FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners voted Tuesday to change Lorna Nichols’ title from jail cook supervisor to food service manager, Finance Manager Vickie Braley said.

Nichols’ salary was raised from $18.01 per hour to $21.35 per hour. The New Sharon resident has held the position for seven years.

The change reflects more duties that have been added over the past 20 years, Nichols said later Tuesday.

She is the wife of Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. Her supervisor is Maj. Doug Blauvelt, the Franklin County Detention Center administrator.

The action followed an executive session with commissioners and Lorna Nichols.

In other business, commissioners directed Human Resources Manager Tiffany Baker to draft a job description for someone to oversee the $2.9 million the county has received from the American Rescue Plan Act. The other half of the $5.86 million is expected to arrive next year.

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Baker was also requested to find out a rate of pay per hour.

Braley, who was on Zoom, told commissioners she has contacted quite a few representatives from other counties. She has a sample job description for the position. Oxford County officials are going to hire someone from Community Concepts Inc. to help them, she said.

“I think you should have someone who doesn’t have a dog in the fight,” Commissioner Lance Harvell of Farmington said.

Commissioner Clyde Barker of Strong asked why Greater Franklin County Development Council couldn’t do it.

Harvell said he wouldn’t want the economic development organization to do it.

Council Executive Director Charlie Woodworth said the council is not set up to do it.

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Lorna Nichols said as a selectman she would not agree to go with Greater Franklin County Development Council.

The council is the co-administrator of the county’s tax increment financing program.

“It needs to be independent,” Nichols said.

In another matter, commissioners voted to allow the Sheriff’s Office to spend $77,800 to buy two speed trailers, five years of AT&T sim card service for the trailers, and purchase and deliver a steel connex box to store the trailers in the winter, according to Lt. David Rackliffe. The money would be reimbursed by Operation Stonegarden, a cooperative effort among the U.S. Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection and local law enforcement agencies.

Rackliffe is waiting for final approval from the federal program. The money has to be spent by Aug. 31, he said.

The trailers show motorists how fast they’re going, remotely monitor speeds and generate reports to better focus on the when the worst offenses occur, Rackliffe wrote in a memo to the board.

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“We can’t be everywhere,” he said, but with the information provided by the reports, they could target areas where and when needed. The office has one trailer.

About 90% of the people slow down when they see their speed and the rest either maintain their speed or go faster, Rackliffe said. The system does not record license plate numbers, he said.

Deputies cover close to 1,800 square miles, which consists of around 1,000 road miles, according to Rackliffe’s information.

“One of the greatest complaints we receive from citizens is traffic speeding by their home, school or business,” he wrote.


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