Sheriff seeks four more deputies; budget panel supports one

After about 40 minutes of discussion, the Washington County Budget Advisory Committee voted, during their November 21 meeting, to include one additional deputy position and the equipment to support that position in the 2022-2023 budget. The total amount to be added to the budget was not mentioned verbally, but the budget amount approved for the next fiscal year, if approved by the Washington County Commission without changes, would be $7.264 million, said committee Chair Lewis Pinkham.
The sheriff's department had hoped for four additional deputies, but Pinkham said that the feedback heard so far was that the county's communities couldn't shoulder the resulting tax increase. The budget, as proposed, will go to the county commissioners for approval next month, and carryover funding may be used to lower the amount to be raised by taxation, a commissioner strategy that has been used in previous years. County Treasurer Jill Holmes told the commission that about $230,000 is available in carryover funds.
The advisory committee meeting, held with the county commissioners, began with Pinkham expressing his frustration with the commissioners over the county audit. "The county is really behind with audits, and it's hard for the committee to do its job when you're two years behind." He added that he'd tried to be patient over the years, but that "it needs to stop."
Commission Chair Chris Gardner noted that everyone shared in the frustration and added that as the director of the Eastport Port Authority he would be telling his board that evening that the port was two years behind in its audit as well. "It's not a problem that is unique." He suggested that if someone had a solution, he'd like to hear it.
Pinkham, who is also the Milbridge town manager, replied that he went through seven months of a forensic audit and still managed to get the town's audit done in a timely manner. As treasurer, Holmes explained that the county's auditor had hoped to get two audits done instead of the usual one in order to catch the county up, but that the 2019 audit was so "in-depth" and needed so much work that the auditor had not been able to do the two years in one as planned. However, she noted that the auditor is working to streamline systems so that it is not so complex in future years.
With no solution readily available other than the treasurer's words, Pinkham moved the subject on to the sheriff's request for four additional deputies. Chief Deputy Mike Crabtree explained that the Maine State Police may make a decision to pull forces from the county next June or July. Given that possibility, the sheriff's department is looking at how it could cover the county, particularly given the increase in serious crime. There have been seven homicides in the county during the past 12 months.
The budget committee previously voted down the request for four deputies and had suggested a number of different configurations. The committee was asked to vote on adding two deputies and accompanying equipment and voted it down 5-3. Baileyville Town Manager and committee member Chris Loughlin said, "This would be the fourth year in a row we've expanded the deputies," and conjectured that as soon as the county expanded the department again it was likely the state would "pull the trigger" on the state police presence in the county. The budget committee, consisting of municipal and legislative officers, voiced a number of concerns about tax revenue flow given LD 290, a new policy that allows some residents who meet income guidelines to have their property taxes "frozen," with the state to reimburse the difference. The timing of the reimbursement is the big question mark and how it would impact municipal operations.
Senator Marianne Moore, a committee member, was encouraged to work in Augusta on some specific issues, including to revive the Maine State Police's mission to serve rural communities. She responded that her list of action items prompted by her work on the committee was robust.
When the motion to add one deputy and equipment was brought to the floor, Gardner queried what the committee would want the commissioners to do come June or July if the state police pull out from the county. Pinkham replied, "The last time I knew, there's money set aside, contingency, surplus, that is left to the commissioners to take care of emergencies." He added, "For any one of the departments you've spent over the budget [line item amount] every time." He stated that if the commissioners found mid-summer that such an emergency were to happen, then they should use the funds. "I wouldn't have a problem if you called us back."
Sheriff Barry Curtis asked that all the municipalities register formal complaints about the decrease in Maine State Police coverage in the county. Instead of filing complaints with the state police, municipal officers complain to him, he said. Gardner jumped in and noted that many of the associations, such as the Maine Municipal Association (MMA) and the Maine Sheriffs' Association, needed to step up and register complaints so that the state legislature would take note and fund the Maine State Police sufficiently. Pinkham, who serves on the MMA's Legislative Policy Committee, noted that there are seven bills right now related to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.
After the spirited discussion, the budget committee voted 5-3 in favor of adding one deputy and equipment to the budget, with the added comment that committee members would be willing to return mid-summer to evaluate the situation if necessary.
The county commissioners are expected to take up the budget for a vote at their December meeting, where total budget numbers and possible carryover funding will be discussed.