AUGUSTA, Maine — Joel Marry has been sheriff of Sagadahoc County for 13 years and says in almost every year, he and others have had to go to the Legislature and fight for enough money to run the county jails.
“It is very essential,” Merry said Friday. He spoke on a proposal that sheriffs, county commissioners, municipal officials, and lawmakers put together to provide stable and predictable funding for jails.
Sheriff Todd Bracket of Lincoln County said the county jails would cost about $100 million to operate in 2022. He said the counties pay about 80% of that money from local property taxes. The state is supposed to cover the balance, Brackett said, but for more than a decade, the sheriffs have had to fight with legislators and governors to get the rest of the funds.
The bill being debated would guarantee the state pays 20% of that cost each year or pay $50 per day for each state prisoner, whichever amount is greater.
Counties would pay 80%, with a specific dollar cap for each county on how much it could be asked to raise from property taxes. There would be the ability for minor changes each year, and the overall numbers could be revisited every four years and adjusted by the Legislature if needed.
Brackett said guaranteeing a certain share for the state would provide stability and certainty for the counties.
“That’s the emphasis, to partner with the state on a more stable funding with the state so we can control property taxes. To get the state to pick up what we say is their fair share as a partner, as a stakeholder [with jails],” Brackett said.
The Mills administration has been part of the negotiations on the bill for more than a month. At Friday’s hearing of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, Corrections Commissioner Randall Liberty said the administration is willing to provide an additional $1.9 million to reach the $20 million state total. Liberty also said the governor doesn’t object to requiring the state to pay a flat 20% share of jail costs.
However, he said the administration does not support the option of a $50 per day fee for each state prisoner held in those jails.
“While the counties would like the certainty their proposed level of funding might provide, that same funding mechanism leads to uncertainty for the state budget,” Liberty said.
Bill sponsor Rep. Charlotte Warren, D-Hallowell, said the Mills administration should support the plan because the counties have suffered uncertainty for too long.
“And frankly, this is a property tax saving bill, and we need our sheriffs to keep costs down so we can keep property taxes down,” Warren said. “And it is not fun for them to not know what their funding will be.”
Brackett said he had met with Mills on Thursday to explain the proposal and change her position. Brackett said the plan is a new concept for paying for jails but one used in several other states. Brackett said he hopes that as Mills learns and understands more about the proposal, her opposition might be reduced.
Warren said eliminating the $50 per prisoner option is not a good option, saying the whole package depends on all the current elements to work correctly and that dropping one of the state payment options could damage the entire proposal.
More negotiations and committee work will be happening in the coming weeks.