Damariscotta Town Manager Matt Lutkus plans to trim a full-time Damariscotta Police Department administrative assistant position to 30 hours a week with no health insurance.
The proposal is part of Lutkus’ 2013-2014 fiscal year budget, which he presented to the Damariscotta Board of Selectmen and Damariscotta Budget Committee at a joint meeting March 20.
“My assessment is that this change is justified by the current workload,” Lutkus said in a memo to the selectmen and budget committee. “Workload requirements that occasionally necessitate more support staff time would be addressed through use of existing town hall staff.”
The change would reduce administrative assistant wages from $32,115 to $24,071 per year and the town share of health insurance from $13,551 to $0, a total difference of $21,595.
Jodi Prior has been the administrative assistant for the department since September 2008.
Prior has more than 20 years of experience in the criminal justice field. She was an administrative assistant with the Lincoln County district attorney’s office for 12 years and a victim witness advocate with the district attorney’s office in Sagadahoc County for six years before starting work in Damariscotta. She holds an associate degree in applied science and is currently taking classes toward an associate degree in criminal justice.
Prior, in a March 21 interview, said she believes the demands of the position justify a full-time schedule. “I’m constantly working when I’m here,” she said.
She said she is trying to maintain a positive attitude about the potential hit to her paycheck, although it concerns her. Her chief concern, however, is the loss of health insurance.
Prior is a single mother of two, ages 16 and 13, and has always carried health insurance for her and her children, she said.
Prior has been a vocal advocate for the police department. She defended former Police Chief Steve Drake when he was placed on administrative leave in 2011.
Last year, she was a critic of a town charter amendment proposed by Lutkus and the Board of Selectmen that would have allowed them to disband the police department and contract for law enforcement. Residents rejected the amendment by a vote of 732-546.
The cut to the administrative assistant position accounts for a big chunk of tens of thousands of dollars in cuts Lutkus proposes for the police department.
The department will not hire a full-time officer to replace Aaron Beck, who now works as a Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputy.
The decision to leave the position vacant will save the town more than $54,000 in wages, health insurance, payroll taxes and retirement contributions.
The department’s four full-time officers, a chief who would spend half of his or her time on patrol, and reserve officers will provide adequate manpower, according to Lutkus, and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office will provide backup for occasional gaps in the schedule.
Relatively small increases to several line items partially offset the cuts. The most significant is an increase in reserve officer wages from $8125 to $20,000 to reflect the expense for fiscal year 2013 and cover for one of the department’s full-time officers, Devin Polizzotti, while he attends the 18-week Basic Law Enforcement Training Program at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.
As proposed, the police department budget totals $472,195, a decrease of $33,594 or 6.64 percent. The selectmen and the budget committee will review the budget in detail at a joint meeting Wednesday, March 27 at 5 p.m. at the town office.
