Lincoln County Commissioners Approve Tasers, Promotions, Jail Consultant

Lincoln County commissioners approved a 10-year contract with Axon Enterprise for new tasers, two sheriff's office promotions, and up to $30,000 for a consultant to guide the District 6 jail collaboration with Knox and Sagadahoc counties. The board also approved a floodplain manager hire, a transport agreement with Sagadahoc County, and several routine warrants and personnel items, while tabling a request to serve as fiscal agent for a Boothbay waterfront project.

Key points

• Commissioners voted 3-0 to approve a 10-year contract with Axon Enterprise for new tasers, at about $29,000 per year, replacing the department's current seven-year-old devices.
• The board approved promoting Jared Mitkus to detective sergeant and Ethan Burns to detective in the Criminal Investigation Division, both on a temporary basis tied to a sergeant's assignment to the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.
• Commissioners voted 3-0 to approve a transport services agreement with the Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office, allowing Lincoln County to bill for backup transport duties; the agreement runs through December.
• The board approved up to $30,000 for Verrill (Jim Cohen) as consultant for the District 6 Jail Collaboration Project, with the cost split three ways among Lincoln, Knox, and Sagadahoc counties.
• Paige Dolce was approved as the county's new floodplain manager, funded through the Maine Office of Community Affairs, with a start date expected in late October or early November.
• Commissioners tabled a request from the Boothbay Waterfront Preservation Group to serve as fiscal agent for a DOT grant after the town of Boothbay Harbor declined, citing unanswered questions about liability and staff time.

Next steps

• Staff will gather more information on the Boothbay Waterfront Preservation Group fiscal agent request, including why the town declined and how much staff time would be involved, and bring it back to the board.
• The jail administrator will report back on the Sagadahoc transport agreement's impact on staffing and costs when it comes up for renewal in December or January.
• The sheriff's office will seek a mason to assess brick damage from a vehicle strike at the sheriff's building, with possible barricading for winter if repairs cannot be scheduled.
• The board entered executive session under 1 M.R.S.A. 405(6)(A) to discuss a personnel matter.

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