Androscoggin County Commissioner Jonathan Labonte made the suggestion, at the Aug. 17 meeting, to hire a consultant to help commissioners prepare the 2012 county budget. Isn’t that what he was elected to do?

“The pilot could begin as early as September” he stated. Commissioners decided by a vote of 2-1 to solicit bids due on Aug. 24. Since the decision was made in the evening, the clerk could not set the process of securing bids in motion until Aug. 18.

Androscoggin County government consists of the commission; seven departments; 120-plus employees; two union contracts; the Building Committee; and a budget of $9.8 million. Who would have the time with this six-day window to prepare an in-depth application which would meet all the requirements?

Historically speaking, this responsibility has always been that of the commissioners. Second, it would take a herculean effort for an outsider to become intimately familiar with the inner workings of our county government, and imagine all of the time it would take away from the department heads’ already busy schedules to bring a new person up to speed.

It is too risky at this point in the process (four months left before the budget has to be finalized in December) to bring in someone new. It is our tax dollars (yes, yours and mine), all $9.8 million of them, tha t are at stake.

Now is not the time to hire a newcomer. Commissioners must do the job they were elected to do.

Mary Roussel, Auburn