Sagadahoc County is learning an expensive lesson in cost-sharing agreements. For the second time, Sagadahoc officials requested three years of cost reimbursements from Lincoln County for a shared victim witness advocate in District Attorney Prosecutorial District No. 6. And on March 2, Lincoln County commissioners rejected paying the requested $44,265.67.

The dispute began in 2017 and continued into 2018 and 2019. As discussed at a previous meeting, Sagadahoc failed to bill Lincoln for the shared job. Each year, Lincoln budgeted $9,000 for its portion of the victim witness advocate, a Sagadahoc County employee. 

But Sagadahoc didn’t submit a bill to Lincoln for 2018 and 2019 or notify about a cost increase. Earlier this year, Lincoln received a bill requesting for two years of service along with an increased amount for 2019. County Administrator Carrie Kipfer told commissioners the district attorney’s office didn’t notify them about the increased rate for pay and benefits. For the past three years, Lincoln has budgeted $9,000 for the position. After the initial reimbursement request, Kipfer told Sagadahoc officials her books were closed for 2018 and 2019, but she would bring the request back to the Lincoln commissioners. After a brief review, the Lincoln County commissioners voted 3-0 to pay only the $9,000 for the current fiscal year.

In other action, commissioners unanimously approved a special $19,425 unorganized territory budget for Hibberts Gore. The budget includes snow plowing, winter grading, and overall road maintenance. Commissioners ruled Hibberts Gore taxpayers were solely responsible for the entire budget. “This shouldn’t come out of the UT budget,” Kipfer said. “The state UT administrator considers this budget ready to move forward, and that commissioners should only tax Hibberts Gore residents.”

Commissioners approved buying a new 550-gallon diesel fuel tank for $4,500. M.W. Sewall Oil discovered a hole in the current tank and provided county officials with three options. Sewall advised it couldn’t deliver fuel oil unless the tank was fixed or replaced. Kipfer also reported the county had locked into a $1.894 per gallon price for No. 2 heating oil with Sewall for 2020-21. The county bought over 21,000 gallons last year at $2.097 per gallon. The fuel market price recently dropped to $1.99 per gallon and a competitor offerd the county the $1.894 price. “Sewall told us we were a valuable customer and offered to match the price,” Kipfer said.

Commissioners accepted a retirement letter from administrative asssistant Deb Tibbetts. She began working for the county in 1994, and her last day is March 31. Kipfer reported Tibbetts had recently been on medical leave and made the decision to retire. Commissioners approved buying a 2020 Dodge Ram pickup truck for the county emergency management agency. The county received a $4,500 trade-in on the old truck and paid the remaining  $27,032. A smaller purchase was made for the district attorney’s office. Commissioners approved $3,772.42 for two new Dell laptop computers Kipfer said would replace two five-year-old models. “One is breaking and the other is broken,” Kipfer said about the ADA’s current laptops.

The meeting ended with three executive sessions discussing a legal matter, personnel and real property. The commissioners took no action after all three sessions. Commissioners meet next at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 17 in the county courthouse.