MINOT — Selectmen agreed Monday night that the costs in county commissioners’ latest proposal for providing dispatch services to the small towns are reasonable.

 

According to the latest plan, contained in a document provided by Commissioner Beth Bell, Minot would be assessed $11,731.50 for the sheriff’s office acting as the town’s public safety answering point, handling its 991 calls, and providing fire and emergency dispatch.

 

While the amount is somewhat higher than what Minot currently pays — estimated to be in the $8,000 range — it pales in comparison with some of the figures being bandied about the past few years as officials have debated various scenarios for how emergency dispatch was going to be handled countywide.

 

“We have seen proposals as high as $62,000 a year,” Selectman Steve French said, “more recently it was about $18,000. The county commissioners should be commended for coming up with a reasonable plan.”

 

The formula being used to calculate charges to each town is based on population, with towns being charged $2.50 per capita for fire and emergency dispatch and $2 per capita for handling 911 calls.

 

Agreeing that the proposal was both reasonable and fair, selectmen asked town administrator Arlan Saunders to write a letter to the commissioners to that effect.

 

“I believe dispatch should be a county function,” Selectman Eda Tripp said, “I’m glad it is staying with the sheriff’s office.”

 

In other business, selectmen authorized Saunders to work with OCE Imagistics Inc. of Portland on a plan to overhaul the town office photocopying system.

 

The proposal under consideration would provide the town with two new Canon copiers and, overall, save the town at least $30 a month — and an additional 2.3 cents per copy when individuals working on their desk computers use one of the main copiers.

 

Saunders reported that he had scheduled a meeting for Wednesday for the Facilities Committee to work on plans for expanding the Fire Department’s Central Fire Station. Preliminary plans would expand the building by about 50 percent.

 

Members of the Facilities Committee include Dean Campbell, Ron Campbell, Ed Cormier, Dan Gilpatric, Colleen Quint, Saunders and Emily Tuttle.

 

Saunders also reported that after all the rain delays, the striping crew from Poirier Guidelines is expected to stripe town roads Wednesday; that the winter sand pile is within 900 cubic yards of being completed; and the highway department is readying equipment for winter.