Vote to approve passed 3-0. • Barbara stated that a Greenfield resident has requested if the Commissioners would post a “Children Playing” sign near the resident’s property on the Greenfield Road. George commented that while there can be some wood worker’s traffic on the road, overall the road has minimal traffic. Commissioner Davis commented that he worries if the Commissioners post traffic signs in low traffic sections of roads it will open up too many requests for areas of roads that are not at high risk of an accident. The Commissioners decided to hold off on the request at this time. • Barbara was pleased to present that the UT’s Property Growth Factor has come in at 15.51% due to new windfarm projects in Aroostook, Somerset, and Penobscot Counties. Last year’s growth factor was a minimal .64%. • Barbara and George attended a focus group meeting with LUPC. Many other county UT Administrators were in attendance to provide feedback on topics handled by the LUPC staff. The LUPC staff will now attempt to go forward with new zoning maps and present the revisions at the full LUPC board in late summer or early fall. Commissioner Baldacci stated that our county’s representative for the LUPC, Charley Prey will not be reapplying. Commissioner Davis asked if Barbara would see if former County Commissioner and current State Representative Steve Stanley would be allowed to serve on the board. Barbara replied she would check into it. • Barbara and George provided updates on two properties in Prentiss TWP that had a significant amount of Trash laying near the main road. The DA office had sent a request to asking for the property to be cleaned up in a certain time frame or else legal measures would be filed against the respective owners. Barba and George explained that one owner has significantly cleaned up their property, however the other has made very little improvement to their grounds. Barbara stated that owner had called explaining that their spouse had a stroke and they had been unable to clean up the property in the allotted time frame. The Commissioners suggested giving that owner an extended deadline, but to communicate with them that they would be responsible for the consequences if the cleanup is not done within the allotted time. Greenfield Paving Project, RFP Bid Opening- • Commissioner Baldacci opened nine bids in regards to the Greenfield Road paving project in the County’s Unorganized Territory of Greenfield. The following are the results of the costs/estimates as outlined in the bid’s RFP sorted by Total Project Cost: Vendor Binder Binder Shim Shim Overlay Overlay Total Project Tons Per Ton Tons Per Ton Tons Per Ton Cost

Vaughn Thibodeau II Inc.

23 119.77 621 56.73 1,242 56.73 108,442.70 B & B Paving

23 140.00 622 58.25 1,244 58.25 111,914.50

Queen City Paving, LLC

24 105.00 620 60.90 1,230 60.90 115,185.00

Hopkins Landscaping

22 75.00 610 64.00 1,220 64.00 118,770.00 Eaton Paving & Excavation

26 75.00 627 62.50 1,254 62.50 119,512.50 Wellman Paving

24 200.00 610 66.77 1,220 66.77 126,989.10 Streets Landscaping

22.5 125.00 325 60.00 1,818 62.00 137,028.50 Pike Industries

24 74.75 611 74.75 1,221 74.75 138,736.00 Lane Construction

25 400.00 610 80.25 1,220 70.40 144,840.50 Barbara stated that the UT had an instance with the low bidder Vaughn Thibodeau, where a portion of a prior paving job had deteriorated. The company came good for the repair work though. Commissioner Sanborn motioned to take the bids under advisement. Commissioner Davis seconded the motion. Vote to approve passed 3-0. Commissioner Baldacci suggested for Barbara and George to review the price and terms of each bid and verify that the tonnage is accurate to what they had originally estimated in the bid’s specs. Administrative Update- • Administrator Bill Collins presented the Commissioners Voting Credentials for NACo. • Bill stated that the PRCC union voted 21-0 to accept their labor contract. Bill presented copies of the contracts for the Commissioners to sign. Signed. • Bill reported that he and Finance Director Judy Alexander have provided the respective employee/payroll information that a financial company had FOIA. Judy noted that only information the county is not permitted to share is an employee’s gender and race. • Bill shared a complaint received from a local citizen against the DA’s office who is frustrated that the office will not press charges on a bad check cashing case. The office has notified the individual that there is not enough evidence to proceed. • Joanna Russel, Director of the Northeastern Workforce Development Board, has invited the Commissioners and their spouses to Lobster Mania taking place July 27th. • Bill informed the Commissioners that they will need to register for the Maine County Commissioners Convention taking place September 8, 9, 10 at Sunday River Resort. • Treasurer Dan Tremble informed the Commissioners that Rudman & Winchell will be celebrating 50 years of being in business this Thursday at the Sea Dog Restaurant. • Bill communicated that former Bangor City Councilman Josh Plourde has expressed interest in running for County Commissioner. • Bill has been notified by the County’s Risk Pool that they have settled two cases involving the county and its employees: Durant vs Penobscot County, and Windle vs. Grindle. • Bill has been contacted by Cross Insurance. They have expressed interest in being the county’s health insurance provider. They would like to know if the county will be going out to bid in the near future with this service. • Bill stated that he, PRCC Department Head Chad LaBree, and IT Department Head Cliff Warren will be taking part in a meeting at Hancock County later in the day to discuss our county possibly taking over some of Hancock County’s PSAP services. • Finance Director Judy Alexander reported that the County has roughly $ 1 million dollars left in the TAN. Last year at this time the County had roughly $1.1 million for a remaining balance. Judy has recently completed a CCA report for the Sheriff to review so that the county can receive the State Jail funding as soon as possible. • Bill stated that there is a MCCA meeting tomorrow. Bill and the Commissioners commended Charlie Pray for his work as the interim Executive Director for the MCCA. EMA Update- • Department Head Michelle Tanguay presented the 2017 Homeland Security Grant proposals for the allocation of funds in our County. Michelle explained the proposal will next go before the State for final approval for the funds to be dispersed in September. She stated the Grant requires that a minimum amount of money must be reserved for law enforcement purposes. Michelle noted that over the last few years funding has continued to decrease. Michelle said since 2003 funding has dropped roughly $800,000. There is concern that there will be no grant amounts for next year. The Commissioners expressed their support of the proposal. • Michelle will be working with the Red Cross later in the day to provide shelter training for any of the County’s localities that wish to attend. Unorganized Territory’s Greenfield Paving Project Continued- • Barbara and George reported back to the Commissioners that lowest bidder Vaughn Thibodeau’s II Inc. tonnage estimates were in line to what they had estimated in the bid specs. Commissioner Davis motioned to award the Greenfield Paving Project to Vaughn Thibodeau II Inc. Commissioner Sanborn seconded the motion. Vote to approve passed 3-0. Executive Session - Commissioner Davis motioned to go into Executive Session to discuss a contract matter at 10:00 am under 1 MRSA §405 (6) (E). Commissioner Sanborn seconded the motion. Vote to approve passed 3-0. The Commissioners, Treasurer Dan Tremble, Administrator Bill Collins, PRCC Department Head Chad LaBree, and Finance Director Judy Alexander were in attendance. Executive Session ended at 10:25 am with no votes taken. PRCC Update- • Department Head Chad LaBree stated that our County’s tower lease agreement with Emera Maine is currently on a 1 year lease term. Emera has asked if the County would consider moving towards a 5 years lease if they choose to renew. Chad noted that all the verbiage in the agreement is the same for the new lease except for the duration (5 years) and the rental fee has been lowered from $900/year to $1/year. Commissioner Davis motioned to approve the 5 year lease agreement for the County’s tower in Charleston. Commissioner Sanborn seconded the motion. Vote to approve passed 3-0. Commissioner Baldacci stated that Chad should make sure to thank Emera for lowering the rental fee in the agreement. Executive Session - Commissioner Davis motioned to go into Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter at 10:30 am under 1 MRSA §405 (6) (A). Commissioner Sanborn seconded the motion. Vote to approve passed 3-0. The Commissioners, Treasurer Dan Tremble, Administrator Bill Collins, UT Department Head Barbara Veilleux, UT Deputy Director George Buswell, and Administrative Assistant Tyler Thompson were in attendance. Executive Session ended at 10:39 am with no votes taken. Executive Session - Commissioner Davis motioned to go into Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter at 10:40 am under 1 MRSA §405 (6) (A). Commissioner Sanborn seconded the motion. Vote to approve passed 3-0. The Commissioners, Treasurer Dan Tremble, Administrator Bill Collins, and Administrative Assistant Tyler Thompson were in attendance. Executive Session ended at 11:00 am with no votes taken. For the Minutes- • The Commissioners instituted a policy in regards to approving the purchase of additional accrued week of vacation at the sole discretion of the Commissioners for extraordinary circumstances. Executive Session - Commissioner Davis motioned to go into Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter at 11:15 am under 1 MRSA §405 (6) (A). Commissioner Sanborn seconded the motion. Vote to approve passed 3-0. The Commissioners, Treasurer Dan Tremble, Administrator Bill Collins, Administrative Assistant Tyler Thompson, and Citizen Dick Hansen were in attendance. Executive Session ended at 11:20 am with no votes taken Administrative Update Continued- • Payroll Warrant to be approved for 6/30/17: $ 208,334.40 • Payroll Warrant to be approved for 7/7/17: $ 212,892.02 • Accounts Payable Warrant to be approved for 7/5/17: $ 316,816.58 • Accounts Payable Warrant to be approved for 7/11/17: $ 80,242.94 • Unorganized Territory Warrant to be approved for 2016/2017 Budget Year: $ 20,418.26 • Unorganized Territory Warrant to be approved for 2017/2018 Budget Year: $ 22,871.33 • Payroll change notice signed for: Jacklynn Kuhn – Discharged. John Knappe – Re-Hired Full Time. • Compensation notice signed for: None Public Comment- None Meeting Adjourned- The meeting was adjourned at 11:20 am with no further business on the agenda. Certified By: /s/ Penobscot County Administrator William Collins /s/ Peter K. Baldacci, Chairman /s/ Laura J. Sanborn, Commissioner /s/ Thomas J. Davis, Jr., Commissioner