AUBURN, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Androscoggin County Sheriff Guy Desjardins says it's time for all towns in the county to pay their "fair share" for dispatch services, and he is proposing new dispatch fees for towns outside of Lewiston/Auburn.
Currently, Lewiston and Auburn have two dispatch centers in Auburn that also dispatch for towns across Androscoggin County.
Under the Sheriff's plan, towns outside Lewiston and Auburn would pay a per capita fee for 911, fire and rescue, and police dispatch services.
The fee breaks down to $2 per capita for 911, $2.50 per capita for fire and rescue, and $6.15 per capita for police.
Sheriff Desjardins said dispatch fees have been debated for years, but it's important this year because the county just spent nearly $100 thousand on radio equipment upgrades for the Sheriff's dispatch center.
He said the county needs to off-set those costs, while continuing to support the dispatch services into the future.
"Believe me, every dollar, every penny counts," said Sheriff Desjardins. "A thte end of the day, if the decision is made that we need to raise revenues to keep our county dispatch center open, that's what we need to do."
County Commissioners vote on the porposal on Wednesday, Oct. 17.
NEWS CENTER