The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office delivered a proposal to Damariscotta Aug. 24 to provide 24/7 law enforcement services in place of the Damariscotta Police Dept.
The county’s tab totals $432,788. The figure is $72,997 less than the police department budget for the fiscal year in progress.
The police department budget includes $5011 for parking enforcement officers, as well as payroll taxes for those positions. The town would continue to enforce parking, thus, the potential savings to the town amounts to about $67,513.
The proposal is less than the police department’s budget because the sheriff’s office would not hire a police chief or administrative assistant, eliminating the chief’s $54,000 salary and the administrative assistant’s $32,115 salary, as well as health insurance and retirement benefits for both positions.
Damariscotta pays $16,765 toward the chief’s health insurance and contributes $4050 to his retirement. The town pays $12,169.92 toward the administrative assistant’s health insurance and contributes $2408.63 to her retirement.
The cost of those positions, not including other expenses, such as payroll taxes, totals $121,508.55.
Damariscotta Town Manager Matt Lutkus asked Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett June 11 to submit the proposal.
The Damariscotta Board of Selectmen would have to vote to place an amendment to the town charter before voters in order to be able to contract with the county and eliminate the police department.
The county proposal calls for a deputy with six or more years of experience and an associate degree, two deputies with three or more years of experience and two entry-level deputies to staff the town.
The first deputy would earn about the same as Damariscotta’s vacant sergeant position, while the others would earn wages comparable to Damariscotta patrol officers.
The proposal calls for $25,000 in overtime, $9585 in holiday pay and $6000 for part-time personnel in comparison to Damariscotta’s $15,000, $4450 and $8125 for those respective categories.
Thus, accounting for regular and overtime wages, holiday pay and part-time pay, the county would pay its full- and part-time deputies $12,513 more than Damariscotta’s full- and part-time patrol staff.
The county proposes to spend $75,615 on health insurance for its deputies. Damariscotta’s budget includes $70,305.08 for health insurance, excluding the chief and administrative assistant.
Likewise, the county proposes $14,330 for retirement contributions to the town’s $7422.37.
The county proposal figures $22,000 for contract administration.
The document outlines non-personnel costs almost identical to Damariscotta’s. Damariscotta’s budget includes $63,948 for those categories, which include fuel, maintenance and repair for vehicles, liability insurance and uniforms.
The sheriff’s office calls for $62,595, $1353 less than Damariscotta’s budget.
The document does not address the purchase of police vehicles. Lutkus said he believes the sheriff’s office would use the police department’s vehicles.
The differences in costs would change if Damariscotta reinstated the vacant sergeant’s position. The 2012-13 police department budget only funds the position for six months, as the selectmen decided to leave it vacant until at least January 2013.
The county also submitted a proposal to provide police services 20 hours a day.
Lutkus and the selectmen will review the proposal with Brackett tonight at 5 p.m. at the town office.
The selectmen will meet again Wed., Aug. 29 to decide whether to place a town charter amendment before voters. Lutkus has said the charter vote could take place as early as Election Day, Nov. 6.
If the voters approve the amendment and the selectmen contract with the sheriff’s office, the police department could close and the sheriff’s office take over as early as January 2013, Lutkus said.