FOIA request sent to the Oxford County Commissioners’ office in August of 2022, requesting voting information from Albany Township. The county was billed $1,569 to research the request. Rose Lincoln

ALBANY — When the Oxford County Board of Commissioners met with Albany townspeople on March 21, the public meeting was meant to illuminate why the board is considering moving the voting location for Albany residents from Albany Town Hall to another town.

The main points said County Administrator Donald Durrah, “where they [the ballots] are stored, how the process is being done and what control I have over the process,”  He stressed that he currently has no control over voting in Albany.

During that meeting Durrah also discussed cost. Mike Richard, of Albany, had asked if a FOAA (the Maine Freedom of Access Act) request was part of the $9, 264 (over four years) that the county spent this year on Albany’s elections. Durrah said it was, but did not breakdown the cost.

The Bethel Citizen received a copy of the accrued costs by the county over four years to operate elections in Albany along with an explanation of the confusion at the meeting.

Oxford County Commissioners’ Executive Assistant Abby Shanor said the amount spent was over the span of four years, not one year as was reported by Durrah . “Donnie misspoke at first but then corrected quickly after so we apologize for that confusion! Mike Richard [of Albany] had asked ahead of the hearing for a list of charges over the last four years so that’s where that came from … .”

FOAA Request

Additionally, following the meeting, the paper received the FOAA request that the county received from William Jennings from the county’s attorney James Pross. He explained that a man from out of state was acting on behalf of “some loose third party organization that was inundating all voting places with these FOAA requests.”

Part of the public hearing discussion was about the rising cost of legal fees. The document Shaynor sent shows one legal fee entry of $1, 569.

A breakdown of voting expenses by Oxford County for Albany Township over the past four years. Rose Lincoln

Said Pross, “I cannot speak to the $1,569 charge, as that number was generated by the County, presumably from my invoicing, and I would defer to the County on that.  If I was to speculate, I think that number would include time spent researching and responding to the FOAA request and, perhaps, also time spent researching and advising on legal issues pertaining to the County’s statutory responsibilities in light of, and in anticipation of, Ms. Kimball’s retirement.

“I do remember spending considerable time researching the confidentiality of voting records under state and federal laws.  In a climate of heightened scrutiny of voting records, and the extra attention election security has received in the national media, I wanted to be extra cautious before releasing any information,” he said via email.

Four other entries, totaling, $2,006.41 were, according to Shaynor, to “record charges that didn’t transfer over when our accountants switched from quickbooks to a new system!”

The average cost to the county for Albany to vote per year, according to the county’s breakdown, is $2,316.