Summary of Financial ComCenter Merger, A Right Solution!!!

SUMMARY RIGHT SOLUTION

"In doing some research and reviewing the presentation on the town web site, I believe I have an equitable solution."

The consolidation of the Androscoggin Sheriff’s Office (ASO) and Lisbon ComCenter to form Androscoggin County Consolidated ComCenter (A4C) is definitely the right thing to do.  However, the presentation Chief Brooks is going to present is a total disaster for the taxpayers of Lisbon.

Chief Brooks wants the taxpayers of Lisbon to assume all the financial responsibility for the A4C.  Slide 19 sums it all up “in this scenario the Lisbon Town Council (Lisbon Taxpayers), will be the final budget authority for the Lisbon ComCenter operation.”  The means the taxpayers of Lisbon will have to fund the ComCenter for the duration of the ComCenter.

The ComCenter is performing a County function dispatching police, fire and medical throughout the County from Lisbon.  This is a County project and should be funded entirely by the County utilizing the Androscoggin County Budget Committee.

The equipment owned by Lisbon should be transferred to the County for a credit to be applied over the next three years to fund Lisbon’s portion of the cost.

The town of Lisbon could charge the County for rent on the space utilized in the town office building.

Nowhere in Chief Brook’s presentation does he explain where the current equipment and maintenance is accounted for in the Lisbon town budget.  Chief Brook admits to hiding costs associated with the ComCenter in other lines in our current town budget, see Slide 3.

Lisbon taxpayer’s should not have to pay for Chief Brook’s to expand his empire.  This is a County function and should be totally placed under the County. Keeping this in the county saves the taxpayers of Lisbon in excess of $500,000 dollars.  This is the true cost of the current ComCenter and not the $229,354.00 stated by Chief Brooks.  His figure does not include the cost of the equipment and maintenance. Look at Slide 4 & 5 no equipment or maintenance.  Slide 6 does include everything in the total cost of the ASO ComCenter.

The reason it makes sense to move the ASO to Lisbon is because you cannot merge a larger entity into a small entity.  The only problem is who will maintain the funding?  County function should be the county and not Lisbon.  Common Sense!!!!

The solution is to forming the Androscoggin County Consolidated Communication Center (A4C) utilizing the $375,000+ proposed in the Androscoggin County budget for 2012.  This funding should be sufficient to defray all cost of the consolidation, see Slide 13.

This council may not listen to me, but the people of Lisbon Do!

Oh and by the way Chief Brooks, Jennifer & Todd says Hi!!!

Larry A. Fillmore
Concerned Citizens