FORT KENT, Maine – Fort Kent’s town council approved a new property and casualty insurance plan along with an interlocal animal control agreement during a Dec. 9 meeting.
Town Manager Suzie Paradis said the bottom line cost for last year’s insurance plan was $95,066, which in addition to the municipality also includes the water and wastewater department. As a result, about half of this cost is covered via taxes while the other half is covered by the water and wastewater department.
Paradis said that this year she negotiated a lower overall cost at $90,156. Council chair Corey Pelletier said he felt this was a good deal, especially considering the current insurance environment.
Paradis said that the town has usually opted out of cybersecurity coverage in the past, but she felt the town should consider looking into it. She shared two different plans with the board, one with a one million dollar limit and another with a two million dollar limit.
They would be insured against security breaches and ransomware. It also protects private data, such as banking information. The plan also covers for network security, regulatory liability, system failures, and business interruptions.
For the $1 million coverage, the premium total would be $1,939 and split among the town’s departments.
With the town starting up its budget process, Paradis said this would be a small add-on to the overall budget.
Pelletier suggested inviting a computer expert to come in and speak to the town council about what this would offer and if it is worth spending about $2,000.
The council approved the new insurance plan and agreed to continue looking into cybersecurity.
Later in the meeting, the council also approved an animal control agreement with the town of Frenchville. Under the agreement, Fort Kent will provide animal control services for Frenchville that include investigating domestic animal complaints, stray dogs, and dangerous and nuisance dogs.
Frenchville, under the agreement, would provide Fort Kent’s animal control officer with office space and respond to complaints within the town from Jan. 1 of 2025 up until Dec. 31 of 2026.
Under the agreement, Frenchville will pay Fort Kent an hourly rate of $40, with a minimum one-hour rate, and 0.62 cents per mile for travel expenses.
