FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners voted Tuesday to award the contract to replace the jail roof to lowest bidder Gladu Roofing Co. of Lewiston for $49,100.

They also authorized Facilities Manager Nick Palmer to work with Clerk Julie Magoon to determine if it is a reasonable price, and if it is necessary to replace roofing insulation at an additional cost.

The seven bids received ranged all the way to $135,000.

The county previously set aside money in a reserve account to replace the roof. In March, Magoon said there was about $205,000 in the account.

In other business, commissioners voted to adopt a job description for a new position of finance manager. The money for the position is in the budget, Magoon said.

It is expected that it will be a promotion for Deputy Clerk/Deputy Treasurer Vickie Braley, who already performs the duties, but they are not listed in the latter two job descriptions.

Braley does the work above and beyond her normal duties, according to Treasurer Pam Prodan and Magoon.

They are seeing more and more financial regulations and Braley has been making sure the county complies with them, Prodan said.

“I would like to have Vickie promoted,” Magoon said. “This will capture what she already is doing.”

“I don’t think it is right to have to apply for her job,” Prodan said. “I think it is a promotion.”

Examples were given when county employees were promoted when a job description changed and did not have to apply for a job, including a former Emergency Management Agency deputy director and office manager in the District Attorney’s Office.

Magoon and Prodan said they wanted to keep the authority to appoint a deputy.

“We are fortunate (Braley) has the skills to do all three (jobs),” Magoon said.

In other matters, commissioners voted to change their meeting days back to the first and third Tuesdays of the month beginning Tuesday, Aug. 2. The meeting time will remain the same at 9 a.m. The meeting days are currently the first and third Mondays.

Commissioners also tabled action on a promotion of a current dispatcher to dispatch supervisor, pending a legal assessment to make sure the dispatch contract was followed.

There were four in-house applicants with one of them chosen unanimously by an oral board, Communications Center Director Stan Wheeler said.

The vacancy was created when supervisor Melinda Caton of Strong retired.

Oral board members were Tom Marble, county dispatch supervisor; Tim Hardy, director of Franklin County EMA; county Detective Lt. David St. Laurent; and Tammy Barker, deputy director of Somerset County Communications.

Commissioners also approved hiring Leighann Palmer of Farmington as a full-time dispatcher based on a paragraph in the dispatch contract that allows the director to compensate the person for experience. Palmer is certified and works part time for the county. She has more than five years of experience with another agency and will not have to go through the oral board process.

Wheeler was directed to have a second candidate, a certified dispatcher, go through the oral board process to fill a position left vacant when dispatcher Bill Hoyt resigned in June. Wheeler was also given permission to hire a temporary full-time dispatcher from the pool of applicants to get training started for a third anticipated dispatch vacancy.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net