27 Northport Dr

Portland, ME 04103

Cumberland County

Board of Commissioners

Meeting Minutes - Final

The Board meets on the second Monday of each month at 5:30pm in the Peter Feeney Room

unless otherwise noted.

Monday, December 9, 2024

5:30 PM

Feeney Conference Room, County

Courthouse, 205 Newbury St,

Portland ME 04101

CALL TO ORDER

County Staff:

James Gailey, County Manager

Alex Kimball, Deputy County Manager

Travis Kennedy, Director of Public Affairs

Sandra Warren, Compliance and Audit Manager

Katharine Cahoon, Admin and Special Projects

Theresa Grover, Director of Finance

Amy Jennings, Director of Human Resources

ATTENDANCE

5 -

Commissioner Neil Jamieson, Commissioner Susan Witonis,

Present:

Commissioner Stephen Gorden, Chair Patricia Smith, and Commissioner

James Cloutier

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

CD 24-027 Approval of the minutes, November 18, 2024, meeting of the Board of

Commissioners

Commissioner Gorden requested that the minutes be amended to include

Commissioner Elect Jean-Marie Caterina and Commissioner Elect Tom Tyler as

Staff in Attendance as well as present in both of the Executive Sessions. There

were no objections.

A motion was made by Commissioner Witonis, seconded by Commissioner

Jamieson, that this Minutes Report be APPROVED AS AMENDED. The motion

carried by a unanimous vote.

Chair Cloutier requested that Item 24-126 under New Business be discussed out of order. There were

no objections.

24-126

Authorization for County Manager to accept the Department of Justice Grant

Award to the Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office for the Cumberland

County Sexual Assault Kit Tracking and Testing Initiative for the amount of

$2,496,072.00

District Attorney Jacqueline Sartoris spoke on the application of the grant and

introduced Assistant District Attorney Tina Panayides to implement one of the

State of Maine’s first programs to do a full inventory of a backlog of untested sex

assault kits. She noted that she is incredibly proud that Cumberland County will

be the first County in Maine to track and do a full inventory to test kits where

appropriate and then investigate and vigorously prosecute cases. District

Attorney Sartoris thanked County staff for their support with the application and

noted there was a lot of hard work and partner coordination.

Assistant District Attorney Tina Panayides thanked county staff for guidance with

the grant process. The whereabouts of 80% of kits is unknown and only 20% of

the kits are tested at the lab. She stated that she had been working with

directors in the Department of Justice (DOJ) with guidance about what is

needed. Specifically, a prosecutor in Cleveland, Ohio, about best practices for

implementing the grant. The first step is to do an inventory, the second step is to

create a tracking system. The tracking system will piggy back off of a current

Lab tracking system. The third step is to test any applicable kits. She explained

that “anonymous” kits were untested and held in the local jurisdictions at

hospitals. Historically, if cases did not go to trial, then kits were not tested due to

limited resources. However, she stated that studies show that 25% of kits have a

DNA hit, there is a match to another crime, a robbery or a homicide. Handouts

with statistics were distributed and attached to these minutes. District Attorney

Sartoris stated that it's a three year grant that includes hiring a part-time

prosecutor and one investigator. All lab test results will be uploaded and stored

in the national Federal DNA database, CODIS.

Commissioner Smith expressed gratitude for the hard work that County staff has

done. She asked how long they expect the inventory to take, ADA Panayides

estimated that it should take about 6 months and meet the DOJ standards. The

next step of the grant cannot be completed until an inventory is completed. The

DA’s office assured Commissioner Smith that they will update them with their

progress over the next three years.

Commissioner Gorden asked about 90 percent of jail inmate populations that

are pretrial. DA Sartoris stated that she will go before the Board of

Commissioners in February to discuss the pretrial therapeutic facility similar to

York County. The goal is to address substance use and mental health use

disorders to reduce recidivism, the jail is holding repeat offenders where the

cause for their conduct is not being addressed with the current judicial system.

This is going to be demonstrated in the future with a cost benefit analysis.

A motion was made by Commissioner Jamieson, seconded by Commissioner

Smith, that the Order be APPROVED. The motion carried by the following vote:

5 -

Commissioner Jamieson, Commissioner Witonis, Commissioner Gorden,

Chair Smith, and Commissioner Cloutier

Yes:

No:

INFORMATIONAL REPORT/PRESENTATIONS

CD 24-028

Registry of Deeds - Informational Report

sponsored by the Maine Register of Deeds Association. She gave an overview

of the different changes going forward. The bill is being sponsored by Senator

Rick Bennet from Oxford County. With passage, there would be a 65% increase

in fees that would go to the County General Fund.

This Presentation was RECEIVED AND FILED.

24-113

2025 Calendar Year Board of Commissioners Meeting Schedule

County Manager shared that the changes to the schedule should be considered

and voted on at the January meeting in 2025.

Commissioner Smith asked about scheduling 2 meetings in a month. County

Manager Gailey recommended that extra meetings should be scheduled the first

of the month and third Monday of the month. Commissioner Gorden stated that

he supported meetings on the third Monday and agendas could be sent on the

previous Wednesday. County Manager Gailey said that staff will give it their best

effort.

This Order was REFERRED to the Board of Commissioners due back on

1/6/2025

24-115

2025 Board of Commissioners Committee Assignments

County Manager Gailey stated that committee appointments will also be

finalized in January.

This Order was REFERRED to the Board of Commissioners due back on

1/6/2025

RECOGNIZE OUTGOING COMMISSIONERS

Commissioner Jamieson and Commissioner Witonis

Chair Cloutier stated the two outgoing Commissioners have committed years of experience and effort

to shape the county. Both have had a steady and firm hand in the development and notably, there is a

higher attendance at the Civic Center which benefited from the efforts of both of them in the

renovation process that was undertaken after the voters approved to rehab of the facility. It’s now an

integral part of County government as opposed to its previous status. Chair Cloutier presented

Commissioner Susan Witonis and Commissioner Neil Jameson each with a card and congratulations.

He invited them to speak about their service to the County.

Commissioner Witonis thanked Chair Cloutier and noted that the moment was bittersweet for her. She

served 14 years and often questioned why she became a County Commissioner with all of the

challenges that were presented over the years. She noted that it was often hard because she found

herself on the opposite side of the vote. After 14 years on the Board of Commissioners, she has

learned a lot about County Government especially being on the Civic Center Committee for the $31.2

million bond, she was initially very against it. However, after the bond vote her district supported it, and

she jumped on board. She stated that with Commissioner Jamieson, the committee was able to

advocate for certain renovations. She thanked County Manager Gailey for his leadership and thanked

staff for their hard work to shape the county and make it what it is today. She looks forward to seeing

the new administration building once it’s complete.

Commissioner Jamieson thanked Commissioner Witonis for her kind words and named previous

leaders and their contributions. He stated that his tenure was 13 years and he started drafting the

County Charter in 2008 when he was elected. The charter was passed in 2010 and was one of the

most notable changes to the County. The Charter expanded the Board of Commissioners from three

Commissioners to five Commissioners so that each district had roughly 55,000 constituents. He

highlighted other significant accomplishments which included the Cross Insurance Arena renovations,

restructuring leadership positions, creation of the Public Health Department, adding a regional

assessing program and the expansion of other regional programs, renovating the dispatch center and

renovating the County Jail Medical Wing using American Rescue Plan Act funds. The ARPA funds

have been the most significant investment in the county and reflect an investment of $57 million that

will have lasting effects for 10 to 15 years. He encouraged the public to be involved and attend

meetings.

Commissioner Gorden spoke and thanked Commissioners’ Jamieson and Witonis for all of their

contributions. He noted that the aim of the Board of Commissioners' is to assist the public and make

the future better for the county.

COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

The Board Chair will limit comments to three (3) minutes per speaker.

Chair Cloutier opened public comment.

Jean-Marie Caterina, commissioner elect from Scarborough, spoke. She spoke highly of

Commissioner Jamieson and thanked him for his service to the Cumberland County Board of

Commissioners.

CONSENT AGENDA

Approval of the Consent Agenda

A motion was made by Vice Chair Gorden, seconded by Commissioner Jamieson, to approve the

Consent Agenda. The motion carried by the following vote:

5 -

Commissioner Jamieson, Commissioner Witonis, Commissioner Gorden,

Chair Smith, and Commissioner Cloutier

Yes:

No:

24-116

Appointment Ed Getty to the County’s Board of Assessment Review for a Term

of 2024-2027.

This Appointment was APPROVED.

24-117

24-118

Review recommendations for changes to the Non-Union Personnel Policy of

Article V., Section 9.5; Article VI, Section 6.17; Article IX, Section 9.4; Article IX

Section for authorization from the County Commissioners.

This Order was APPROVED.

Amendment of the Non-Union Personnel Policy Article VI. Section 6.15 Travel

and Administration Regulation #4 Meals & Travel Allowance.

This Order was APPROVED.

24-119

24-124

Acceptance of up to $79,760 in pre-approved formula rebate funds through the

Federal Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Block Grant program.

This Order was APPROVED.

Authorization for the Sheriff’s Office to apply for an AKC Reunite grant to pay for

the 75% of the estimated $10,000 cost to purchase of a Sheriff K-9 replacement

and use the Canine Supplies account for the 25% match requirement of $2,500.

This Order was APPROVED.

24-125

Authorization for the County Manager to enter into a contract between

Cumberland County and Town of Gray to provide part-time General Assistance

services from July 1 2024 - June 30, 2026.

This Order was APPROVED.

ARPA BUSINESS

24-120

Approval COR Office Furniture and DIRTT Modular Construction Solutions

Contracts for 27 Northport building using ARPA funds.

County Manager Gailey introduced two ARPA agenda items. The first is for the

modular wall systems that consists of two contracts at the 27 Northport Admin

building. One contract with COR for the conference rooms and workstations for

the amount of $844,282.76 and the second contract for wall systems for

$727,254.45 for a total amount of $1,571,537.21. Commissioner Smith

commented that she supports the item that it’s a very thoughtful design and is

adaptable so that it can accommodate future needs. Deputy County Manager

Alex Kimball stated that he wanted to acknowledge two staff members that

facilitated a lot of the design and electrical concepts, Facilities Director Bill

Trufant and IT Director Aaron Gilpatric.

A motion was made by Commissioner Jamieson, seconded by Commissioner

Witonis, that the Order be APPROVED. The motion carried by the following

vote:

5 -

Commissioner Jamieson, Commissioner Witonis, Commissioner Gorden,

Chair Smith, and Commissioner Cloutier

Yes:

No:

24-121

Approve and Adopt the Final ARPA budget to align with the Treasury

Departments Final Rule “obligated”

Compliance and Audit Manager Sandra Warren spoke about finalizing the ARPA

budget for the Treasury. All ARPA Funds are being contractually obligated and

the Commissioners will need to approve the final obligated funds prior to

December 31, 2025. The deadline for spending down ARPA funds is December

31, 2026. Commissioner Jamieson thanked Compliance and Audit Manager

Warren for her hard work and tracking all of the $56 million of ARPA funds.

Chair Cloutier asked about the projects with unspent funds, could they be

allocated elsewhere, Compliance and Audit Manager Warren stated that they

would go to a similar scope of work for interoffice or interagency contracts

depending on the contract language. Commissioner Smith thanked Sandra

Warren for her conscious management of the ARPA funds and for updating the

Commissioners.

A motion was made by Commissioner Jamieson, seconded by Commissioner

Witonis, that the Order be APPROVED. The motion carried by the following

vote:

5 -

Commissioner Jamieson, Commissioner Witonis, Commissioner Gorden,

Chair Smith, and Commissioner Cloutier

Yes:

No:

24-122

Approve and Award the Commissioning Agent Bid for the Cumberland County

Capital Improvements Project to Sparhawk Group in the amount of $74,182.00.

Compliance and Audit Manager Sandra Warren spoke about the need for hiring

a commissioning agent. The Sparhawk Group was selected after responding to

a request for proposal. The commissioning agent will guarantee that all of the

components installed in the Northport Admin building work together and function

correctly.

Chair Cloutier asked Facilities Director Trufant about EV chargers, are they

going to be installed? Facilities Director Trufant stated that yes, EV chargers

have been purchased and will be installed at the Northport Admin Building.

A motion was made by Vice Chair Gorden, seconded by Commissioner Smith,

that the Order be APPROVED. The motion carried by the following vote:

5 -

Commissioner Jamieson, Commissioner Witonis, Commissioner Gorden,

Chair Smith, and Commissioner Cloutier

Yes:

No:

NEW BUSINESS

24-123

Authorize the County Manager to enter into a contract with Maine Solar

Solutions for a solar array at 27 Northport Drive.

Public Affairs Director Travis Kennedy shared that the County received a

Department of Energy Block Grant. The Northport Roof was selected as a site

for solar panels. Maine Solar Solutions was selected based on their experience

and they have proposed solar panels for the existing rooftop space and

suggested expanding the rooftop space to support more solar arrays. The

engineering will be coordinated through WSP to craft a proposal for roof

expansion that would not exceed the grant and the 30% federal rebate credit, an

estimated amount of $114,000. Commissioner Smith asked if there was an

estimate of cost savings? Public Affairs Director Kennedy stated that it was

unknown at this time, depending on the rooftop build. However, he was told that

there would be a guarantee that the county would see a return on its investment

and then some. The solar energy that is unused will be banked and credited to

the county during the less sunny months.

A motion was made by Commissioner Witonis, seconded by Commissioner

Jamieson, that the Order be APPROVED. The motion carried by the following

vote:

5 -

Commissioner Jamieson, Commissioner Witonis, Commissioner Gorden,

Chair Smith, and Commissioner Cloutier

Yes:

No:

24-114

Appointment of Chair and Vice Chair for the Board of County Commissioners for

2025

Commissioner Stephen Gorden was nominated as Chair and Commissioner

Patricia Smith nominated as Vice Chair.

A motion was made by Chair Cloutier, seconded by Commissioner Witonis, that

the Order be APPROVED. The motion carried by the following vote:

5 -

Commissioner Jamieson, Commissioner Witonis, Commissioner Gorden,

Chair Smith, and Commissioner Cloutier

Yes:

No:

COMMENTS FROM THE COUNTY MANAGER

County Manager Gailey thanked Chair Cloutier for leading the Board of Commissioners for 2024.

County Manager Gailey thanked Commissioner Witonis for her 14 years of service and Commissioner

Jamieson for his 13 years of service to the county. He stated that he was sorry to see them go

especially since they have been great supporters of staff. Both commissioners oversaw a lot of the

transition of the county through different policy changes. He thanked them for their guidance with the

distribution of the ARPA funds, budget development and approval and working through two and a half

years of Covid. He noted that the HR Department appreciated the support for increasing recruiting

efforts and purchase of new software. He thanked them for their support and trust in the county staff

as they progressed.

COMMENTS FROM THE EXECUTIVE STAFF

Deputy County Manager Alex Kimball recalled his first meeting participating in a Cross Insurance

Arena Board of Trustees meeting with Commissioner Jamieson and Commissioner Witonis and

hockey team negotiations. He appreciated how much they have always fought for the country.

Finance Director Theresa Grover reported that the finance software is being customized and she and

her staff are looking forward to implementing it.

Human Resources Director Amy Jennings thanked the Commissioners for their support and her staff

really appreciates it. Last year the County hired 80 new employees and this year it’s close to 100,

however due to attrition rates, employees are still leaving. It's a lot of work for all departments, finance,

IT and facilities. Negotiations have begun for Dispatch and Corrections and in February the LEC and

Corrections Supervisors negotiations will begin.

Public Affairs Director Travis Kennedy thanked Commissioners Jamieson and Witonis for their support

and noted that he learned a lot about county government from them.

Commissioner Gorden asked HR Director Jennings if the average age of the workforce is lowering.

HR Director Jennings said that yes, it is, more employees are seeking work life balance.

Commissioner Gorden asked what the drivers are for leaving, HR Director Jennings stated that is the

major reason. This is particularly true at the jail. In order to be able to offer that work life balance

schedule, it would require 15 to 20 people being hired. Exit reviews have been completed for outgoing

employees and she would be happy to share the results.

COMMENTS FROM THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Commissioner Smith wished the public happy holidays. She thanked Commissioner Jamieson and

Witonis for their guidance and feels like she has completed her two year degree in learning about

county government. She stated the transition from municipal government to county government was a

huge leap but it was made possible by those two (Commissioner Jamieson and WItonis).

Commissioner Gorden commented the MCAA is crafting Legislation for statewide jail budgets, so that

35% of total counties jail budgets will be supported by the state. This will have a significant impact on

property taxes. Jails are a service of last resort, and he is looking forward to working with DA Sartoris.

Chair Cloutier thanked Commissioners for their comments. Since the passage of the Charter, he has

viewed the commissioners as a board of directors, silent and supportive.

Commissioner Jamieson wished the public a happy holiday, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

He congratulated the new commissioners, especially Jean-Marie Caterina. This has been the best

public service job that he has had in his 35 years of public service.

Commissioner Witonis said that when she started, there were three commissioners on the board and

then five commissioners. She noted that she was the only female and faced multiple opinions but feels

that she stood her ground on important issues. She thanked everyone.

Next Meeting: Monday, January 13, 2025

ADJOURNMENT

A motion was made by Commissioner Witonis, seconded by Commissioner Jamieson, to ADJOURN

the meeting at 7:00pm. The motion carried by a unanimous vote.