Commissioners discuss legislation

By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — The Aroostook County Commissioners may have been in Houlton for their last meeting on April 5, but conversation centered on Augusta — particularly regarding potential legislation coming out of the statehouse and how the possible bills may affect The County.
    Funding for the Aroostook County Jail has been lacking since the relatively new jail unification act passed and the Board of Corrections has been overseeing corrections operations statewide. Aside from the currently under-funded jail in Houlton, Aroostook County corrections officers are paid less than their downstate colleagues while working with the highest inmate-to-officer ratio in the state.
    LD 1419, sponsored by Rep. Gary Plummer (R-Windham) is titled “An Act to Improve the Coordination of State and County Correctional Services” and aims reform the Board of Corrections (BOC). A public hearing on the bill is scheduled for Friday, April 29.
    Aroostook County Administrator Douglas Beaulieu informed the commissioners during their last meeting that he had testified before the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee regarding problems counties have encountered as result of the relatively new jail unification act and the BOC. Members of the committee seemed receptive to the testimony given by Beaulieu and his two colleagues, who also addressed BOC difficulties faced statewide.
    The commissioners were also pleased to discuss deed legislation slated to be sponsored by David Cotta (R-China) that would set the copy fees for deeds based on the general revenue needs of each county, according to Beaulieu; the significance if this bill is that it would stave legal actions taken by MacImage of Maine LLC against the state’s counties for assessing a $1.50 per page fee for electronic copies of documents in county deeds offices.
    The final piece of legislature discussed by the commissioners is a bill that seeks to alter the scope of the Land Use Regulation Commission. LD 17, “An Act to Reform the Land Use and Planning Authority within the Unorganized Territories of the State,” would place land use management responsibilities of all unorganized territories under their respective county governments.
    Aroostook County Commissioner Paul Underwood of Presque Isle has been chairing an ad hoc group of other commissioners discussing the options of their respective counties should LD 17 be approved.
    “That group has reviewed all the different pieces of that legislation and there seems to be some consensus among that ad hoc group on a county run LURC program,” Beaulieu explained. Specific action resulting from LD 17 would be based of course on the conditions of its passing (should it pass), and all these factors are still a ways off.
    While much legislation is up in the air, the County’s general fund balance was reported to be growing solidly.
    For the past years, the commissioners have been working with a five-year plan to grow the undesignated fund balance. Beaulieu informed the commissioners at the meeting that the fund balance has grown to just under $675,000.
    While Beaulieu mentioned the benefits of having a good general fund balance in case of emergencies, having stable funding will prove beneficial in the pre-tax season when cash flow is somewhat restricted. Having a strong general fund balance will help mitigate the need to borrow money from other financial institutions.
    Though the general fund balance is growing steadily, the correctional services fund remains in the negative. As the Board of Corrections predetermines the correctional services fund, correcting the negative budget is literally out of the county’s hands.
    The commissioners also discussed the status of the leaking mansard roof on the Houlton Court House. Two separate architects examined the leak and recommended replacing the metal roof with architectural asphalt shingles.
    As the Houlton Court House is slated to receive a necessary roof upgrade, the Great Lakes Fire and Rescue department will be receiving their own equipment upgrade, as reported by Beaulieu.
    The department had previously put in for a grant through the Maine Forest Service for five pagers and was recently informed that they received the grant.
    The next meeting of the Aroostook County Commissioners is Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in Fort Kent.