AUBURN — The Androscoggin County Commission voted Wednesday to increase the pay for reserve officers in the Sheriff’s Department and the jail to $18 per hour beginning June 5.

The pay was scheduled to increase in early July, but Sheriff Eric Samson asked to move the start date up a month to assist in the hiring of college students studying law enforcement who are looking for summer employment.

The hourly pay is a flat rate with no benefits. The former rate was $15 per hour, increased to $17 per hour following training, which typically takes a few weeks.

Samson said the use of reserve officers saves the county from having to pay overtime hours to cover shifts when officers go on vacation during the summer months.

Commissioners unanimously approved the new starting rate.

In other business, commissioners will hold a workshop next week to review all the requests from social services and other non-profits which have asked for funds from the county’s share of the American Rescue Plan Act grant. Commissioner Garrett Mason of Lisbon requested the workshop to allow commissioners to review each of the dozen or so requests.

Commissioner Brian Ames told his colleagues that he would not vote on any project until the county receives its second half of funding from the federal government. Treasurer Clarice Proctor said she expects the money to arrive sometime during the month of May.

Competing with the non-profit requests is the county, which still has capital improvement ideas it hopes to address. Commissioner Edouard Plourde of Lewiston asked County Administrator Larry Post to submit a list in order of priority for the commissioners to consider.

Commissioners set June 22 to hold caucuses for the County Budget Committee. Members are chosen to serve three-year terms. The last caucus was held in 2019.

An executive session was held at the conclusion of the meeting for a personnel matter, presumably to discuss the process to replace Post, who is stepping down in June.