Commissioners revise phone, videoconference policy

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — If a member of the County Commissioners is unable to attend a meeting, he or she will now be able to phone in or participate via video conferencing.
    Commissioners approved a revision to the telephone/videoconference policy at their Oct. 3 meeting.
    County Administrator Doug Beaulieu said the policy does not apply solely to County Commissioners. Any elected official who wishes to participate in a Commissioners’ meeting could do so from afar under the policy.
    “We created the policy in December 2011 and there have been a few occasions where the weather was bad in one part of the County, so a commissioner could participate by phone,” he said.
    Since its inception, a commissioner has participated in a meeting from a distance only twice, according to Beaulieu.
    The revision to the policy deals with declaring a quorum in order for meetings to take place and whether an individual participating via a telephone or videoconference can be counted toward the quorum. In the past, a commissioner participating in a meeting from afar was allowed to vote, but that vote could not be used to mark a quorum.
    A quorum is the minimum number of members that must be present in order for a meeting to take place.
    “We did some research and what I am recommending parallels what the University of Maine System uses,” Beaulieu said.
    With the revision, it is conceivable that a Commissioners’ meeting could be held with just one member in attendance, with one or two of the other members participating on the phone or through a videoconference.
    Commissioners also approved a lease agreement with the administrative office of courts for the District Attorney’s office in Presque Isle. A five-year lease was requested from the court system at a rate of $10/square foot per month. The office in Presque Isle is about 717 square feet.
    In other agenda items, Commissioners:
    • Agreed to sell two Crown Victoria police cruisers, which were surplus vehicles.
    • Approved the purchase of a 1991 Ford pumper truck in the amount of $6,000. The pumper has a 1,000-gallon tank and was purchased from the town of Van Buren. It will be used in the Cross Lake area.