Lincoln County commissioners approved an amendment Tuesday to the bi-county agreement for governance of the Multi-county Jail Authority.
The amendment, the second one to an agreement between Lincoln and Sagadahoc Counties, establishes a requirement for residency in either of the counties for representative members.
The commissioners’ unanimous decision this week supports the Jail Authority’s own June 10 decision. Papers now go to Sagadahoc County for its commissioner’s decision and signatures, if in agreement.
The decision rationale comes from persons outside a county, representing said county, in which he or she has no legal residency.
According to concerns expressed by the commissioners on Tuesday morning, residents of Lincoln and Sagadahoc Counties are paying for Two Bridges Regional Jail, which the Jail Authority governs and operates with additional support from the state, not some professional representation from some other location in Maine.
In other jail operation matters, the board commented briefly on an article appearing in the Aug. 13 issue of the Kennebec Journal which refers to a statement from the Beth Ashcroft, director of the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability.
According to the article by Susan Cover, Ashcroft said pretrial stays at county jails in Maine are two to three times longer than the national average, which at a cost of $120-130 per day, adds up.
Commissioner Sheridan Bond, who chairs the Jail Authority, said there was no mention about what the state actually pays to Two Bridges for its inmates: $22.
“Who is subsidizing the state’s inmates?” Chairman Bill Blodgett asked.
LCEDO staff member commended
Mary Ellen Barnes, Lincoln County Economic Development Office staff member, received commendation from the board for her help in obtaining a grant for the Edgecomb Fire Dept.
The board read a thank you letter from the Town of Edgecomb for her “valuable and tireless effort.”
The grant referred comes from Homeland Security submitted in July.
“Her contributions and constant support were a tremendous help in the planning and submission of this application with the goal to obtain funds for a new fire station so necessary for Edgecomb, wrote Selectmen Chairman Jack Sarmanian.
Sarmanian also thanked commissioners for their support in allowing Barnes to work on the fire station building project.
Other business
In other business, Major Ken Mason of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Dept. reported the jail count at Two Bridges Regional Jail on Tuesday was 31 from Lincoln County, and of the total, the Sheriff’s Office diverted 19 inmates, and the Volunteers of America program diverted 22 inmates. Also, there were 12 sentenced inmates and 34 pretrial inmates.
County Emergency Management Agency Director Tim Pellerin told the board he would be attending the H1N1 flu preparedness summit conducted by the Maine Center for Disease Control.
“Hopefully, it will give a lot of knowledge for the upcoming flu season,” he said.
Pellerin plans two events in September for flu preparedness: on Sept. 12 at Lincoln Academy for flu preparedness and emergency procedures; and, on Sept. 22 at the Boothbay American Legion Hall for business owners.
Pellerin also spoke about a table talk drill planned at Miles Memorial Hospital, and he hopes for a follow up with a simulated drill later.
