Piscataquis considers dropping membership with county commissioners association

By Bill Pearson
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — The $8,000 question facing the Piscataquis County Commissioners is whether the $8,000-plus paid in dues to the Maine County Commission Association is worth it? Each county is charged the same annual dues to join the association. The MCCA lobbies on behalf of its membership and members have access to the association’s liability insurance risk pool.

    Commissioner Fred Trask indicated during a May 29 special meeting that it may be time to reassess the benefits compared to the cost. Trask believed the current fee structure was “out-of-proportion” with a small rural county, like Piscataquis with a property valuation of $2.5 billion, paying the same dues as larger and more affluent counties, like Hancock valued at $41 billion.
    “What bothers me more than the dues is they hold the risk pool over our heads,” Trask said. “They tell us ‘take it or leave it’. They won’t negotiate the dues at all and their attitude is basically ‘tough luck.’ So we need to consider if the money we are paying to them is really worth it?”
    Former Commissioner Tom Lizotte made several attempts at changing the dues formula. His proposal to alter the dues structure by adding a population and valuation component was met with resistance from the association and other members. Trask recalled that Cumberland County officials threatened to leave the MCCA if the dues were based on Lizotte’s proposal.
    Trask, who is the owner of Trask Insurance in Maine, will seek information and comparison quotes from private companies to share with other commissioners.
    In other action, the commissioners unanimously awarded a contract to Herrick Construction of Abbot for ditching and culvert replacement in Blanchard. The project will take place this month along a 1.5-mile section of the Shirley Road.
    Herrick’s bid of $18,680 was the second lowest of the seven received. Herrick was one of three bidders who provided the county with proof of liability and workers compensation insurance. Flint Construction, of Sebec, was the low bidder. Flint bid $15,975.
    Flint provided the county with proof of liability insurance, but not worker’s compensation. The project needs to start by June 27 so the commissioners chose the low bidder who provided all the documentation requested.
    “If we want to stick to that then we need to pick Herrick,” said Commissioner Eric Ward. “He supplied us with what we asked for. And I don’t want to put the project off another week by asking the low bidder if they have worker’s compensation insurance.”
    The commissioners also reviewed information pertaining to two Milo property tax abatement requests. Andre and Theresa Bouchard, of 26 Pleasant River Road, and Sheila Kuchinski, of 152 Pleasant Street, had their requests for further tax abatements denied by the town. Both residents own property within the town’s flood plain.
    The selectmen held a May 4 hearing on both cases. They need to seek additional information to see if both parties received all the tax abatements allowed. The Bouchards are entitled to a 30 percent abatement on their property and buildings because both are located within the flood plain, while Kuchinski only has a portion of her property located within the flood plain.
    Trask expected the board to render a decision on both cases next month.