County looks to renew auditing contract

DOVER-FOXCROFT — For the last several years the Piscataquis County has worked with RHR Smith and Company of Old Orchard Beach for auditing services for the county, unorganized territory and jail budgets. While no formal extension has been presented yet, the county commissioners indicated they would like to continue the arrangement during a Feb. 21 meeting.
“We had a three-year contract and that is expiring,” County Manager Tom Lizotte said. He and County Treasurer Johanna Greenfield recommend renewing the contract for another three years.
Lizotte said the agreement had the auditing costs at about $9,100 annually, divided into $4,000 for the county budget, $3,500 for the jail and $1,600 for the unorganized territories. He said RHR Smith and Company is seeking an increase of several hundred dollars to its total.
The county manager said when auditing services last went out to bid in 2013 the Old Orchard Beach firm submitted the lowest of three proposals. “Even with the increase it would still be a little less than some of the other bids received at that time,” Lizotte said.
Chris Backman of RHR Smith and Company said he would like to combine the books for the county budget and jail, while still conducting separate audits per state regulations.
“From our end, the financial end, it’s going to make things a lot simpler,” Greenfield said. She said there could be some cost savings with various payrolls and accounts streamlined.
“I don’t see any action the commissioners have to take today other than be familiar with the basic concept of what we are proposing,” Lizotte said. He said a new agreement should be presented to the commissioners within the next month.
In other business, the county manager mentioned two ongoing matters in his report.
“The law enforcement task force has met twice and now it is really focusing on the manpower shortage in law enforcement,” Lizotte said. He said there are not a number of candidates who are willing to work in the demanding job while also being able to meet all the qualifications, and the limited number of police personnel is even more pronounced in rural areas.
Lizotte said the challenge for the task force is to not simply discuss the problem but to work on finding a solution and/or determine how to make best use of the officers who are in Piscataquis County. “I have been insistent about this to wrap it up sometime this summer to have something to bring to the commissioners,” he said.
The other item the county manager spoke on was the Atkinson deorganization plan. He said neither the town nor Maine Unorganized Territory Fiscal Administrator Marcia McInnis has heard when the Legislature may discuss the issue as a bill on Atkinson deorganization has not yet gone to the state and local government committee.
Lizotte said once a public hearing has been scheduled he will attend the session in Augusta. “We react to what the Legislature does, that’s our job now,” he said.
The county manager said the Legislature may be hesitant due to Atkinson’s size , a population of over 300 which is much more than other towns with under 100 residents that have been permitted to deorganize. “Atkinson’s situation is unusual because they have so much land that is nontaxable or in conservation,” he said.
Lizotte said should deorganization proceed then a salt and sand pile and town bridge in need of repairs would both need to be resolved before the community could fall under the auspices of the county. He said Atkinson is also looking to withdraw from SAD 41 and join RSU 68, should the deorganization plan not move forward.
Piscataqus County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Tom Capraro said he and other EMA officials across the state have been monitoring the snowpack and the potential for spring flooding. Capraro said a river flow advisory commission is set to have its first meeting of the season on March 9 in Augusta.
The county EMA director said the commission utilizes river and snow depth readings and “we pool all that information together and start to make predictions.” Capraro said as soon as ice goes on some waterways, EMA officials are alerted and they can then act upon the data.