FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners voted Tuesday to appoint Leanna Target of Salem Township to a review committee to grade and make recommendations on a tax increment financing grant and scholarship applications.

Target is the administrative assistant for the town of Kingfield.

Commissioners also accepted the resignation of Ginni Robie of Madrid Township from the review committee. She was appointed last year to succeed her husband, David Robie, who died in February 2013.

A new member is needed from Madrid, county Clerk Julie Magoon said.

The committee is comprised of residents from the unorganized territories.

Since March 2012, the county has awarded about $242,000 in tax-increment financing revenue to enhance economic development in the unorganized territories.

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In 2008, it was estimated the county would retain $4 million over 20 years when commissioners entered into a credit-enhancement agreement with TransCanada Maine Wind Development Inc., a wholly-owned affiliate of TransCanada Corp. in connection to the wind power development on mountains in Kibby Township.

Residents of the unorganized territories may apply for scholarships for educational classes and technical career training. The goal is for more skilled workers to improve economic development.

In other business Tuesday, commissioners accepted the resignation of dispatch supervisor Meagan Gaboury, who had worked at the county for about 15 years, supervisor Melinda Caton said.

They also voted to allow Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. to spend $1,085 from a radio repair account to pay a part of getting Wilton’s repeater updated to be able to connect with Franklin County Sheriff’s Department’s new repeaters. Those repeaters are on communication towers on Mosher Hill in Farmington and Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley.

The county had upgraded the repeaters and, unbeknownst to Nichols, Wilton had its own communications tower with a repeater on it, he said. The Wilton officers can hear dispatchers but officers cannot respond to dispatch in some places in the the town from their mobile radios, he said.

Police are using their phones and other equipment to stay in touch with the Franklin County Communications Center in Farmington when they are out of their cruisers and on mobile radios in some areas until the repeater is on the same frequency as the county.

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“This is an officer safety issue,” Nichols said.

Nichols said he was in Eustis and there were communications problems between dispatchers and police a few weeks ago. Since the repeater upgrade that issue has been resolved, he said.

The cost to get Wilton upgraded is a little more than $2,000. Wilton police Chief Heidi Wilcox did not have the money in the budget for the cost, he said.

He asked commissioners to use $1,085 from his budget to pay about half of the cost, he said.

Wilcox had not known about the change of frequency for the county and did not plan money in the budget for it, she said Tuesday. She was not at the commissioners meeting. The county’s new frequency on Mosher Hill is so close to Wilton’s frequency that it now overrides the town’s repeater, she said.

The remaining money will come out of her budget, she said.

dperry@sunjournal.com


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