JAY – The Board of Selectpersons set the 2019-20 budget timeline at Monday’s meeting, as well as approving the purchase of a police cruiser.
The town meeting will be held on April 23, corresponding to the tentative date of the Regional School Unit 73 vote. The board and Budget Committee will review the budget together, beginning with a workshop on Jan. 22. Formal votes on department budgets will be held on Feb. 4 at the Spruce Mountain High School library, while nonprofit funding will be discussed on Feb. 5.
The board previously decided to send letters to organizations funded through the 2016-17 process. Those letters will ask the organizations to make their funding requests to the board. The organizations include mostly Jay-based charities or event planning groups such as the local historical society, the Tri-Town Ministerial food pantry, the North Jay Grange and the July 3 parade.
In other business, the board approved the purchase of a 2018 Ford Interceptor from Bailey Brothers in Livermore Falls for $23,300 after trade-in. That vehicle will replace the 2016 Ford SUV the department currently uses. That vehicle now has 178,000 miles on it, having been operated for 40,000 miles after its engine was replaced.
The old cruiser is in the shop a lot, Chief Richard Caton IV previously told the board, and should be replaced. Jay hasn’t purchased a new cruiser for three years.
Caton also suggested the town purchase a 2019 cruiser this year, using funds in the department’s capital account. That would avoid having to purchase a 2020 model next year. The 2020 Interceptor has a different body and therefore some of the town’s equipment may not fit inside, Caton said. Additionally, the price is expected to be higher than the 2019 models, so buying a cruiser this year would save the town money.
The board agreed to have Caton approach a dealer that is getting four 2019 model cruisers and inquire about the trade-in value of the department’s vehicle. The board will meet Dec. 17 at 3 p.m. to take action on the second vehicle.
