On Dec. 5, Lincoln County commissioners approved a $13,743,701 2024 budget. Commissioners Hamilton Meserve and Mary Trescot voted in favor of the budget. Commissioner William Meserve was absent due to a health issue. The budget represents an 8.99% increase. The Boothbay Register asked commissioners about the Lincoln County Recycling budget. The 2024 recycling center budget is $710,892 which is offset by an estimated $200,000 from revenue. The Boothbay Register asked “if the recycling center was a good deal for Boothbay region taxpayers which operate their own recycling center in Boothbay?” Commissioner Meserve responded, “We provide this service for the entire county. If someone wants to do it on their own, we aren’t going to tell them not to.”

Meserve added he had spoken to Boothbay Region Refuse Disposal District Manager Steve Lewis about merging the region’s recycling service with the county’s. “I’m down there all the time talking to Stevie. We’ve offered to take it over. We’d love to have them join because we’d get a better price for our materials, but they have made their choice.” Following the meeting, Lewis said Boothbay region officials in the past have complained about an apparent “unfairness” of having to pay for a service they don’t use, but he didn’t recall any discussions about merging with the county. 

In other action, Sheriff Todd Brackett reported the Boothbay Harbor Service Contract is up for renewal and will likely be extended with minor changes. The sheriff’s department has provided up to 50 hours of weekly patrols under the current agreement. Brackett said the new agreement would run from Jan. 1 to May 31 and require only 30 hours of weekly county patrols. He also explained Boothbay Harbor Police Department has two new hires who will attend Maine Criminal Justice Academy next year. “Unless something changes, Boothbay Harbor will need continued assistance next summer with two officers away at the academy. So, the following agreement could return to the 50 hours per week next summer,” Brackett said.  

The sheriff also introduced his department’s newest hire, Nathaniel Aronson of Gardiner, who recently worked for Auburn Police Department. Aronson started his law enforcement career in Massachusetts before moving to Maine. Brackett also received commissioners’ payment approval for purchasing a split partition cage for Aronson’s cruiser. Brackett said Aronson’s size necessitated the $2,717 purchase from Knox County.

Brackett also received approval for the annual software subscription to the AirHub UAV program. The $2,541 annual subscription allows for transmitting and storing drone video at the command center. “This is a valuable tool especially for our search and rescue team,” Brackett said. 

The sheriff’s department is going through its Maine Law Enforcement Accreditation process. Commissioners approved a $3,000 contract between the department and Dirigo Safety of Auburn to assist with technical support during the accreditation process. Brackett told commissioners the support includes updating the department’s training policies and software. 

Commissioners approved $18,090 for purchasing three WatchGuard mobile car and body camera systems, six GPS and three ankle bracelet monitoring systems. 

Commissioners meet next at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 19 in the courthouse building.