Staff Writer
CARIBOU — The County Commissioners — Paul Adams of Houlton, Norman Fournier of Wallagrass, Paul Underwood of Presque Isle — met on Sept. 16 in the Administrative Hearing Room of the Caribou Courthouse discussing a bid for gasoline, approving the creation of a full-time victim witness advocate position and discussing other items with County Administrator Doug Beaulieu. Gasoline bids were received from R.H. Foster Energy out of Hampden, Daigle Oil, and Irving. The commissioners tabled awarding the bid until they were further reviewed by Beaulieu.
The commissioners approved the creation of a full-time victim witness advocate contingent on receiving federal funding for the three-year position.
During his County Administrator’s Report, Beaulieu informed the commissioners that he has already met with the department heads regarding the budget for FY2010-11. The Finance Committee organizational meeting was held yesterday, and the first budget work session will take place in the beginning of October.
Always a consistently positive item, Beaulieu discussed the Maine Pretrial Program with the commissioners.
“I provide this [report] to you every time I receive it from the sheriff, and it’s always a good thing,” Beaulieu told the commissioners. Maine Pretrial continues to save the county thousands upon thousands of dollars in legal expenditures.
The commissioners and Beaulieu also discussed the passing of former commissioner Keith Lambert of Fort Kent. Lambert was a County Commissioner from 1980 – 1988.
Commissioner Underwood gave his fellow commissioners a report on the Maine County Commissioners Association meeting he had recently attended, and the commissioners approved the hiring of a temporary part-time position to update the County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.
The next meeting of the County Commissioners will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 5:30 p.m. in Houlton.
