AUBURN — Androscoggin County commissioners have agreed to hire three new full-time guards for the jail, officially ending a three-month stalemate between the commission and Sheriff Guy Desjardins.

“They were duly qualified and we hired them without reservation,” commission Chairman Randall Greenwood said Thursday.

Desjardins first asked for approval to post the jail jobs for hiring in early May. However, Greenwood and Commissioner Jonathan LaBonte put the measure on hold.

The men complained that the department was too reliant on higher-paid full-time staff.

However, Desjardins and Jail Administrator John Lebel have argued that recruiting part-timers can be difficult. State officials also cap the total number of hours they can work in a year.

For Desjardins, the alternative is to make full-timers work longer hours at a higher cost.

In one month, filling the three vacant positions cost 504 hours in overtime, the sheriff said.

The costs were detailed on July 21, when Commissioner Elaine Makas and Greenwood gave Desjardins permission to seek candidates for the three positions.

LaBonte, who did not attend the July 21 meeting, believes the issue has spawned too much theater, he said.

“It has gotten too political,” he said. “It’s over now.”

He was pleased that the county has begun training a new class of reserve guards, he said.

In all, eight people have completed the classroom stage of training and have begun working alongside corrections officers inside the jail, Desjardins said.

As soon as September, one or more of the eight recruits could be working part time.

Makas, a vocal supporter of the hirings, was on vacation and did not attend Wednesday’s commission meeting.

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