Commissioners wrap up year's business, bid farewell to some

OXFORD COUNTY — After dealing with routine business, most of the December 14 meeting of the Oxford County Commissioners was devoted to recognizing the contributions of county personnel and wrapping up works in progress.

The county budget committee's recommended $5,635,769 budget for the coming year had to be approved by all three commissioners. Only if all three commissioners agree to reject a line-item, can it be sent back to the budget committee. Otherwise, the budget would stand as written.

However, the commissioners maintain that they are solely in charge of salaries. The budget committee recommended an increase of hours for one employee, bringing her from part-time to full-time status, thereby allowing her to collect the medical insurance benefit. The commissioners disallowed that expenditure, lowering the budget to $5,629,277, a savings of $6,492.

Also in the realm of routine business was the discussion of the installation of a wood-pellet burning furnace to heat the courthouse. The commissioners consulted with engineer Richard Grondin on the best means to utilize the new technology, which is believed to be cheaper than oil-fired burners. The furnace was purchased with a federal grant for energy conservation efforts.

County officials who were not re-elected leave office at 11:59 p.m., on December 31, and the new officers assume their duties one minute later. Leaving her office is Jane Rich, register of Deeds-East, who retired rather than run for another term of office.

Rich served the county for 20 years and said, earlier this year, that she takes great pride in the fact that the complete digitization of the records was accomplished on her watch. The records can be searched entirely by computer.

Candace Jack was given a certificate of appreciation by the commissioners, for her outstanding performance as a dispatcher at the Oxford County Regional Communications Center.

County Director of Communications Jim Miclon said Jack has very calmly guided more than one person through giving CPR when they called in on the 911-emergency phone line.

"She has a remarkable ability to calm people down when they're all worked up," Miclon said. "There also was the incident in which a little boy was run over and she did an outstanding job then."

In addition to recognizing the outbound Rich, the commissioners welcomed a new deputy sheriff, Matthew Noyes, a Rumford father of two girls and a six-year veteran of the Rumford Police Department. Sheriff Wayne Gallant said Noyes recently returned from a tour of duty with the Army Reserves in Afghanistan.