AUBURN — Dana Lee, who resigned from his job as town manager of Poland in May, has been hired by Androscoggin County.

Commissioners want Lee, through his newly formed company, Lee Facilitation, to shepherd the county through its budget process, working with department leaders and the commission to find savings in the county’s $10 million budget.

Commissioner Jonathan LaBonte suggested the move, saying he wanted someone from outside county government to take a look at the work that’s traditionally handled in-house.

Chairman Randall Greenwood backed the hiring, saying the three-member commission could be helped by someone with decades in local government.

Lee spent four years as Poland’s town manager, 16 years as Mechanic Falls’ town manager and has worked with the Maine Municipal Association and other groups. 

He walked away from Poland this spring, citing hostility from several residents. The negativity made him ill, he said.

Today, he is “100 percent better,” he said.

His company is working with a variety of towns on issues ranging from team-building in municipal government to instruction for newly elected officials. His company was one of three that bid on the county project.

He plans to spend between 74 and 84 hours on the project and collect a fee of $5,200. Work is set to begin in a few days.

He plans to look for places in the budget to consolidate and cut expenses, he said. It ought to be friendly.

“It’s not my intent to go in and be real scary,” Lee said. “(Commissioners) want a fresh pair of eyes.”

Commissioner Elaine Makas voted against hiring a consultant for the work, arguing that the process was overly rushed and that Lee would spend too much time familiarizing himself with the county and its budget process.

Makas said Lee’s fee might be better spent either cutting the bottom line or giving nonunion employees a small bonus. It would amount to an increase in their wages of one half of one percent, she said.

“It’s peanuts, but at least it tells our employees we value them,” she said.

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